Jacob Wonderbar and the Interstellar Time Warp, by Nathan Bransford, for Timeslip Tuesday

Jacob Wonderbar and the Interstellar Time Warp, by Nathan Bransford (Dial, upper elementary, February, 2013) --upper elementary time and space travel shenanigans of wackiness!

(That's me trying working on my catchy first lines, which is, I think, more important now that Google Reader has gone away sniff sniff)

In any event, Jacob Wonderbar travelled off into space with his friends in his first two books (J. W. and the Cosmic Space Kapow, and J.W. for President of the Universe), and now is back in a third round of wacky adventures that take him through time.   Turns out that the space overlords, the Astrals, have a small number of keys that allow them to travel through time...and Mick Craken, their president, wants Jacob and his friends Sarah and Dexter to do just that.  Jacob's missing father must be found in order for time to be stable again and for the existence of the Astrals protected from those who wanted to stop them from every travelling from earth into space in the first place.

So Jacob and co. use one of the keys to go off on a series of excursions back into time--visiting dinosaurs, "cave men,"  Napoleon, etc.--and each journey adds distracting layers of change to the present, and layers of difficulty to the tasks at hand of finding Jacob's dad and saving the Astrals.

It's a fun next book for readers who enjoyed the Magic Treehouse books, say, and who are ready for a more complex, non-linear narrative, generously laced with slapsticky humor, that will keep them on their toes.  I was very much on my own toes, trying to keep track of who was who in what present--people are meeting their older selves, futures and pasts shift, and some of the time travel episodes seem at first to be simple vignettes with little point.  But it actually does coalesce into at least a semblance of coherence, given continuity by Jacob's quest for his missing dad, and the bonds of friendship between Jacob, Sarah, and Dexter.  And I think Nathan Bransford is wise not to tackle the complicated paradoxes of the time travel directly--skating over the surface keeps things light and fun.

In short, the young reader (I'd give this to third and fourth graders who are confidence readers) with a tolerance for craziness will enjoy it, but those who want things to make sense in a linear way might struggle...

For those looking for diversity in their reading--Jacob is from a multiracial family, and here's how he's described on page 22 of the first book: 

"He stared at his hands, a soft brown color that was lighter than his mom's dark skin and darker than his dad's light skin. It was proof that he was half of his mom and half of his dad, but since he didn't look like either of them, it also made him something else entirely."

I didn't notice any physical descriptors in this book, but here's an illustration from it that clearly shows his family as described above:

 Jacob's a smidge darker of skin than his friends on the cover, but not quite enough so to make it easy to tell he's multiracial.

The Color of Rain, by Cori McCarthy

The Color of Rain, by Cori McCarthy (Running Press, May 2013) -- human trafficking in space.

Rain, born into a future, hardscrabble, impoverished, violent earth. has only her brother left, and her brother is leaving her.  He has developed the same mental sickness that took Rain's mother, a sickness whose victims are taken by the enforcers, and who then disappear forever.   Rain can't stand to loose her little brother too...and dreams of taking him to the far reaches of space, where miracles of science and technology might save him.

To get off planet, Rain makes a bargain with Johnny, a handsome space ship captain--she'll trade him her body for passage for herself and her brother.   But when it is too late to escape, Rain realizes that she has trapped herself in hell.   She is now just one of the many girls being prostituted by the captain to his passengers and to the crew...and though Johnny wants her for himself, he is a sadistic monster who wants to break her, and this includes pimping her out to other men.  And as the ship travels through space, Rain learns it has other dark secrets...her life, and the lives of the other girls, are not the only ones at risk.

Hope comes from another of Johnny's prisoners, Ben, a young man from the scientifically advanced culture Rain hopes can help her brother.  Rain and Ben form an almost inevitable attraction--but, as it to be expected under the circumstances, their growing feelings for each other are oppressed by the horror of lives controlled by the monstrous Johnny.   There is still hope, however--still room for acts of rebellion on board the spacecraft, still hope that Ben's people will rescue them, and still, in Rain's heart, hope for her brother, whose frozen body lies down in the hold, and, though it flickers, hope that she can cling to herself, and not become just a body to be used.

