The Mirror of Fire and Dreaming, by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, for Timeslip Tuesday

A while ago, I read The Conch Bearer, by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni (my review)--a fantasy quest story set in India. It didn't quite make it onto my list of books I truly enjoyed, but I liked it well enough to seek out the sequel, which I had heard was a better book. And now, having finished The Mirror of Fire and Dreaming (2005), I am happy to say that yes, indeed, the sequel is much better! And, as an added bonus, it is a time travel book--one set in Bengal, during the time of the Moghul Empire. As one who loves time travel, and as one who is always seeking out books set outside the Euro-American fantasy scheme of things, this made me very happy indeed.

The Mirror of Fire and Dreaming picks up right where The Conch Bearer left off (although it's not necessary to have read the first one). Young Anand's ability to communicate with the mystical conch shell that empowers the brotherhood of the hidden valley has won him a place among their number, but as he struggles to learn the ways of their magic, he wonders if he really belongs there. His friend Nisha, the first girl allowed to stay in the valley, is taking to the study of plant magic like a duck to water...but Anand is having no such luck.

(I enjoyed this part of the story lots, given my affection for schools of magic).

But Anand doesn't have much time to learn new abilities. When his mentor, the Master Healer Abhaydatta, sets off to combat a newly emerged evil power, and doesn't return, Anand and Nisha ask the conch to take them to him, so that they can save him from whatever ill fate has fallen him (their loyalty exceeds their common sense in this, although with the help of the immensely powerful conch shell, they might have a chance...). Their journey goes awry, and throws them back in time to an era when the Muslim nawabs dwelt in palaces of amazing beauty, filled with deadly intrigue. It's especially deadly in this case--an evil sorcerer is bent on using an unholy djinn to gain power for himself.

Master Abhaydatta is there in the past too, but his powers are almost non-existent. Worst of all, Anand lost hold of the conch on the journey, and it's wise and powerful voice is lost to him. All he has left with which to defeat the sorcerer and return home is a small shard of the magic mirror through which he travelled...

It's an engrossing picture of a long-ago part of India's history; the author is unstinting with the small details of the texture (and taste-there's lots of food) of everyday life. All three characters slip easily into roles in the past (Anand, for instance, finds employment as a punkah wallah--a fan puller), and there are no tricksy difficulties of language or customs that sometimes beset time travellers, and slow the progression of the story.

In the first book, I had trouble suspending my disbelief about the magical conch shell. Here, however, the conch, and the magical mirror, were somehow easier to accept--there was more sense to them, and they were more immediately integral to the story. The magic didn't ever reach great depths of numinous enchantment, but it was solid enough to avoid feeling like an awkward add-on.

My one main issue with the book involves a rather startling bit of character development toward the end, which wasn't that easy to accept. But despite that, it's a book I enjoyed just fine. Those who enjoy variants of "the brave boy who's not yet come into his magical powers struggling against an infernal dark Evilness" story, given added interest by the unusual time and place, will probably enjoy it too.

Now I am trying to decide if I want to read the third book, Shadowland; opinions about it seem a mixed (School Library Journal -- no, Amazon Reviewers-- yes).

The Thinking Girl's Treasury of Real Princesses for Non-Fiction Monday

Over the weekend, my boys and I were enchanted by the six books that comprise The Thinking Girl's Treasury of Real Princesses, written by Shirin Yim Bridges, and illustrated by Albert Nguyen (Goosebottom Books, 2010). Each book tells of a different princess, how she gained power, and what she did with it. And each book taught us something new, and kept us engrossed from start to finish.

Important Note: Mothers of sons--don't be put off by the "girls" and the "princesses" of the title. These are books that my boys (10 and 7) loved--they begged me to keep reading, and were sad when we reached the last book!

Not only do these books tell the stories of woman you might never have heard of (but who were really important! who did great things! who should have gotten more page time in the history books!), the writing is spot on for young readers--a slightly wry authorial voice, tricky concepts and vocabulary words nicely explained, and, more generally, swinging story telling, interspersed with kid friendly sections describing what they wore and what they ate.

