Steampunk for kids--was four, now six books from 2010

Originally I had four books in my list, now I'm up to six. It might change again....

Here I am, squeaking in under the wire with a post for Steampunk/Alternate History Week...(the round-up is here at Chasing Ray).

"Steampunk" is a rather loose-fitting term when it comes to middle-grade books. Strictly speaking, it implies steam technology, but in books for younger readers, it becomes more a flavor than a clearly-defined subgenre--a flavor that can include various combinations clockwork devices, steam-powered machines, alternate history, and ingenious folks (possibly using technology) pitting their wits against hostile forces (also possibly using gadgetry). Technology and magic go hand in hand in these stories, and the devices of human making are as wondrous as the (optional) fantastical elements that can't be explained by science.

Over at School Library Journal a little while ago, Heather Campbell complied a brilliant list of steampunk books for kids and teens. In this past year, several more steampunkish books have come out that are worthy of attention, and so, for your clockworkish reading pleasure, here they are.

The Brimstone Key (Grey Griffins--The Clockwork Chronicles, Book 1), by Derek Benz & J.S. Lewis (Little Brown 2010, 384 pages). This new series continues the story of four kids who call themselves the Grey Griffins, whose lives were changed forever when they became involved in dark and dangerous magical adventures.

In this new series, Max and his gang are enrolled in a school run by the Knights Templar (a shadowy order that exists to protect ordinary people from monsters and magical mayhem). All does not go smoothly--a mysterious and legendary figure, the Clockwork King, set in motion a century ago a nefarious plan. He has devised a way to transfer changeling spirits into an army of clockwork automatons...and somehow the Grey Griffins must find a way to stop him...

This should have appeal to fans of steampunk because of the plot's focus on clockwork machines, and because the kids at the school are currently enjoying a phase of retro-steampunky Victorian fashions, but really it's more comfortable in the "magical school trains special kids" genre of fantasy. It's an action-filled adventure of a book, not desperately deep or emotionally compelling, but imaginative and interesting enough to appeal to its intended audience. (review copy received from the publisher for Cybils reading purposes)

Behemoth, by Scott Westerfeld (Simon Pulse, 2010, 496 pages) This sequel to last year's Leviathan, on the other hand, is just as steampunky as all get out. Alernate history? check. Steam-powered technology? check. Wildly imaginative adventures combining the two? check. In an alternate World War I, the Germanic Clankers (steam technology) face off against the Darwinist Brits (technology through modification of living creatures). Two kids, a boy who's the heir to the Autro-Hungarian Empire and a girl disguised as a boy, serving as a midshipman on a British air-ship, are caught in an adventure of tangled loyalties and great danger, set against a backdrop of utterly magical worldbuilding.

It's thought provoking and exciting, and I highly recommend it, but you should read Leviathan first. Amazon has this as YA, but it's one that's great for the older mg crowd. (review copy received for the Cybils)

The Celestial Globe, by Marie Rutkoski (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2010, 304 pages). Lifted from my review, back last spring: "Back in 2008, I enjoyed Marie Rutkoski's first book, The Cabinet of Wonders, very much; so much so that I helped shortlist it for the Cybils that year. So I opened its sequel, The Celestial Globe, with much hopeful anticipation....and was very pleased indeed to find it even more enthralling than the first book. It includes attacking monsters, imprisoned elemental spirits, treachery, nautical adventuring, friendship, fencing lessons, a murder mystery, and my favorite fictional mechanical spider, all in a well-written package.

In The Cabinet of Wonders, Petra and her gypsy friend Neel, with help from a mechanical spider friend, had thwarted the plans of the twisted Prince Rudolfo of Bohemia to take over the world. Neel rejoined his Gypsy kin, Petra returned to her village, and for a brief span it seemed that all was well again.

But as The Celestial Globe begins, the prince has sent monsters to attack Petra and her father. Her father is captured, but Petra escapes, saved by John Dee, the Elizabethan magician with whom she had forged a mind link in the first book. Trying to save her, her village friend Tomick plunges through a hole in space, and finds himself a prisoner of the same gypsies that Neel had joined...

Petra in London chaffs against her virtual imprisonment by the powerful and enigmatic Dee. She is caught up in a web of murder and intrigue, developing her own magical skills under Dee's tutelage. Meanwhile, Tomick's fate hangs in the balance--will he be sold into slavery by the Sea Gypsies, or will he be able to continue his search for Petra? The Gypsies are searching themselves for the Celestial Globe, a magical artifact that would give them the ultimate freedom of travel, and an escape from persecution. And all signs point toward London...where Petra is already at work solving the mystery."

I'm counting this as steampunk because of the mechanical spider and the Celestial Globe are both Devices of the highest order, and because although it's not full-fledged alternate history, it does venture that way. John Dee, the Elizabeth magician, is a central character, using his magical powers in the service of queen and country (at least, that seems to be the case; I'm not sure I trust him) in ways that never happened in real history.

The Clockwork Three, by Matthew J. Kirby (Scholastic Press, 2010, 400 pages). Three children, living in an alternate Victorian era American city, find their lives bound together as each struggles to achieve an impossible dream. For Guiseppe, it's to earn enough money busking to return to Italy, for Hannah it's to earn enough money to support her family now that her father has fallen ill, and for Frederick, it's to create a clockwork automaton and become a full fledged guild member. It's a complicated story, that requires some faith on the part of the reader that all the disparate threads will come together, but they never quite did, for me. However, there's plenty of adventure, plenty of "brave children struggling against impossible odds" and a dash of mystery and wonder. And, just in fairness to this book, Betsy over at Fuse #8 liked it lots.