It's a very edgy premise, and McCarthy does a fine job showing it as such without falling into prurient voyeurism.     And it's a page-turner, although I must confess that, for me at least, the pages turned quickly because I didn't want to linger on scenes of violence and forced sex, and I wanted to read what I wasn't reading--I wanted Rain to get out!   Of course, the fact that she can't is the point of the story-- her journey is a psychological struggle to keep her humanity, to forgive her body to reacting with physical pleasure to sex with Johnny, to balance personal survival with the lives of others...and to keep physically healing from the violence inflicted on her.

The relationship between Ben and Rain was rather a change from your standard YA fare--neither can save the other, and neither has the emotional energy to understand the other and help each other heal (healing isn't an option yet, of course, because new hurts--what they are made to do to others, what is done to them-- are a constant in their lives).   Their love for each other is forced into a more happy and hopeful ending than is perhaps believable, but it did make for an upbeat ending...

So it's not a book I enjoyed, exactly, but it was very vivid and tremendously gripping in a rather bleak way.  

Here's another review at Finding Wonderland, and another at Write All the Words

disclaimer: review copy received from the publisher

This week's round-up of Middle Grade fantasy and sci fi from around the blogs (June 14, 2013)

Welcome to this week's compilation of what I found in the blog world of interest to fans of middle grade sci fi/fantasy!  Sorry I didn't have a round-up last weekend-- I was in a hotel in Baltimore and the only free internet access was at a computer next to the front desk that you had to stand at, which had a wonky mouse, and my dedication only goes so far.  Please let me know if I missed your post this week!

In any event, it is almost the middle of July, which means August is coming, which means that my mind is turning to thoughts of the Cybils.  The Cybils are awards given by panels of bloggers in various childrens' and YA categories--and one of these panels is Middle Grade Sci Fi/Fantasy.  And though the Cybils website is still quietly waiting for things to start-- the official call for panelists (any blogger can apply) probably won't go out till next month (it came on August 15 last year)-- I'm already thinking about it, and you can too! 

If you're a first round panelist in mg sff, it means helping pick 7 books of great kid appeal plus great writing from a list of c. 150 (a lot of books, but you don't actually have to read every one of them, so do not be daunted by that!).  The role of the second round panelists is to pick the winner from the shortlist (so you only have to read seven books).   I have had the great honor of being involved with the Cybils for a number of years, and it is a great way to energize your reading, make new friends, and get really exited about books you love.  Stay tuned for the official announcement....

The Reviews

The Atlantis Complex, by Eoin Colfer, at Fyrefly's Book Blog

The Circle, by Cindy Cipriano, at My Precious

Doll Bones, by Holly Black, at Reads for Keeps

Eight Days of Luke, by Diana Wynne Jones, reviewed by C.J. Busby at Mr Ripleys Enchanted Books

Emily Windsnap and the Land of the Midnight Sun, by Liz Kessler, at A Backwards Story

The Exploits of Moominpappa, by Tove Janssen, a post by Catherine Butler at Seven Miles of Steel Thistles

The Glass Puzzle, by Christine Brodien-Jones, at The Book Monsters

Half Upon a Time, by James Riley, at Michelle I. Mason

Hokey Pokey, by Jerry Spinelli, at Granite Media

Hollow Earth, by John Barrowman and Carol Barrowman, at Le' Grande Codex and Juniper's Jungle

Interworld, by Neil Gaiman and Michael Reaves, at Book Nut

Keeper of the Lost Cities, by Shannon Messenger, at A Reader's Adventure

Lost (The Magic Thief Book 2), by Sarah Prineas, at Book Interrupted

Magician in the Trunk (Time Spies 4) by Candice Ransom, at Time Travel Times Two

The Menagerie, by Tui T. Sutherland, at Annie and Aunt

The Mouse with the Question Mark Tail, by Richard Peck, at Waking Brain Cells

No Passengers Beyond This Point, by Gennifer Choldenko, at The Book Monsters

Professor Gargoyle, by Charles Gilman, at Maji Bookshelf

The Real Boy, by Anne Ursu, at For Those About to Mock

Rules for Ghosting, by A.J. Paquette, at Charlotte's Library

Rump, by Liesl Shurtliff, at For Those About to Mock

Scary Tales: Home Sweet Horror, by James Preller, at Ms. Yingling Reads

The School for Good and Evil, by Soman Chainani, at Dreaming in Books, Bibliophile's Corner, Rachel Reviews All, and The Paper Riot