The series begins with Hatshepsut of Egypt, the woman who became Pharaoh. We had certainly heard of her before, but still were interested in the details of her life.The next three princesses, though, were new to all of us. Artemisia, ruler of the Persian vassal state of Caria (in modern Turkey) who commanded a flotilla of ships in Xerxes' war against ancient Greece, Sorghaghtani of Mongolia, who effectively ruled the homeland of the Mongol empire, and Qutlugh Terkan Khatun of Kirman, responsible for the golden age of her country (part of the 13th/14th century Il Kahnate in what is Iran today). Three strong, effective women whose accomplishments were truly remarkable.


Next in the series comes Isabella of Castile (the one who sent Columbus off exploring), and although I had certainly heard of her, I needed reminding about what she had done--driving the Moors from Grenada, and launching the Spanish Inquisition. Not such a nice princess.


The final book features Nur Jahan of India, who was effectively the ruler of the Moghul empire of India in the early 17th century, and who, while riding on an elephant, inside a howdah, shot and killed four tigers with only six bullets. She did other things too--like others of these women, she put her keen intelligence to work promoting trade and efficiency.

I am so very pleased to have been able to share this series with my boys--our knowledge of history and geography went up several notches (for instance, the Moghul Empire was only lightly touched on in my education, and I don't think I'd ever heard of the Il Khanate before). And more generally, I think it's great that they have more powerful women in their mental map of the past.

I wish the publisher had included a bit more back matter of supplemental facts, sources for the information, and where to go to see more pictures and find out more...but mainly this is just because my curiosity has been well and truly piqued! (And I wish Artemisia hadn't been made a blond--both unnecessary and unlikely. Sigh).

But what I really truly hope for is that there will be more books in the series--with more great princesses I've never heard about, from places that weren't front and center in my school education! This series truly fills an educational void (it would have made Third Grade Biography Breakfast so much more interesting if my son's school had had these!!!), and they are great books to share with your kids as read-alouds. I sincerely recommend them (but if you can only get one, my favorite is Sorghaghtani).

Thank you very much, Goosebottom Books, for the review copies.

Today's Non-Fiction Monday round-up is at The Cat and the Fiddle!

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

Here's what I found in my blog reading this week--if I missed your post, let me know! (and if you are a new visitor to these round-ups, here's more info. about how I compile them).

The Reviews:

Bloodline Rising, by Katy Moran, at Charlotte's Library (older mg)

The Broken Citadel, by Joyce Ballou Gregorian, at Just Booking Around (older mg, or possibly even just plain old YA)

The Emerald Atlas, by John Stephens, at Booking Mama

Falling In, by Frances O'Roark Dowell (audio review), at Book Nut

Invisible Inkling, by Emily Jenkins, at Book Dreaming

Kat, Incorrigible, by Stephanie Burgis, at Fuse #8

Keeper, by Kathi Appelt, at Challenging the Bookworm

The Lost Hero, by Rick Riordan, at Challenging the Bookworm

The Magnificent 12: The Call, by Michael Grant, at One Librarian's Book Reviews

The Mask Wearer (Amos Daragon, Book 1), by Bryan Perro, at Kiss the Book

The Shadows (Books of Elsewhere 1), by Jacqueline West, at Books & Other Thoughts and an audio review at The O.W.L.

Small Persons With Wings, by Ellen Booraem, at Narrative Investigations

My Sparkling Misfortune, by Laura Lond, at Reading Vacation

The Spellcoats, by Diana Wynne Jones, at Becky's Book Reviews

The Museum of Thieves, by Lian Tanner, at Random Musings of a Bibliophile

Ravenwood, by Andrew Peters, at Mr Ripleys Enchanted Books

Shimmer, by Alyson Noel, at Reading Vacation and The Bibliophilic Book Blog

Theodosia and the Eyes of Horace, by R.L. LaFevers, at Strange and Random Happenstance

Theodosia and the Last Pharaoh, by R.L. LaFevers, at Strange and Random Happenstance

The Time-Travelling Fashionista, by Bianca Turetsky, at Reading Everywhere

Uncommon Magic, by Michelle Scott, at Reading Vacation

Under the Green Hill, by Laura L. Sullivan, at Eating Y.A. Books

A Year Without Autumn, by Liz Kessler, at I Was a Teenage Book Geek (where you will also find the first chapter of the book)

Zeus: King of the Gods, and Athena: Grey-Eyed Goddess, by George O'Connorat at Book Nut

Ms. Yingling reviews a trio of sci fi boy books, and at Nayu's Reading Corner you'll find some fun books by Steve Cole (author of the Astrosaurs series and more)

And finally, Anne at Black and White has a post about first read-aloud fantasy chapter books!