Edited to add:

The Toymaker, by Jeremy de Quidt (David Fickling, 368 pages). There is no steam involved in this story, but the clockwork creatures are the utterly scariest ones I have encountered to date. From my review--"...the titular toymaker makes automatons come to life by wiring their clockwork to living hearts. Sparrow hearts, to start with...they're easy to come by." Part exciting adventure, part horror story, it's thought provoking and beautifully written...and deeply disturbing.


The Dark Deeps, by Arthur Slade (Wendy Lamb, mg/ya, 320 pages). I'd thought this was covered in the SLJ article, but I see that just book 1, The Hunchback Assignments, was included. I haven't read that first one, but apparently it is very steampunky, what with the nefarious doings of the Clockwork Guild. In The Dark Deeps, young Modo, the eponymous hunchback, is sent on another mission--to find out who, or what, has been sinking every ship that passes through a particular piece of the North Atlantic. The Clockwork Guild appears in this book too, there's funky technology combined with funky extraordinary-ness, there are gears on the cover, and there's a noir feel to it, all of which combine to make this one "steampunk" too. (Thanks, Jacquie, for reminding me of this one!)

And just for the 2010 record: other books published (in the US) this year, and included in the School Library Journal article so not discussed here, include Fever Crumb, by Philip Reeve, and Worldshaker, by Richard Harland.

Any other middle grade books of 2010 you think of as Steampunk? Let me know!

Edited (again) to add, from readers' suggestions, Haywired,by Alex Keller, and The Wolf Tree (Book 2 of the Clockwork Dark) by John Claude Bemis. I haven't read either of these yet....

New releases of science fiction and fantasy for kids and teenagers--the second half of December edition

Here are the new releases of sci fi and fantasy for kids and teens for the second half of December. As usual, my information comes from Teens Read Too; the blurbs are the from the publishers, via Amazon and Goodreads.

THE DOOMSDAY BOX: A SHADOW PROJECT ADVENTURE by Herbie Brennan "When the CIA created a program to research time travel in the 1940s, they never imagined it could lead to a global pandemic decades later. But after an undercover agent, code name Cobra, exploits the time-travel operation to send the black plague into the twenty-first century, the supernatural teen spies of the Shadow Project are recruited to go back in time to Cold War-era Russia and prevent this devastating chain of events from occurring.

There's just one problem: How do four teenagers deter a seasoned CIA agent from his life-or-death mission? Michael, Danny, Opal, and Fuchsia, a new agent with mysterious abilities, will have to use their powers of astral projection—and persuasion—to convince Cobra that what's at stake could hit closer to home than he can imagine. That is, if they can even manage to survive in Moscow in the early 1960s, where the KGB wants them dead. . . ."

THE END OF THE WORLD CLUB: THE JAGUAR STONES by J&P Voelkel "With the end of the Mayan calendar fast approaching, fourteen-year-old Max Murphy and his new friend Lola, the modern Maya girl who saved his life in the perilous jungle, are racing against time to outwit the twelve Lords of Death. Following the trail of the conquistadors, their quest takes them back to the wild heart of Spain - a forgotten land steeped in legend, superstition and ever more bizarre tourist festivals. With a pack of hellhounds on their heels and the cape-twirling Count Antonio de Landa in hot pursuit, the teens must face madness and betrayal, bluff and double-bluff, to uncover the terrible secrets of the long-lost Yellow Jaguar. But no matter where they run, all roads lead to Xibalba. There, in the cold and watery Maya underworld, we finally discover why only Max Murphy can save the world from the villainous Lords of Death."

LOVE STRUCK: BEDEVILED by Shani Petroff "In a fit of rage, Angel mistakenly tells her parents to “grow up,” and before she knows it, they’re zapped back to their teens and running away together because they’re so in love. Now Angel’s got the weight of the world on her shoulders. Lou Cipher was finally dropping his evil ways, but since he’s back to his teen self, who knows how he’ll choose to use his special powers?"

SHIP OF THE DEAD: RUNEWARRIORS by James Jennewein & Tom S. Parker "How can Dane defeat an enemy that's already dead? Dane the Defiant is determined to free his beloved Astrid from her Valkyrie servitude. And he learns of a way—a dark and dangerous way. He must hunt and kill a savage foe: none other than his former nemesis, Thidrek the Terrifying, who has magically returned from the dead.

Thidrek has been sent by the goddess Hel herself, ruler of the Underworld, to find the Ship of the Dead, a cursed vessel built from the bone and sinew of countless ill-fated sailors. If Dane and his fellow Rune Warriors fail to find the ship first, Thidrek will use it to lead Hel's ghastly army of dead, decayed soldiers in a violent overthrow of mankind.

Can Dane find a way to save the world—and reunite with his one true love—in the face of indomitable evil? The fate of the Viking world hangs in the balance in this exhilarating final chapter of the epic RuneWarriors saga."

YOUNG ADULT

BLOODY VALENTINE: BLUE BLOODS by Melissa de la Cruz "Vampires have powers beyond human comprehension: strength that defies logic, speed that cannot be captured on film, the ability to shapeshift and more. But in matters of the heart, no one, not even the strikingly beautiful and outrageously wealthy Blue Bloods, has total control. In Bloody Valentine, bestselling author Melissa de la Cruz offers readers a new story about the love lives of their favorite vamps - the passion and heartache, the hope and devastation, the lust and longing. Combined with all the glitz, glamour, and mystery fans have come to expect, this is sure to be another huge hit in the Blue Bloods series."

DEADLY LITTLE GAMES: A TOUCH NOVEL by Laurie Faria Stolarz "Camelia and Ben have discovered a powerful bond: They both possess the power of psychometry, the ability to sense things through touch. For Ben, the gift is a frightening liability. When he senses a strong threat or betrayal, he risks losing control and hurting people. Camelia's gift is more mysterious. When she works with clay, her hands sculpt messages her mind doesn't yet comprehend.