The Screaming Staircase (Lockwood and Co.), by Jonathan Stroud, at Mr Ripleys Enchanted Books

The Sinister Sweetness of Splendid Academy, by Nikki Loftin, at Bibliophilic Monologues

Skulduggery Pleasant, by Derek Landy, at The Broke and the Bookish

Small Change for Stuart Bibliophilic Monologues

Son of Neptune, by Rick Riordan (audiobook review) at Karissa's Reading Review

Unlocking the Spell, by E.D. Baker, at Nayu's Reading Corner  

The Unseen Guest, by Maryrose Wood, at Confessions of a Bibliovore

The Watcher in the Shadows, by Chris  Moriarty, at Charlotte's Library

Wednesdays in the Tower, by Jessica Day George, at Sonderbooks

Wishful Thinking, by Ali Sparkes, at Juniper's Jungle

The Wishing Spell, by Chris Colfer, at Somewhere in the Middle


Authors and Interviews

Stephanie Burgis (Kat, Incorrigible et al.), at Inkygirls

A.J. Paquette (Rules for Ghosting) at The Enchanted Inkpot

John David Anderson (Sidekicked) at The Adventures of Cecelia Bedelia and at Ms. Yingling Reads

Christine Brodien-Jones (The Glass Puzzle) at Once Upon a Story , Sharpread, and Read Now Sleep Later

Erika Kathryn (Audie the Angel and the Angel Army)  at The Haunting of Orchid Forsythia


Other Good Stuff:

A truly lovely list of twisted fairytales for middle grade readers at Somewhere in the Middle

The Hero's Journey, explained by puppets. at the SCBWI blog

You've probably seen this simultaneously appealing and horrifying infographic from Firstbook.org making the rounds, but in case you haven't, here it is:

Here are my two posts wrapping up the panel I was on at last weekend's Discworld convention--one on useful places to find books on line, and one covering the books we recommended.  And here are Tanita's and Sheila's wrap-up posts.

And if you want to see fantastically beautiful/mind blowing horticultural art, go to Montreal this summer (or click here)  (found at Light Reading)

The Watcher in the Shadows, by Chris Moriarty

So I've been home from vacation for two days now...and, as always happens when I come back from my mother's beautifully tidy home, I am frantically trying to Do Something about my own house.   But in between quickly stripping paint from doors/painting the kitchen trim/scrubbing radiators/desperately weeding etc. etc., I have read a Good Book.

To wit, The Watcher in the Shadows, by Chris Moriarty.   This is the sequel to The Inquisitor's Apprentice (2011), which I enjoyed very much indeed.  The books are set in a late 19th-century New York in which there is magic...and a branch of the police force, the Inquisitors, who enforce the laws concerning its use. Sacha, a Jewish kid from the tenements, and Lily, daughter of the wealth Astral family, are the apprentices of one of these Inquisitors, Inspector Wolf; it's an apprenticeship that involves much trailing around after him while visiting crime scenes, observing him gathering information, and a bit of martial arts training (there's not as much actual "magical skills practice" as one might expect).

This installment of Sacha's story begins with the sudden death of a famous Klezmer player, that is just the tip of the iceberg of a dark dark dark mystery.   The plot is best left explored by reading, so that's all I'll say.

The good:

Fantastic world building.  These books are a MUST for any fantasy reader with any interest at all in the hectic world of late 19th-century/early 20th century New York, with its unassimilated immigrants and racial tensions and crime bosses and striking workers (in this case, the Pentacle Shirtwaist factory workers vs J.P. Morgaunt).   That being said, I am not that reader, but even I loved the fantastic diversity and twisted historical accuracy of it all!

Great characters.  Sacha is the central protagonist, and a very compelling one too, but it's the wonderful swirl of the entire cast, even those with bit parts, that makes the story sing.   That being said, Wolf, who I loved in the first book, disappointed me a bit in this one--he doesn't actually do much that advances the story.