Interview and authors:

Nathan Bransford (Jacob Wonderbar and the Cosmic Space Kapow) at Anita Laydon Miller's Middle Grade Blog

Greg Van Eekhaut (The Boy at the End of the World) writes about "Tarkin’s Jodhpurs and Dystopia for Kids" at Tor

Other Good Stuff:

The authors over at The Enchanted Inkpot offer tributes to Diana Wynne Jones.

Grace Lin is celebrating the paperback release of Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by giving away to eight people the free print of their choice from her etsy shop! Here's the one I would like:


My best friend in seventh grade had a series of recurring dreams in which Anne MacCaffery's Dragon Riders of Pern came to the big screen, with dead chickens (painted appropriately, if such a thing can be said of a dead chicken) being used for the fire lizards. That was long, long ago---and now her dream (sans chickens) is becoming a reality-- the dragons are actually coming to the big screen!

And finally, Peter Jackson has posted video diary entries from
The Hobbit on his facebook page (and you can watch it here at Suvudo)

The Oracle Betrayed, by Catherine Fisher

The Oracle Betrayed, by Catherine Fisher (2003 in the UK, 2004 in the US, mg/YA, 341 pages), sat in my tbr pile for about three years. Finally, last weekend, I brushed the dust from it (note to self: dust tbr pile more often), and actually read it.

And it was really, really good.

It takes place in an ancient Greek kind of place, where a young girl, Mirany, is one of chosen Nine who serve the Oracle. Her land is dying from drought...but though the Archon, the god-king, gives his life as a sacrifice, the drought continues.

Mirany can hear the god speaking through the Oracle. He has been reborn, and must be found. But the Oracle has been betrayed. The Speaker, most powerful of the nine servants of the Oracle, plots to install a puppet in the Archon's palace; a scheming general hungers for power. And the rain, a goddess in her own right, seems farther away then ever.

It's up to Mirany, with some unlikely allies close at hand, and the voice of the god (not always helpful) in her ear, to bring back balance...but the layers of treachery run deep, and even the brightest god has a shadow...

That's the gist of the story. I hope I made it sound enticing. Here's the breakdown of what you get:

1. Likable, believable heroine (not preternaturally brave or smart or sassy, and with no special Magical Abilities Through Which She Saves Everyone!!! She does hear the voice of the god, but that's not really due to her own specialness)
2. Nicely done archaic-Greek-type world building (although too sandy, perhaps, to be entirely Greek. Maybe a tad more Egyptian than Greek, environment-wise).
3. Cool deities
4. Engaging supporting characters
5. Utterly absorbing writing
6. Lots of scorpions (not necessarily a bonus feature)

Here's what I'm looking forward too--reading the second and third books (The Sphere of Secrets and Day of the Scarab).

This is the same Catherine Fisher of Incarceron fame, which, if you've read that, should give you some idea of the intricate twisty-ness of her storytelling. This is much more straightforward, but still complex--we, the readers, learn what's going on as Mirany does, which I appreciate.

There's nothing here that's not suitable for an upper middle grade reader--a little violence, a few scorpions, a touch of grave robbing, human sacrifice (tastefully done, in an understated way). But it's complex enough to be a satisfying read for a much older reader (that would be me).

New Releases of fantasy and science fiction for kids and teens--the second half of April, 2011

Here are the new releases of fantasy and science fiction for kids and teens from the second half of April, 2011. Juniper Berry is my pick from the middle grade section, and The Silver Bowl, down in YA, looks awfully appealing....

My information comes from Teens Read Too (whose new release lists also include the non sci fi/fantasy books) and the blurbs are what's on Amazon.

Middle Grade:

THE ADVENTURES OF SIR GAWAIN THE TRUE: THE KNIGHTS' TALES by Gerald Morris "In the third installment in the Knights’ Tales series, Gerald Morris tells the laugh-outloud tale of King Arthur’s most celebrated knight, and nephew, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. With lively illustrations by Aaron Renier, Morris creates a captivating and comical medieval world that teems with humor and wonder.