Before either teen has a chance to fully grasp these abilities, an unresolved family tragedy resurfaces in Camelia's life, irrevocably changing everything she cares about..."

FALLEN ANGEL by Heather Terrell "Heaven-sent? Ellie was never particularly good at talking to boys—or anyone other than her best friend and fellow outcast, Ruth. Then she met Michael.

Michael is handsome, charming, sweet. And totally into Ellie. It’s no wonder she is instantly drawn to him. But Michael has a secret. And he knows Ellie is hiding something, too. They’ve both discovered they have powers beyond their imagining. Powers that are otherworldly.

Ellie and Michael are determined to uncover what they are, and how they got this way . . . together. But the truth has repercussions neither could have imagined. Soon they find themselves center stage in an ancient conflict that threatens to destroy everything they love. And it is no longer clear whether Ellie and Michael will choose the same side.

In this electrifying novel, Heather Terrell spins a gripping supernatural tale about true love, destiny, and the battle of good versus evil."

THE LOST SAINT: A DARK DIVINE NOVEL by Bree Despain "The non-stop sequel to The Dark Divine delivers an even hotter romance and more thrilling action than Bree Despain's first novel. Grace Divine made the ultimate sacrifice to cure Daniel Kalbi. She gave her soul to the wolf to save him and lost her beloved mother. When Grace receives a haunting phone call from Jude, she knows what she must do. She must become a Hound of Heaven. Desparate to find Jude, Grace befriends Talbot - a newcomer to town who promises her that he can help her be a hero. But as the two grow closer, the wolf grows in Grace, and her relationship with Daniel begins to crumble. Unaware of the dark path she is walking, Grace becomes prideful in her new abilities - not realizing that an old enemy has returned and deadly trap is about to be sprung. Readers, raveous for more Grace and Daniel, will be itching to sink their teeth into The Lost Saint."

ONCE IN A FULL MOON by Ellen Schreiber "Beware of a kiss under the full moon. It will change your life forever. Celeste Parker is used to hearing scary stories about werewolves—Legend's Run is famous for them. She's used to everything in the small town until Brandon Maddox moves to Legend's Run and Celeste finds herself immediately drawn to the handsome new student. But when, after an unnerving visit with a psychic, she encounters a pack of wolves and gorgeous, enigmatic Brandon, she must discover whether his transformation is more than legend or just a trick of the shadows in the moonlight.

Her best friends may never forgive her if she gives up her perfect boyfriend, Nash, for Brandon, who's from the wrong side of town. But she can't deny her attraction or the strong pull he has on her. Brandon may be Celeste's hero, or he may be the most dangerous creature she could encounter in the woods of Legend's Run.

Psychic predictions, generations-old secrets, a town divided, and the possibility of falling in love with a hot and heroic werewolf are the perfect formula for what happens . . . once in a full moon."

OUT FOR BLOOD: THE DRAKE CHRONICLES by Alyxandra Harvey "Hunter Wild is the youngest in a long line of elite vampire hunters, a legacy that is both a blessing and a curse at the secret Helios-Ra Academy, where she excels at just about everything. Thanks to her friendship with Kieran Black, Hunter receives a special invitation to attend the coronation of Helena Drake, and for the first time, she sees the difference between vampires that must be hunted and vampires that can become friends—or even more. When students at the academy fall victim to a mysterious illness, Hunter suspects they are under attack from within. She will need someone she can trust to help her save the future of Helios-Ra . . . help that shockingly comes in the form of Quinn Drake, a drop-dead gorgeous vampire. Who said senior year would be easy?"

ROSES AND BONES: MYTHS, TALES, AND SECRETS by Francesca Lia Block "What happens when a girl finds herself at the crossroads between worlds—where the angels and ghosts, gods and demons, and beauties and beasts of myth are real? What does she do and who does she become?

Roses and Bones captures the best Francesca Lia Block has to offer: extravagantly imaginative tales, dark landscapes, fierce poetry, and storytelling that is nothing short of magical."

SAPPHIQUE by Catherine Fisher "Finn has escaped from the terrible living Prison of Incarceron, but its memory torments him, because his brother Keiro is still inside. Outside, Claudia insists he must be king, but Finn doubts even his own identity. Is he the lost prince Giles? Or are his memories no more than another construct of his imprisonment? And can you be free if your friends are still captive? Can you be free if your world is frozen in time? Can you be free if you don't even know who you are? Inside Incarceron, has the crazy sorcerer Rix really found the Glove of Sapphique, the only man the Prison ever loved. Sapphique, whose image fires Incarceron with the desire to escape its own nature. If Keiro steals the glove, will he bring destruction to the world? Inside. Outside. All seeking freedom. Like Sapphique."

SILVER FROST: FROST by Kailin Gow "Enter the world of Feyland, where beautiful strong fairies have been at war for years. Breena, the beautiful half fairy, half human princess from Oregon, has ascended to her rightful place in Feyland, as Queen of the Summer Kingdom. Being Queen isn't at all what she expected. Now the weight of Feyland falls heavily on her shoulders. The landscape of Feyland is scattered with the silver blood of fairies, turning the once whitish blue frost of the Winter Kingdom to silver frost, and danger lurks everywhere including within her own court. Secretly in love with her intended Winter Prince Kian, now Breena is faced with the realization of war, and the possibility of Kian as her greatest enemy. To help her navigate through the politics within her court and Feyland, help comes in the form of an old friend. Before she knows it, Breena's heart is torned between two loves, just as torned as Feyland. The fate of Feyland depends on her choices, can she make the right ones even if it means turning away from her love forever? Book 3 of the bestselling Frost Series, about the Winter Fey."