No easy magical sudden rescue from the bad stuff.  Sacha is going to have to figure things out for himself, which is very satisfying.

Jewish fantasy is thin on the ground; quality additions to that subgenre are great to have (and if your kid isn't going to be introduced to Judaism in fiction through All of  Kind Family, because there is no way he is going to read such a girl book on his own and you missed the window of opportunity to read it out loud to him, this is a good alternative).

The things I didn't find as good as I might have wished:

Even more so than Wolf, Lily doesn't do anything much in this book; it's nice that she is a decent, unsnobby friend, but I don't even remember what magical ability she has (surely she has one?).  More Lily, please, in the next book!

The titular Watcher in the Shadows also doesn't get much page time.  I enjoyed very much wandering around this odd New York, and loved the labor history twist, but kept expecting the Watcher to become more a part of things, which never really happened--at the end I had to stop and concentrate to remember what exactly its role in the whole thing was (quite possibly this is because I was really interested in the world-building and the characters, as noted above, and less interested in small details such as the plot).

Wolf has a third, unofficial apprentice, unofficial because he's African American, who's somewhat older than Sacha and Lily.  His name is Philip Payton, but he's called Payton by Lily, as well as by the author.  No one else who's still a teenager is called by their last name like that, and it jarred (Inspector Wolf is called Wolf by the author, but he's a grownup).  Why wouldn't Lily, who isn't racist or snobbish, call him Philip?  I very much want to see more of him and his family (who are about to move to Harlem, where they have bought real estate), but I hope he's "Philip," a  character who's Sasha and Lily's peer, rather than the awkwardly distant "Payton."


Final answer:  despite my small uncertainties, I really, really liked it!  Give this one to the smart 11 or 12 year old in your life, who perhaps, like mine, studied the Triangle Shirtwaist fire in depth last year in seventh grade...

Rules for Ghosting, by A. J. Paquette

Rules for Ghosting, by A.J. Paquette (Bloomsbury, July, 2013) is an utterly just fine book to give to a seven to ten year-old who likes ghosts and big old houses.

Oliver and his family have moved to a big old house with a spooky reputation; they'll live there for six months as caretakers while its fixed up for sale (while, the owner hopes, adding a gloss of happy family normalcy to its reputation).   Dahlia has lived in this same house since she was a girl around Oliver's age (11 ish), although for most of the time she's been dead.  And it's been lonely for Dahlia--the house has been empty since her mother left for a nursing home, and she herself can't go anywhere.  

The same day that Oliver's family arrives, so does Mrs. Tibbs, a friendly official ghost come to liberate Dahlia, and teach her the rules of ghosting that will help her move on.    But hard on Mrs. Tibbs' heels comes a ghost-hunter, passing himself off as a repair man.  When his ghost capturing mechanism actually works on Mrs. Tibbs, Dahlia must manifest herself to Oliver and his siblings, working with them foil the ghost hunter's unpleasant plans...while still trying to find out what is anchoring her own ghost to the old house.

Told in chapters alternating between Oliver and Dahlia, it's full of busy ghostly old house fixing-up shenanigans, and rather fun, full of nicely created little descriptive elements that add interest.  Though it's not one I'd press on grown-ups, the intended audience should enjoy it lots.  

Pause while I consider if the intended audience skews toward one gender or another.... My heart says it is more a girl book, perhaps because I myself (a girl) would have enjoyed it when I was seven, and perhaps because the book starts with Dahlia making a garden of ghost flowers, which stereotypically and superficially feels  more like a "girl" thing.  However, a rational argument can also be made that there is boy appeal- Oliver is, after all, a boy, and the whole mechanics and technology of ghost hunting have (also stereotypically and superficially) boy appeal.    

Final answer: not a book with a strong tilt toward any particular gender.  

Note on age, which is also hard because 7-10 year olds vary so much in their expectations--the plot is complex enough for the higher end, but not to intense for the younger end.  That being said, I think this is an especially good one for the avid 7 year old devourer of books.

disclaimer: review copy received from the publisher

Dragonflight, by Anne McCaffrey, for Timeslip Tuesday

I am currently at my mother's house, and the two books I brought with me to read for this week's Timeslip Tuesday turned out not to be time travel after all.  So I went to my mother's bookshelf, to see what was there, and found this:

Which is the very copy of Dragonflight (1968) I read as a 12 year old, and obviously re-read many, as did my mother.  It's the first book in McCaffrey's Dragon Rider series, and is a sci fi classic (really sci fi, not fantasy, despite what "dragons" suggests).