This chapter book is sure to set young readers on another rollicking and hilarious Arthurian adventure!

DEAD LANDS: LOST SOULS by Mel Odom. "Two months have passed since the events of Burning Sky, and things have changed for Nathan Richards. Incensed by Kukulkan's victory and the unexpected loss of his mother, he refuses to play The Game until he knows what the stakes are-- until he meets a girl named Mavis in the field museum who died mysteriously at the Chicago Columbian Exposition, more than 100 years ago.

With the help of Alyssa and his friends, he will have to immerse himself in the Chicago Expo and the deep rivalry between Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla to learn Mavis's forgotten secret. This time, though, Nathan might have an advantage. Ah Puch, the Mayan god of the underworld, has offered Nathan his assistance against Kukulkan . . . no strings attached."

A GAGGLE OF GOBLINS: THE UNSEEN WORLD OF POPPY MALONE by Suzanne Harper "Evidence 1. A snicker. Soft but clear. 2. The mess 3. White teeth gleaming in the shadows

Possibilities 1. Vampires 2. Ghosts 3. Goblins 4. Werewolves 5. Fairies

To do 1. Record evidence in logbook 2. Do not tell Mom and Dad! 3. Read (again!) The Little People: A Comprehensive History of Hobgoblins, Pixies, Brownies,and Sprites 4. Set a trap 5. Set up motion-sensor camera 6. Ask Will and Franny for help?"

THE EMPEROR OF NIHON-JA: THE RANGER'S APPRENTICE by John Flanagan Months have passed since Horace departed for the eastern nation of Nihon-Ja on a vital mission. Having received no communication from him, his friends fear the worst. Unwilling to wait a second longer, Alyss, Evanlyn, and Will leave their homeland behind and venture into an exotic land in search of their missing friend.

When they finally catch up with him, they find Horace entangled in a military coup. Determined to protect the imperial throne, Will and his band of Araluens must piece together and train a force in order to fend off the master Senji warriors intent on overthrowing the emperor.

FIRE WORLD: LAST DRAGON CHRONICLES by Chris D'Lacey David and the dragons are back in the latest installment in the NY TIMES bestselling Last Dragon Chronicles!

After destroying a trace of dark fire, David, Zanna, and the Pennykettle dragons vanished. In a brand-new world, Co:per:nica, which runs parallel to that of Crescent Lane, firebirds roam the ancient librarium, a museum for books. But when 12-year-old David and Rosanna accidentally injure one of the firebirds, they are suddenly thrust into a remarkable adventure. The evil Ix have taken over one of the firebirds, turning it to the side of darkness, but the birds have a secret:They know about the existence of dragons. And from across the universe, one may come to their aid....

FOURTH GRADE FAIRY by Eileen Cook "All Willow Doyle wants is to be normal, to fit in at her new school, and to have a best friend. But there’s no way Willow will ever be normal. There isn’t anything normal about her or the Doyle family.

Willow comes from a long line of fairy godmothers and she’s expected to be one too when the time comes. (At the moment she’s merely sprite status.) Maybe that would be cool if it were like the old days when the humans -- known as humdrums -- knew fairy godmothers existed and the fairies didn’t have to keep their fairy status secret. Now they’re stuck helping humans who don’t even believe in them. Rather than help normals, Willow would rather be human. She’s sick of being weird.

When she's given the chance to attend a humdrum elementary school for two weeks, this is Willow's chance to finally experience a normal life -- but will she be able to fit in? And can she find her best friend there, even if her parents discourage making friends with humans?"

INVISIBLE INKLING by Emily Jenkins "The thing about Hank's new friend Inkling is, he's invisible.

No, not imaginary. Inkling is an invisible bandapat, a creature native only to the Peruvian Woods of Mystery. (Or maybe it is the Ukrainian glaciers. Inkling hardly ever gets his stories straight.)

Now Inkling has found his way to Brooklyn and into Hank's laundry basket on his quest for squash—bandapats' favorite food. But Hank has bigger problems than helping Inkling fend off maniac doggies and search for yummy pumpkins: Bruno Gillicut is a lunch-stealing dirtbug caveperson and he's got to be stopped. And who better to help stand up to a bully than an invisible friend?"