SOLITARY: ESCAPE FROM FURNACE by Alexander Gordon Smith

"Alex Sawyer and his mates should have known there was no way out of Furnace Penitentiary. Their escape attempt only lands them deeper in the guts of this prison for young offenders, and then into solitary confinement. And that's where a whole new struggle begins—a struggle not to let the hellish conditions overwhelm them. Because before another escape attempt is even possible, they must first survive the nightmare that now haunts their endless nights."

TEMPESTUOUS: WONDROUS STRANGE by Lesley Livingston "I don't love Sonny Flannery." That's the lie Kelley Winslow told to protect the boy she loves from a power he doesn't know he possesses. Devastated, Sonny retreats—to a haven for Lost Fae that's hidden deep underneath New York City.

But Kelley's not about to let things end in heartbreak. To get Sonny back, she's got to find out who's after his magick—and how to use her own. She's got to uncover who's recruiting Janus Guards to murderously hunt innocent Faerie. She's got to help rebuild the shattered theater company she called family. And she's got to do it all without getting dangerously distracted by the Fennrys Wolf, whose legendary heart of stone seems to melt whenever he's around Kelley."

VAMPIRE CRUSH by A. M. Robinson "First, six mysteriously pale new students show up at Sophie McGee’s high school. Then, Sophie’s childhood nemesis James reappears, still displaying a knack for making Sophie’s blood boil. When Sophie finds out that James has a connection to the new students, she decides to investigate...never expecting her life will quickly begin to resemble a campy horror movie, complete with budding crushes and bloodthirsty villains."

Entice, by Carrie Jones

Entice, by Carrie Jones (Bloomsbury, 2010, YA, 272 pages)

(warning--contains spoilers for the first two books--Need and Captivate)

The third book in the story of Zara, an ordinary (ish) girl who agreed to be turned into a pixie queen to save her boyfriend Nick from Valhalla.

Being a new pixie queen is stressful for Zara (understatement). There's the little fact that rouge pixies are praying on teenagers in her town, which causes her friends and family to be more than somewhat dismayed that Zara is now a pixie herself. It dismays Zara too, as she wrestles with her new identity--can she still be a Good person, now that she is one of Them? There's the fact that Astley, the pixie king, needs her help keeping his people strong, so that the rouge bunch can be thwarted. There's her panic about Nick--can she save him in time, or will the sacrifice of her humanity be in vain?

Throw in a bullet wound, a really nasty ex-pixie queen, a were-tiger grandma who hates pixies, some very dangerous dead-ends on the road to Valhalla...and you have an exciting adventure that beautifully combines character-driven story-telling with almost non-stop action!

Jones' signature style of sweet humor is here (although more understated than in previous books), as is her ability to make supporting characters into people one cares about, but the focus is most definitely on Zara, and her conflicted state of mind. She's coming to care more about Astley every day, she's worried that Nick will hate her now she's a pixie, and there's the little matter of defeating the bad guys terrorizing the kids in her town. It's a lot to handle, but Zara grows stronger with every chapter....and I found myself caring more and more about her ultimate destiny--will it be Nick or Astley? (I'm not so worried about defeating the bad guys--one can reasonably assume that, with a kick-ass heroine like Zara, this will happen).

In short, Entice is riveting read, combining danger and romance (and I say this as one who is not, in general, a fan of paranormal romance). I'm looking forward to finding out what happens next!

(disclaimer: review copy received from the publisher)

The Coming of the Dragon, by Rebecca Barnhouse

The Coming of the Dragon, by Rebecca Barnhouse (2010, Random House, middle grade/ya, 301 pages)

Anyone who wants lovely historical fiction with a dragon added need look no further than this one!

After defeating Grendel and his mother, Beowulf got to enjoy a long stretch of peace as king of the Geats. Peace of a sort, that is--a festering feud with a neighboring people keeps things somewhat on edge, but at least the dragon rumored to live up in the mountains still sleeps. But when an ill-wishing man from far away steals a golden treasure from the dragon's hoard, it flies out, wrecking havoc and bringing death with its fiery breath.

Young Rune was the first to see it, and while he ran to warn the king, the dragon destroyed the only home he had ever known, and killed the old woman who had raised him. Rune has no other family--he was found as an infant in a boat washed ashore years, and has no idea who he might truly be. He dreams, though, of one day being a warrior in Beowulf's great hall, winning glory enough to impress the lovely Wynn.

But the dragon's coming changes that. Now Rune's one goal is to defeat the dragon....a dragon who might well prove more than a match for even a great hero like Beowulf.

Barnhouse does a delightful job bringing this last chapter of the saga of Beowulf to life, and I was completely satisfied with the historical accuracy of her story. I spent several years studying things Anglo-Saxon, but never, to my shame, have read Beowulf all the way through...so my satisfaction is not as watertight as it might be! However, it is almost unheard of for me not to find nits to pick in most historical fiction, and it was so nice not to find any here. I was reminded of Rosemary Sutcliff, my favorite writer of historical fiction,who taught me most of what I know about the Romans.

Rune, a teenage boy struggling to find his place in life, struggling to be brave in the face of the un-faceable, is a believable hero who is put in an impossible place and rises to the challenge. He's not one of your cocky, self-assured heroes who will clearly come out on top; rather, he's one of the self-doubting ones, who finds in himself more than he ever imagined. His character development comes not just from central problem of the dragon, but is also bound up in the larger, more complex questions of the mystery of his origins, and the future that awaits him.