Pern is a planet ravaged every two hundred years by devouring Thread (bad acid stuff that burns any living thing it touches) that falls from space.  To fight Thread, the people on the planet fly around on fire-breathing dragons, torching it with fiery dragon breath as it falls.  The dragons are psychically bonded with their riders, and the newest rider of the last remaining queen dragon is a young woman named Lessa (and her particular story is long and complicated....). 

Dragonflight is primarily about the dragon riders fighting the latest round of Threadfall, with Lessa and her consort, F'lar, doing their best with the few dragons who remain.   Things are pretty grim-- two extra centuries had passed before Thread came again, and only one stronghold of dragons is still there to take to the skies.

Lessa wants to fight directly, but hers is the last queen, too precious to be risked.  It's all Lessa can do to learn to fly...and when she finally gets the chance to teleport, she discovers that dragons can journey not only through space, but through time as well.  And this new found ability proves to be the key to saving the planet.

Looking back at it after all these years, I am still completely impressed by the wonderfully imaginative concept, and the extraordinary sense McCaffrey give the reader of really being in a strange and different place.   Her characters (in these early books of the series at least) are very real and dear to me, and though it's not hard to find small flaws in the writing, and wince at the sexist society, these issues weren't enough to ever spoil my enjoyment (especially since Lessa is a strong, not taking anything from anybody, character....).

It is also a fascinating time travel story.   The world building takes so very much the center stage that the time travel, although utterly crucial to the plot, is overshadowed, but it is truly Solid, pointful time travel--an ability is found, and put to use to save the day through a nicely developed learning process.   Which is to say, it's not a deus ex machina, but something that is scary, confusing, to be carefully considered, to be used in desperation, regardless of unknown risks.   In short, the way the time travel is carried out is pretty believable.

It's also the only time travel book I can think of in which living creatures are the key through which people can travel through time.  There are other books with time traveling creatures, but none that rely on the symbiotic psychic bond of human and non-human person to make the time travel happen. 

In short, I'll be getting my mother a new copy of Dragonflight.  The copy shown above fell apart in my hands pretty irrevocably, and she might well want to read it again....and me too. 

From L Space to E Space--good places on line to find YA books with appeal to fans of Terry Pratchett

This is the second of post recapping a presentation from the 2013 North American Discworld Convention--"From L-Space to E-Space"--the best YA speculative fiction for fans of Terry Pratchett, and how to find more of books to read on line.  The first post lists the books us panelists recommended; this post is Useful Links that will lead to even more books!

The Cybils Awards are given by panels of bloggers each year to the best books in various categories, and the shortlists generated by these awards are, I promise, excellent one-stop shopping for a reader looking for everything from picture books and apps (less relevant, but still) to the YA sci fi/fantasy we love!  Look for the shortlists/finalists in the column to the right.

The Enchanted Inkpot is a group blog of middle grade and YA fantasy writers, and a great place to find new books!

YALSA (the Young Adult Library Services Association) is a great place to go for YA reviews.

Kirkus Reviews not only has access to past reviews, but for books coming soon as well, and in addition to the reviews, there are good blogs there too.

And speaking of blogs, there are tons and tons of great blogs out there full of book reviews, and you could spend weeks visiting them all.  My co-presenters, Tanita (Finding Wonderland) and Sheila (Wands and Worlds), and I all have hundreds of reviews at our blogs, and Tanita and I have sidebars with blogs we ourselves like.  If you want to start exploring on your own, at   Grasping for the Wind, you'll find a massive list of sci fi/fantasy book bloggers.

There seems to be less blogging going on over in the UK, and it can be hard to stay on top of the new releases of sci fi and fantasy over there.

That being said, here are some good blogs-- Mr Ripleys Enchanted Books, Bart's Bookshelf, and An Awfully Big Blog Adventure.