JUNIPER BERRY by M. P. Kozlowsky "Juniper Berry's parents are the most beloved actor and actress in the world—but Juniper can't help but feel they haven't been quite right lately. And she and her friend Giles are determined to find out why.

On a cold and rainy night, Juniper follows her parents as they sneak out of the house and enter the woods. What she discovers is an underworld filled with contradictions: one that is terrifying and enticing, lorded over by a creature both sinister and seductive, who can sell you all the world's secrets bound in a balloon. For the first time, Juniper and Giles have a choice to make. And it will be up to them to confront their own fears in order to save the ones who couldn't."

THE LEGEND OF BROWN EYED JAMES: THE ISLAND HUNTERS by N.E. Walford "The legend is real and the man was named James Baako, a merchant, a coppersmith, and voyager turned Treasure Hunter. The key to the Hunter family legacy has been found. But he s not where anyone would expect. And as the Hunter boys find this latest mystery revealed, little do they know who else is looking for him. Now, the journey of a lifetime has turned to chaos as all of their enemies converge in one place. And the knowledge of the past has already begun to bestow power upon the wrong people."

THE POCKET AND THE PENDANT: MAX QUICK by Mark Jeffrey. "Max Quick is a pickpocket, a vagabond, an orphan, and a thief. Even so, nothing about him seems particularly special . . . until one day when time mysteriously stops. Suddenly, nearly everyone in the world is frozen in time—except for Max.

Now Max must journey across America to find the source of the Time-stop. Along the way, he meets others who aren't suspended in time, like Casey, a girl who's never been on her own until now. Together, as they search for the cause of this disaster, Max and his companions encounter ancient mysteries, magic books, and clues to the riddle of stopped time. But relentless and mysterious villains are hot on Max's heels and will do everything in their power to prevent Max from ending the Time-stop. And the closer Max gets to the answers, the more it seems that his own true identity is not what he once believed.

Racing against a clock that no longer ticks, Max must embrace his past to save his future—and the world—from being altered forever."

THE RESISTERS by Eric Nylund. "Twelve-year-old Ethan Blackwood has always known exactly what he wanted—to win the state soccer championship, get into the best high school, and become an astronaut. Then he meets Madison and Felix, who tell him something . . . insane. They claim that 50 years ago, aliens took over the earth, and everyone past puberty is under their mind control. Ethan doesn't believe it. But then he sees for himself the aliens' monster bug robots and the incredible way that Madison and Felix have learned to fight them. So Ethan Blackwood has a choice: he can go back to his normal, suburban, protected lie of a life—or he can become a Resister. This is science fiction on the lines of Scott Westerfield and Cory Doctorow for middle graders."

THE ROTTEN ADVENTURES OF ZACHARY RUTHLESS by Allan Woodrow. "Are you rotten enough to read this book? Ha! And I mean that in a laugh-in-your-face, you’re not- really-rotten-at-all way. Have you ever destroyed the planet? Turned earthworms into your personal army of doom? Refused to eat your broccoli and hidden it in your underwear? Well, never mind that last one. I mean, who hasn’t? But still, no one is as rotten as Zachary Ruthless. In fact, his adventures are so rotten you might want to just put this book down now and back away very slowly."

SPEAK NO EVIL: GIFTED by Marilyn Kaye. "Meadowbrook Middle School is an ordinary school with ordinary students-except for the Nine. These students look like the others, but they're not. You could call it a skill, a talent or a disadvantage, but each of these students is unique - they're gifted.

Everyone in the Gifted class has a secret, but Carter Street is the most mysterious student of all. Nobody knows anything about him - not even his real name. For some reason, he's been put in the Gifted class, maybe because no one knows what else to do with him. He never speaks, but the other students suspect that-like them-there's something going on behind Carter's blank stare. What they don't know is that it's something dangerous…"

Young Adult

101 WAYS TO BECOME A SUPERHERO...OR AN EVIL GENIUS by Richard Horne & Helen Szirtes "Ever wanted to fly like Superman?* Drive a cool car like Batman? Smash things like the Hulk? Well, 101 Things to Do to Become a Superhero is the book for you. Inside is everything you need to transform yourself from mere mortal into exciting, dynamic, total superhero material. Make things, learn amazing tricks, and be inspired by genius ideas in order to complete the transition to object of worship and admiration. Develop your stealth and telepathy! Identify your nemesis! Choose your outfit! Or maybe the side of evil is more your thing? Select a sidekick! Get a villainous chair! Either way, your days as a mere mortal are over. . . .