There is magic, and the gods are at work, but these fantastical elements are subtle, and integrated into the fabric of the story in a way that strengthens the central plot, rather than distracting the reader. And finally, the great cast of supporting characters includes some strong-minded girls, although, in as much as this is Rune's rather dragon-centric story, they don't get as much page time as the boys do! My only area of vague dissatisfaction was the ending, which seemed a bit forced and rushed.

However, despite that one reservation, I think this is one of those rare books that I enjoyed just as much now as I would have when I was the age of the intended audience, which is to say lots.

Other reviews: Manga Maniac Cafe and Library Lounge Lizard

Books to give a five-year old boy

A co-worker asked me last week for book recommendations for her five-year old grandson (I love it when that happens!). Here's what I suggested--what would you add?










Lego Star Wars: the Visual Dictionary. Keeps them happy for hours, and builds their cultural literacy.

The Scrambled States of America, by Laurie Keller. Cute, funny, and educational. Can't be beat.

The Great Pie Robbery and Other Mysteries, by Richard Scarry. My boys love this one, even now that they are older. I would have recommended Busy, Busy, World (which they love even more), but it seems to be out of print...

Stinky, by Eleanor Davis. My favorite Toon book (a series of 'graphic novels' for those just learning to read).

Dragonbreath, by Ursula Vernon. Because this is an utterly charming book. It will make a nice read aloud now, and a great easy reader next year.

George Washington's Socks, by Elvira Woodruff, for Timeslip Tuesday

George Washington's Socks, by Elvira Woodruff (Scholastic, 1991, younger middle grade, 176 pages in pb edition)

Browsing in my local bookstore a while ago, my eye was caught by George Washington's Spy (November, 2010)-it appeared to be a time travel book, and I am always on the look out for those. Indeed it was, but I found that it is a sequel to a much earlier book, G.W.'s Socks, which I then found and read, and which I now offer as this week's Timeslip Tuesday book.

It seemed to the four boys like a great idea to form a club and camp out next to the woods. Matt was the instigator--inspired by a book, Adventures in History, he wanted a history adventure club of his own. But when his little sister Katie has finagled her way into the camp out, and camping "next to" the woods really means being in a back yard, adventure is thin on the ground. So the five kids decide to walk down the nearby lake...a lake where people have mysteriously disappeared in the past. There they find a wooden rowboat, that exerts an irresistible fascination... The next thing they know, they are being carried down the half frozen Delaware River, caught up in the Revolutionary War.

Matt is separated from the rest of the group, and finds himself marching along with George Washington's forces. The horrors of that cold winter journey toward Trenton become all to clear to him, as he walks along the snowy trail made bloody by the feet of those ahead of him. And there is worse to come. Before they make it home, the children will learn first hand the brutality of war, and that good and bad individuals can be found on either side.

Fine points, and worked fairly deftly into the story. But still, I found the whole ensemble a tad didactic-every new encounter brings a message, which was the author's intent. From the author's note: "Being a pacifist, she wrote George Washington's Socks for her son Noah, who is very fond of G.I. Joe." The characters never quite became alive enough, in my mind, to take control of the book away from the Message. However, it's a message I wholeheartedly agree with. And since there's enough adventure here to keep the reader's interest, and since it does provide a good introduction to what life in George Washington's army might have been like, I do recommend this to its intended audience.

But I do have one reservation. One of the adventures was a meeting with two Indian boys, or, actually, with two stereotypes of Indian boys (Bows and arrows? check. Face paint? check. Ability to move gracefully/without a sound/etc? check. Almost non-existent English? check. Maybe if this book had been set 150 years earlier I would have been more tolerant, but by 1776 the chances of encountering two such boys/stereotypes in New Jersey would be pretty slim).

Timeslip-wise, this one of those stories in which the magic of time travel doesn't helpfully deal with issues of clothes and modern vocabulary. Woodruff deals believably with these points--the people encountered in the past are, in general, to preoccupied to spend too much time wondering about them.

Even though George Washington's Socks didn't work all that well for me, I'll be looking for the next book, George Washington's Spy--Woodruff has had 17 years of writing experience since then, and so I am hopeful that the good that was in this book--the vibrant recreation of events in the past--will be part of a more generally satisfying package! (And I also am hopeful that little Katie, who was an unmitigated brat, will be less so in the new book....)

Steampunk Goodness, and Dinosaur Superheros!

Colleen at Chasing Ray is spearheading a week devoted to Steampunk books! Keep checking in at her place for links to posts, and do feel free to write a post or two of your own--all are welcome to take part! (I'll be doing so myself later in the week...d.v.)

And is this not cool--dinosaurs reimagined by David Resto as classic superheros (or possibly superheros reimagined as classic dinosaurs). Here is my favorite, Wolveraptor:

You can see the whole ensemble here at io9.

The Ring of Solomon, by Jonathan Stroud

The Ring of Solomon, by Jonathan Stroud (Hyperion, 2010, to heck with putting in an age bracket like I usually do, because both my 10 year old boy and my mother would enjoy this one, 416 pages)

Under the rule of Solomon, Jerusalem prospers. The power of Solomon's ring allows him to command legions of powerful spirits, and to keep under control (more or less) the magicians who serve him. These magicians in turn draw their power from their ability to raise demons, and command them. One of the middle-range demons thus raised is an old timer named Bartimaeus--the cocky type, constantly thumbing his nose (and other ruder things) at authority, happy to boast about his great deeds of yore, back when Mesopotamia was still going strong.