And some other good UK sites--

The Bookbag is a UK collection of book reviews--lots of good browsing.

 UKYA --"celebrating YA fiction by  UK authors."  Lots of speculative fiction!

The Kelpies page at Floris Books--classic and contemporary children's books set in Scotland, with a lot of fantasy

The Waterstones annual children's book awards--here's 2013

I hope this is helpful! Feel free to let me know if you have any questions or comments.

From L-Space to E-Space, Part one--YA Books for fans of Terry Pratchett

This post is a written summary of the session that Tanita Davis, novelist and blogger (Finding Wonderland and tanitasdavis.com), Sheila Ruth, independent publisher and blogger (Wands and Worlds), Anne Hoppe (Terry Pratchett's YA editor in the US) and I presented at the North American Discworld Convention this Sunday (July 7, 2013). The presentation had two parts-the first was a quick run through of YA books we wanted to recommend to Pratchett fans that they might not have read, and the second offered links and advice on how to use the Internet to find more books!  I've split my recap posts into two-this first is about the books, the second post  has the links to more places to find books.

We couldn't, of course, find books that contained every single aspect of Pratchett's wonderfulness, but every book we suggest is well-written, with great characters and world building.  Some are funny, some are serious, but all are Good Reads.  Some are true Young Adult books, some were published for grown-ups, but have much YA appeal, and some were written for kids aged 9-12, but have much broader appeal (promise).

Tanita suggests:

The M.Y.T.H. Inc series, begun by Robert Asprin 1978, who was joined by Jodi Lynn Nye, who is now continuing the series, with Myth Quoted, published this year.

John Connolly is an Irish writer best known for his adult crime series, but his books for younger readers (The Book of Lost Things, The Gates, and The Infernals)  have much Pratchetty appeal!

Diana Wynne Jones demands mention; her more satirical books are our pick for best cross-over (Dark Lord of Derkholm, The Year of the Griffin, and Tough Guide To Fantasyland)

Sarah A. Hoyt--urban shape-shifting fun, published for the adult market, but good for YA.  (Start with Draw One in the Dark)

Another adult author whose books read like YA is Lawrence Watt-Evans--there are 12 Legends of Ethshar novels, and Tanita says they are all good (The Misenchanted Sword is the first)

The 500 Kingdoms Series, by Mercedes Lackey--stories within stories.

Jasper Fford's Nursery Crimes series--The Big Over Easy, and The Fourth Bear.

Sheila suggests:

The Bartimaeus Trilogy, and the Ring of Solomon, by Jonathan Stroud.  The smart-aleck demon Bartimaeus would be right at home in Discworld!

Seraphina, by Rachel Hartman--a lovely one for those interested in the multi-species coexisting aspect of Discworld.  The UK cover is on the left, the original US cover is in the center, and the current US cover is on the right.

Lonely Werewolf Girl and Curse of the Wolf Girl, by Martin Millar-- a friend for Angua.   Not the best covers in the world, but good books!

The 5th Wave, by Rick Yancey--rich and twisty and thought-provoking alien invasion.

Northlander, and The King Commands, by Meg Burden--intelligent,character-rich fantasy ftw!

Patrick Ness's Chaos Walking Series--this is dark, and emotional wrenching, but intelligent, powerful stuff.

The True Meaning of Smekday, by Adam Rex.  Funny sci fi for the younger reader.

The Keys of the Kingdom Series, by Garth Nix.  Inventive and fun!

Charlotte suggests:

The Magic Thief series, by Sarah Prineas.   Not only is this series about a young thief and his journey into magic a good gateway  into Pratchett, but it's a good read for anyone.

I'm including Enchanted, and Hero (coming this fall) by Alethea Kontis because I wanted pretty dresses fun examples of fairy tale retellings--I love that aspect of Pratchett.

Vivian Vande Velde's virtual reality series--fun, geeky, and clever!

Derek Landy's Skulduggery Pleasant series.  The adventures of charismatic, crime-solving skeleton and the human girl who is his protegee.  Witty banter, much fun.

Tanita already mentioned Jasper Fforde, but I wanted to add The Last Dragon Slayer, and its forthcoming (in the US, already out in the UK) sequel, Song of the Quarkbeast.   They have a very English sort of insanity to them.