*Note: Book will not actually teach you to fly."

ABANDON by Meg Cabot. "New from #1 New York Times bestselling author Meg Cabot, a dark, fantastical story about this world . . . and the underworld.

Though she tries returning to the life she knew before the accident, Pierce can't help but feel at once a part of this world, and apart from it. Yet she's never alone . . . because someone is always watching her. Escape from the realm of the dead is impossible when someone there wants you back. But now she's moved to a new town. Maybe at her new school, she can start fresh. Maybe she can stop feeling so afraid. Only she can't. Because even here, he finds her. That's how desperately he wants her back. She knows he's no guardian angel, and his dark world isn't exactly heaven, yet she can't stay away . . . especially since he always appears when she least expects it, but exactly when she needs him most. But if she lets herself fall any further, she may just find herself back in the one place she most fears: the Underworld."

THE BLACK: MORPHEUS ROAD by D. J. MacHale. "At the end of The Light, Book One of the Morpheus Road trilogy, Marshall learned the truth about what happened to his best friend Cooper. Now in Book Two, the POV switches to Cooper and we get to see his side of the mystery. What does his story have to do with Marshall and the journey along the Morpheus Road? It's time to learn more..."

BUMPED by Megan McCafferty "When a virus makes everyone over the age of eighteen infertile, would-be parents pay teen girls to conceive and give birth to their children, making teens the most prized members of society. Girls sport fake baby bumps and the school cafeteria stocks folic-acid-infused food.

Sixteen-year-old identical twins Melody and Harmony were separated at birth and have never met until the day Harmony shows up on Melody’s doorstep. Up to now, the twins have followed completely opposite paths. Melody has scored an enviable conception contract with a couple called the Jaydens. While they are searching for the perfect partner for Melody to bump with, she is fighting her attraction to her best friend, Zen, who is way too short for the job.

Harmony has spent her whole life in Goodside, a religious community, preparing to be a wife and mother. She believes her calling is to convince Melody that pregging for profit is a sin. But Harmony has secrets of her own that she is running from.

When Melody is finally matched with the world-famous, genetically flawless Jondoe, both girls’ lives are changed forever. A case of mistaken identity takes them on a journey neither could have ever imagined, one that makes Melody and Harmony realize they have so much more than just DNA in common."

CORSETS AND CLOCKWORK: 13 STEAMPUNK ROMANCES edited by Tricia Telep. "Dark, urban fantasies come to life in the newest collection of Steampunk stories, Corsets & Clockwork. Young heroes and heroines battle evils with the help of supernatural or super-technological powers, each individual story perfectly balancing historical and fantastical elements. Throw in epic romances that transcend time, and this trendy, engrossing anthology is sure to become another hit for the fast-growing Steampunk genre!

This collection features some of the hottest writers in the teen genre, including: Ann Aguirre, Jaclyn Dolamore, Tessa Gratton, Frewin Jones, Caitlin Kittredge, Adrienne Kress, Lesley Livingston, Dru Pagliassotti, Dia Reeves, Michael Scott, Maria V. Snyder, Tiffany Trent, and Kiersten White."

THE COVEN'S DAUGHTER by Lucy Jago "It’s Spring again in the village of Montacute, and people want nothing more than to celebrate the season with maypole dances, festivals, and visits from the nobility. The festivities are dampened, though, when a young boy turns up dead outside the village. Then they learn that three other boys have also disappeared lately. To the parson, this tragedy is a perfect excuse to kick off the only thing guaranteed to get his spring-giddy parishioners back to church – a witch hunt.

Cecily may have occasional visions, but that doesnt' make her a witch! Fatherless and without friends, Cess knows she’s lucky to be employed by a grand estate like Montacute House, even if it is as a poultry girl.

On her thirteenth birthday, Cess finds a precious locket in one of her chicken coops, a strange discovery that’s quickly overshadowed by her best friend John’s disappearance two days later. The parson has already started planting rumors that the missing boys were bewitched, and the villagers think Cecily may be the culprit. The only way Cess can prove her innocence is by finding John, but she’s soon embroiled in a plot that threatens her world and forces her to draw upon powers she never knew she possessed."