But all is not well for Bartimaeus. He's under the control of the very nastiest of Solomon's magicians, a most unpleasantly sadistic man who is hiding a myriad of dark secrets. Worse awaits-- Bartimaeus is about to face a truly horrendously impossible task...tricky even for a clever demon like himself, the sort of assignment that means almost certain destruction. And it's all the fault of a knife-wielding, demon-summoning, teenaged girl. A girl hell bent on carrying out her mission, even if it means death--a mission to kill Solomon and take his ring.

Asmira was honored when the Queen of Sheba sent her out on this impossible mission. She was determined to do her best, as behoved a member of the Hereditary Guard, firmly believing the fate of her country depended on her. But now that she has reached the doors of King's Solomon's palace, her only recourse is to depend on the wiles of Bartimaeus...and who can trust a demon, enslaved by magic and desperate to find freedom?

Oh my gosh I enjoyed this one so very much. Not, so much, the first hundred or so pages, which were mostly Bartimaeus annoying various beings and getting into trouble, because I found Bartimaeus is hard to like when he is just one demon among many. But once Bartimaeus and Asmira get together, the sparks begin to fly! With her to provide a foil for him, Bartimaeus pushes the boundaries of standard cold-hearted demon-ness, and Stroud does a beautifully teasingly tantalizing and oh so engrossing job of making Bartimaeus sympathetic (while still demonic). And he was just the companion Asmira needed to push her out of her box of blind duty and into independent thinking. From kick-ass knife thrower without much personality, she progresses to strong young woman one can really root for.

Bartimaeus made his first appearance in an eponymous trilogy of books that begins with The Amulet of Samarkand. I didn't mention at the beginning of this post that I'd met him in those books before, because this book stands alone just fine. It takes place millennia before the events of the trilogy; there's no need at all to have even heard of them to enjoy this one.

I'd recommend The Ring of Solomon in particular to those who enjoy Sarah Rees Brennon's demonic books (The Demon's Lexicon et seq.). There's the obvious common ground of demonic magic, and the fact that she too is exploring the tricky ground of making someone alien sympathetic, but she and Stroud also share a nice sharpness of wit that makes for very entertaining reading!

Note on age: The books in the Bartimaeus trilogy are pretty firmly YA; The Ring of Solomon, on the other hand, makes a great middle grade read (which is where Amazon has it)--lots of mayhem and demonic death, but in a middle grade-ish sort of way. That being said, it's also a great YA and adult read.

My one small quibble: right at the beginning, on page 11, Bartimaeus uses honky tonk piano playing as a metaphor. Since at this point we are still at 950 B.C.E., and since I don't think demons time travel, I was kicked out of the story. But I bravely kept reading...and was richly rewarded.

Added bonus: Asmira is a first rate heroine of color, dark of hair and skin.

Here's another review from Liz at A Chair, a Fireplace, and a Teacozy.

The Sunday's middle-grade fantasy and science fiction round-up!

Every week I worry about not having enough links to make a satisfactory round-up. Every week, I am proved wrong! I hope you enjoy these; please let me know if I missed yours!

The Reviews:

The Charlatan's Boy, by Jonathan Rogers, at Whispers of (a new) Dawn, which she also talks about here. This book was just on tour, I find, with too many links to post--you can find them all here at Christian Science Fiction and Fantasy.

The Call, by Michael Grant, at Ms. Yingling Reads.

The Clockwork Three, by Matthew Kirby, at Fuse #8

The Clone Codes, by The McKissacks, at Coffee for the Brain.

Come Fall, by A.C.E. Bauer, at Reading Vacation.

The Dead Boys, by Royce Buckingham, at Charlotte's Library

Fever Crumb, by Philip Reeve, at One Librarian's Book Reviews.

Gargoylz Ride to the Rescue, by Burchett & Vogler, at Nayu's Reading Corner.

The Goddess Girls series, by Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams, at Biblio File.

Ghost of Heroes Past, by Charles Reid, at Charlotte's Library.

Hero, by Mike Lupica, at Susan Field.

The Invisible Order: Rise of the Darklings, by Paul Crilley, at Coffee for the Brain.

Lob, by Linda Newbury, at Nayu's Reading Corner

Ninth Ward, by Jewell Parker Rhodes, at Coffee for the Brain and at Literate Lives.

No Passengers Beyond this Point, by Gennifer Choldenko, at Bermudaonions Weblog

The Pharaoh's Secret, by Marissa Moss, at Guy's Lit Wire

Ravenna, by Stacey Curnow, at Fuse #8.

The Search for WondLa, by Tony DiTerlizzi, at Charlotte's Library.

Swordbird, by Nancy Yi Fan, at Pragmatic Mom.

The Tilting House, by Tom Llewellyn, at Coffee for the Brain.

When You Reach Me, by Rebecca Stead, at The Book Smugglers.

The Wish Stealers, by Tracy Trivas, at Charlotte's Library.

Wolven, by Di Toft, at Coffee For the Brain.

Mind of Mr. X is celebrating Brandon Mull (Fablehaven) Month

And some quick sff suggestions for middle grade boys can be found here at Rose Green's live journal.

The Interviews:

Kathi Appelt (Keeper) at Shelf Elf
Rebecca Barnhouse (The Coming of the Dragon) at The Enchanted Inkpot.
Bryan Chick (The Secret Zoo) at Manga Maniac Cafe.
Adam Gidwitz (A Tale Dark and Grimm) at Fuse #8
Stephan Messer (Windblowne) at Project Mayhem.

The Everything Else:

Juliet Marillier is this week's Fairytale Reflections guest at Seven Miles of Steel Thistles, and for more fairy tale fun, visit Favorite Fairy Tales of People Past, at SurLaLune.

The Animorphs are being given new life! This doesn't mean all that much to me personally, since when the series began in 1996 I was doing a lot more pool playing than reading juvenile sci fi/fantasy, but I'm looking forward to trying them on my Young.