Seven Sorcerers and Shadow Spell, by Caro King--I love this fantasy series--it is creepy, funny, magical, etc.etc. and deserves more readers.

Soul Enchilada, by David Macinnis Gill.   I thought a book whose premise was the demon Beelzebub coming to reposes a teenage girl's Cadillac might appeal to Pratchett fans looking for magical insanity set in our world. 

Anne suggests:

Team Human, by Justine Larbalestier and Sarah Rees Brennan--you can read it just for fun, or to appreciate its thoughtful depths.  Another good different species living together--in this case, vampires in Maine....

Garth Nix's Abhorsen series.  Classic YA fantasy

Frances Hardinge--Fly by Night and Fly Trap  (Twilight Robbery in the UK).   Tremendously intelligent writing, great characters and world building.

Here's what audience members added to the list:

•Diana Peterfreund
•Artemis Fow, by Eoin Colfer
•Sarah Beth Durst – Into the Wild, Out of the Wild
•Neil Gaiman
•His Dark Materials – Phillip Pullman
•Patricia C. Wrede – Enchanted Forest Chronicles

•Girl Genius – Kaya & Phil Foglio (online, free)
•China Mieville – Railsea, Un Lun Dun
•Tom Holt – The Flying Dutch
•Douglas Adams
•Cornelia Funke – Reckless & Inkheart
•Catherynne M. Valente
•Diane Duane – Young Wizards (she’s writing more!)
•Lloyd Alexander
•Kat, Incorrigable, by Stephanie Burgis
•Libba Bray’s Going Bovine
•Piers Anthony – Xanth (with the caveat from Tanita, Sheila and me that these have huge sexism issues, and we wouldn't recommend them)
•Jim C. Hines – Jig the Dragonslayer
•Morgan Keyes-- Darkbeast
•Tanita S. Davis. (because her books are very good)

Thank you Anne and Sheila and Tanita (and David, Tanita's husband, who was our Powerpoint mastermind, adding to the slides as we spoke)!

No middle grade sci fi/fantasy round-up this week

Sadly, the hotel I'm staying in for the North American Discworld Convention doesn't have a public computer with an associated chair, and I didn't bring a laptop, so there won't be a middle grade sci fi/fantasy round-up this week.

But later in the day I"ll be putting up a written version of the power point Sheila, Tanita, and I are going to give this afternoon, if that's of any interest....

The Quirks: Welcome to Normal, by Erin Soderberg

The Quirks: Welcome to Normal, by Erin Soderberg (Bloomsbury, June 4, 2013)

The Quirk family is relentlessly quirky.  They can't help being magical--a grandpa who can turn back time, a mother who can manipulate peoples minds,  Penelope, who unintentionally manifests whatever she's imagining, and little brother Finn, who's invisible.  Only Molly, Penelope's twin sister, is ordinary.

And Normal, the town the Quirk family has just moved to, is ordinary as all get out.  Molly and Penelope desperately want to stay in one place for once in their lives--they've had to flee countless towns before, when things got to strange.   But if Penelope can't control her imagination,  and its rather noticeable funny/awful consequences,  it's goodbye to Normal.

Magic meets the everyday world...and the consequence are embarrassment. 

This is a good one for the kid who likes light-hearted stories, that aren't realistic but which are set firmly in our world.   It's easy to tell the author had fun with Penelope's runaway imagination, and kids will get lots of grins from it.  The (nicely present, but not underlined) theme of trying to fit in, while still being yourself, is a more serious counterpart to the overt humor.

It's very much an elementary book--excellent for third and fourth graders, of the type who enjoyed Dan Gutman's Weird School series and are ready for something the next notch up.

On a personal reader-reaction note-- most of the book I spent in a state of anxious squirm.   There are many embarrassing situations when Penelope's magic gets out of control, and as a parent, I was perturbed by the mother's neglect of invisible Finn.  Just because Molly is the only one in the family who can see him doesn't mean that poor Finn should be practically ignored by everyone else.   But I am well aware that this is an adult reaction--the target audience will probably not care that Finn hasn't been bathed for ages. 

Disclaimer: review copy received from the publisher