THE DARK ZONE: A GALAHAD BOOK by Dom Testa "With the help of the mysterious alien force known as the Cassini, the teenage crew of Galahad has managed to navigate safely through the minefield of the Kuiper Belt. But just as they exit the Belt, they are confronted by their next challenge: a group of incredibly fast and maneuverable organisms waiting in their path—like vultures. With no way of knowing if the organisms are friends or foes, Triana and her Council decide to push forward, setting into motion a chain of events that will lead to the opening of a wormhole (a shortcut across space and time), and the first death aboard Galahad…."

DEFIANCE: A STRANGE ANGELS NOVEL by Lili St. Crow "Now that sixteen-year-old Dru's worst fears have come true and Sergej has kidnapped her best friend Graves, she'll have to go on a suicidal rescue mission to bring him back in one piece.

That is, if she can put all of Christophe's training to good use, defeat her mother's traitor, Anna, once and for all, and manage to survive another day..."

EONA by Alison Goodman "Eon has been revealed as Eona, the first female Dragoneye in hundreds of years. Along with fellow rebels Ryko and Lady Dela, she is on the run from High Lord Sethon's army. The renegades are on a quest for the black folio, stolen by the drug-riddled Dillon; they must also find Kygo, the young Pearl Emperor, who needs Eona's power and the black folio if he is to wrest back his throne from the selfstyled "Emperor" Sethon. Through it all, Eona must come to terms with her new Dragoneye identity and power - and learn to bear the anguish of the ten dragons whose Dragoneyes were murdered. As they focus their power through her, she becomes a dangerous conduit for their plans."

ESCAPE VELOCITY: H.I.V.E. by Mark Walden "Pupils and staff at HIVE are horrified to discover that Dr Nero has been captured by the forces of HOPE, the Hostile Operative Prosecution Executive, the world’s newest and most ruthlessly efficient security force. Three months pass without any news of his fate, and Number One has decided to appoint a sinister new headmistress for the school, somebody that the pupils and staff had thought that they’d seen the last of. Meanwhile Otto is also struggling to cope with new abilities that are starting to manifest themselves; can he really be unconsciously interfacing with computers without physical contact? And if he is, what exactly do these new powers really mean? The only way to find Nero and the truth behind the lies is to escape HIVE. Otto must get out, and take the risks which come with being a rogue agent. Then he just has to break into MI6….."

EXILE: AURELIA by Anne Osterlund "Crown princess Aurelia is a survivor. She survived attempted assassination. She survived the king's rejection. She survived her mother's abandonment. And now, in exile, she must survive her kingdom-from hostile crowds to raw frontier to desert sands. But even as unknown assailants track Aurelia and expedition guide Robert, she knows what her greatest risk is: falling [in] love..."

FUTURE IMPERFECT by K. Ryer Breese "Ade Patience can see the future and it's destroying his life. When the seventeen-year-old Mantlo High School student knocks himself unconscious, he can see days and decades into his own future. Ade's the best of Denver's "divination" underground and eager to join the heralded Mantlo Diviners, a group of similarly enabled teens. Yet, unlike the Diviners, Ade Patience doesn't see the future out of curiosity or good will; Ade gives himself concussions because he's addicted to the high, the Buzz, he gets when he breaks the laws of physics. And while there have been visions he's wanted to change, Ade knows the Rule: You can't change the future, no matter how hard you try.

His memory is failing, his grades are in a death spiral, and both Ade's best friend and his shrink are begging him to stop before he kills himself. Ade knows he needs to straighten-out. Luckily, the stunning Vauxhall Rodolfo has just transferred to Mantlo and, as Ade has seen her in a vision two years previously, they're going to fall in love. It's just the motivation Ade needs to kick his habit. Only things are a bit more complicated. Vauxhall has an addiction of her own, and, after a a vision in which he sees Vauxhall's close friend, Jimmy, drown while he looks on seemingly too wasted to move, Ade realizes that he must break the one rule he's been told he can't.

The pair must overcome their addictions and embrace their love for each other in order to do the impossible: change the future."