Five sci-fi children's books (which don't actually exist)--my favorite is shown at right.

And this isn't middle grade, but I'm mentioning it because I want to be eligible for the Grand Prize--Beth Revis, author of the upcoming Across the Universe, is having a giveaway of awesome proportions, with 100 prizes!

I think that's all--but please let me know if I missed something!

(people are starting to steal my round-ups in their entirety for their own posting pleasure--if you are reading this somewhere else, it's been lifted from me without my permission).

Megan Whalen Turner over at The Book Smugglers

Readers of my blog know what a huge Megan Whalen Turner fan I am, so I was pleased as punch to see that she is the current guest poster over at The Book Smugglers, offering her favorite books of last year.

And I was also pleased to see that one of them is The Hotel Under the Sand, one of the most hauntingly memorable books I read in 2009! (my review).

The Wish Stealers, by Tracy Trivas

The Wish Stealers, by Tracy Trivas (Aladdin, 2010, middle grade, 288 pages)

Griffin is a compulsive wisher--every eyelash, ladybug, and even dandelion puff inspires her. Her wishes are happy ones--that the new baby on its way turn out to be a little sister, that she might become a great bass guitarist, that her new school might smell like fresh chocolate chip cookies. But there are darker wishes, and darker wish-ers, in the world...

On a visit to the local antique shop, Griffin is accosted by a hideous old woman, who compels her to accept a priceless, shiny Indian Head penny, along with a box of polishing cloth. To Griffin's dismay, the box also contains stolen wishes--eleven perfect pennies, each labeled with a wish made years ago. And there's a letter in the box from the strange old woman, bearing horrible news--the old woman was a Wish Stealer, and she's chosen Griffin as her heir. From now on, Griffin's own wishes will go horrible wrong, unless she can somehow return the eleven stolen wishes...

So to her ordinary middle school concerns (a boy she might or might not like, a mean girl, her grandma, who is old and not well, the new baby on its way) Griffin must add the biggest challenge of her life--to somehow restore wishes to strangers who might not even be alive...

This is one of those real-world fantasies, where the magical element drives the plot, but is firmly rooted in the everyday. Griffin's ability to make evil wishes come true is fantastical, and adds a generous dose of suspense and mystery, keeping the pages turning nicely. The crazy, and scary, witches from Macbeth, ostensibly in town to promote a performance of the play, are especially zesty, although I wish they'd had a bit more page time and been more fully explained. An added bonus is the a strong message of the book--it promotes both positive thinking and action.

In short, it's a fun story, good for those who eschew overwhelmingly magical stories, but who enjoy their middle grade fiction spiced up with a bit of fantasy pizazz.

(Review copy received from the publisher for Cybils consideration)

The Dead Boys, by Royce Buckingham

The Dead Boys, by Royce Buckingham (Putnam, 2010, middle grade, 208 pages)

Teddy is less than thrilled about moving to a small town in the desert of eastern Washington, where his mother has gotten a job as a nuclear scientist. There's a month before school starts, the heat is horrible, and Teddy is being forced by his mother to leave the air-conditioned comfort of home (such as it is) to Make Friends.

The massive sycamore tree across the street, however, is more than a little pleased to have a new boy in town. And neighborhood dead boys are eager to make a new friend too.

Because this isn't any tree--it's a monster created by radioactive waste, that feeds on the life force of its victims--12 year old boys. Boys just like Teddy. The tree takes just enough to feed itself, while keeping the boys trapped in a hideous half-life. But every decade, it craves new, fresh, young blood. Like Teddy's.

This is one of the most riveting books I've read all year. Teddy's encounters with the dead boys, and the unravelling of the mysteries surrounding them, makes for great, horror-full, reading (without being so nightmarish as to bother my tender sensibilities). Buckingham's gradual build up to the final confrontation is deft and unrelenting, and the sufferings endured by the other boys are chilling. But there's more than just horror here- Teddy is a very appealing hero, who makes choices based on friendship and loyalty.

Yeah, you have to suspend your disbelief tree-wise, but if you can accept an Evil, Blood-Sucking Tree of Death, you'll enjoy this one lots! In short, The Dead Boys is a book I want to hand to every (strong-minded) middle grade boy I know, because I bet it will grip them just as much, if not more, than it did me!

Here's how my reading went. Started book at 3 pm. Read straight through. Finished at 3:40, feeling very satisfied with both book and self. Despite fast reading, pictures from the book are crystal clear in my mind, but fascinating, rather than troubling. Mainly because the Tree is so over the top (but in a way that Works!).

(Is a radioactive evil tree, a bit of time travel, and some half-dead characters sci fi or fantasy? I dunno, so I've put both labels on it).

Here's a great interview with Buckingham at Through the Tollbooth, where he talks about writing scary books for boys.

Misc. Things of Happy Interest

A post of various merry things!

First, Thank you so much, Michelle (That's What She Read) for the lovely Book Blogger Holiday Swap gift! When we opened the box and saw the wrapped presents inside, one boy strongly felt I should wait till Christmas to open them...but before he could finish that thought the other boy and I were already enjoying the fun of unwrapping! And so a rather cold and fretful (too much to do whine whine) evening was made merry by a package containing two books I am dying to read--The Hour Glass Door and Second Hand Charm, and a lovely set of note cards! Happiness.

Second, The Winter Blog Blast Tour is underway--the full schedule can be seen here, at Chasing Ray. Today's lineup:

Andrea Seigel at Shaken & Stirred
Adele Griffin at Bildungsroman
Susan Campbell Bartoletti at Chasing Ray
Charles Benoit at A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy
Sarah MacLean at Writing & Ruminating
Allen Zadoff at Hip Writer Mama

Some awards shortlists have been announced:

Here are the books in the Favourite Stories (link takes you to book summaries) of the Blue Peter Awards (UK)
Dead Man's Cove (A Laura Marlin Mystery) by Lauren St John
A Web of Air (Mortal Engines) by Philip Reeve
Tall Story by Candy Gourlay

(Trash, by Andy Mulligan, was on this list when it was first announced yesterday, but then removed because of being "unsuitable" for young reader).

The Morris Awards Awards, recognizing YA debuts (and again the link takes you to summaries), are as follows:

Hush, by Eishes Chayil
Guardian of the Dead, by Karen Healey
Hold Me Closer, Necromancer, by Lish McBride
Crossing the Tracks, by Barbara Stuber
The Freak Observer, by Blythe Woolston

Why isn't there an equivilent award for middle grade debuts????

I've signed up for two more challenges this coming year--both are for sub-genres of reading that I'd planned to do anyway. The first is the Time Travel Challenge, hosted by Alyce (At Home With Books), and the second is the POC Reading Challenge, hosted by Pam (Bookalicio.us), Katy (A Few More Pages), and Ari (Reading In Color). I hope to get my multicultural sci/fi fantasy list up to a hundred book in 2011--48 more to go!

And getting back to festive-ness, check out this magazine page wreath, from Rhode Island's own Rag and Bone Bindery (their open studio sale is this Saturday):


And then visit the December Lights Project, where you can read, for free, short stories by great writers (up now, Karen Healey and Sarah Prineas!).

Ghost of Heroes Past, by Charles Reid, for Timeslip Tuesday

Before I begin the review of this week's book, I just want to share that Alyce at At Home With Books has kicked of a Time Travel Reading Challenge! I guess my goal is to read 52 time travel books in the coming year, since that's how many Tuesdays there will be....Alyce has a nice list of time travel books in her announcement post, and, just in case any readers of this blog don't know, I have a full list of my review of time travel books here, sorted by time period and age range. And now, today's Timeslip Tuesday book:

Ghost of Heroes Past, by Charles Reid ( Ronsdale Press, 2010, middle grade, 170 pages)

Johnny Anders is an ordinary Canadian boy, of the lonely, daydreaming kind. But his life becomes utterly extraordinary when the ghost of a soldier begins visiting him at night. This ghost takes Johnny back into the past, showing him scenes from World Wars I and II in which Canadian men and women were present. The moving acts of heroism he witnesses include those of Bill Chong, risking his life to carry military intelligence through the havoc of south Asia in WW II, a nurse, Joan Bamford Flecher, who refuses to believe that the impossible task of bringing hundreds of wounded civilians to safety is impossible, and numerous other brave men and women, some of whom never made it home. These night-time excursions have a profound effect on Johnny, encouraging him to recognize that there might be a reason why he's been chosen by the ghost--he, too, has the gift to make stories from history become real, through his writing.

In the present, his self-confidence, minute to start with, is bolstered by his growing friendship with a new girl in town. Casey has self-confidence to spare--so much so that she dresses in gungy clothes, wanting to be judged for her character, not by her appearance. She has an interest in the two world wars herself--her great grandfather fought in both. And when Johnny begins to share his experience with her, it turns out that her great grandfather is one of the heroes whose story Johnny has been observing. She is an eager audience for his stories, who encourages him to explore his own talents as a historian...and she becomes more than just a friend.

I myself am fascinated by the two world wars, and Reid does a beautiful job telling his stories in gripping fashion. I was riveted. His presentation of the wars is balanced--he makes a stab at explaining why the Japanese did some of the horrible things they did, instead of just dismissing them as Bad, and he never glorifies or sugar-coats the realities of war. I do wonder, though, why the ghost who visits Johnny is fixed on the two world wars--this is never explained. (The ghost himself isn't exactly explained either, but I am comfortable letting that slide--it's fantasy, after all).

The other story, of Casey back in real life, requires much more suspension of disbelief--I don't think that anyone that confident really exists in any middle school. But it sure would be great if they did, and I enjoyed the growing friendship between the two, even though it also required great suspension of disbelief that Casey would really fall for Johnny...she somehow is attracted to something more than just the stories he tells, and I was never quite convinced that I saw what she did in him!

Time travel-wise, this is firmly in the didactic camp--Johnny, and the reader, are Being Taught Lessons, and Johnny remains a passive observer throughout. For those like me, who enjoy learning through fiction, this works well. And I think the book has enough excitement and mystery to hold the interest of its intended audience of young readers who enjoy historical fiction, although those who don't enjoy historical fiction for the sake of the history might find it a bit disjointed.

In the acknowledgements, Reid states that "the stories of military actions are as recorded, either by military archives, or as told by the actual participants in interviews with the author." I wish he'd made this more obvious, by including more information about this aspect of the book in an afterword. I only thought to look at the acknowledgements just now, and finding that the author seems to have actually been in touch with Bill Chong, for instance, adds, for me, a layer of interest that I think could have been developed in more detail, with pointers on how to find more information. I went poking about online, and found, for instance, this site on Canadian Chinese Veterans, where there's a picture of Bill Chong's employment letter (shown at right).

Note on age appropriateness: there is some pretty hard core horrible-ness of war described here. People die, and I think it might disturb younger readers. The growing relationship between the two kids also kicks this up a bit toward the older range of middle grade (11 to 12 year olds), even though they do no more than exchange a chaste kiss.

(a rather less favorable review of the book can be found at Quill and Quire, the Canadian book review magazine--and they do raise some valid points. But whatever the reason, Ghost of Heroes Past worked for me!)

Review copy gratefully received from the publisher for Cybils consideration.

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.