THE GODDESS TEST by Aimee Carter "It's always been just Kate and her mom—and her mother is dying. Her last wish? To move back to her childhood home. So Kate's going to start at a new school with no friends, no other family and the fear her mother won't live past the fall.

Then she meets Henry. Dark. Tortured. And mesmerizing. He claims to be Hades, god of the Underworld—and if she accepts his bargain, he'll keep her mother alive while Kate tries to pass seven tests.

Kate is sure he's crazy—until she sees him bring a girl back from the dead. Now saving her mother seems crazily possible. If she succeeds, she'll become Henry's future bride, and a goddess."

RAGE OF THE FALLEN: THE LAST APPRENTICE by Joseph Delaney "A dangerous few months lie ahead—ones which some of us will be hard-pressed to survive. Thomas Ward has served as the Spook's apprentice for three years. He has battled boggarts, witches, demons, and even the devil himself. Tom has enemies: The Fiend stalks him, waiting for a moment of weakness. The terrifying Morrigan, goddess of witches, warned him never to step foot on her homeland, Ireland.

But now war has consumed their own country, and Tom, his friend Alice, and the Spook must flee to Ireland. The dark rages strongly there. No one can be trusted. Can Tom defeat the creatures that hunt him most fiercely?"

THE SILVER BOWL by Diane Stanley "Unwanted at home, Molly goes to work for the king of Westria as a humble scullery maid. She arrives at the castle with no education, no manners, and a very disturbing secret: She sees visions, and those visions always come true.

One day, while she's working in the king's great hall, young Prince Alaric passes by. Molly finds him unbearably handsome—but also unbearably rude. But what does it really matter? She'll probably never see him again.

In time Molly is promoted to polishing silver and is given a priceless royal treasure to work on: the king's great ceremonial hand basin. But there's something odd about it. The silver warms to her touch, a voice commands her to watch and listen, and then the visions appear. They tell the story of a dreaded curse that has stalked the royal family for years. There have already been deaths; soon there will be more.

As tragedy after tragedy strikes the royal family, Molly can't help but wonder: Will the beautiful Alaric be next? Together with her friends Tobias and Winifred, Molly must protect the prince and destroy the curse. Could a less likely champion be found to save the kingdom of Westria?"

The Floating Islands, by Rachel Neumeier

The Floating Islands, by Rachel Neumeier (Random House, 2011, YA, 388 pages)

When a volcano destroyes his home town, fourteen-year-old Trei finds himself sent off to the Floating Islands, his mother's home. His father's brother had refused to pay the fee to register him as a citizen of the mainland country of Tolounn.

Despite the pressure of grief, the sight of the islands, raised by dragon magic to float over the water fills Trei with wondering amazement. And from his first sight of the kajuraihi, men who soar through the sky on feathered wings, Trei knows he wants to become one of them. But can a half-island boy learn to see the winds?

His young island cousin, Araene, has dreams of her own--to escape the restrictive life of a woman and become a great chef. But she is fated to find the hidden doorway to the secret school where the island's mages are trained, for she has gifts of magic struggling to emerge (and one neat thing about her magic is that she tastes it, using her talents for cooking to help make sense of the magical).

Trei is accepted by the kajuraihi, and begins his training, and Araene, disguised as a boy, enters the secret school. But the Tolunnese have their hungry eye on the Floating Islands, and when they launch an expedition to seize them, Trie's loyalties, and his abilities, will be put to the test. And Areane finds herself responsible with the one thing that might save the islands--the egg of the dying fire dragon who lives at the islands' heart...

There are two parts to the book. The focuses on the minutiae of Trei and Araene's lives, as they explore the two schools (kajuraihi and magical) where they have found themselves. I utterly adored this part of the book--the secret school, in particular, is now right up there on my list of fictional schools of magic! Neumeier's detailed descriptions make things beautifully easy to imagine, and I could have read a whole book in which nothing more happened.

But then, in the second half of the book, war comes to the islands, and the focus shifts to that conflict, as Trei and Araene must put their new-found gifts to work to save their home. For Trei, this means coming to terms with his Tolunnese past--it is, after all, his father's country. And it is his understanding of the enemy that might tip the balance of the war...

My personal problem with reading about tense war situations in which I care deeply about the characters is that I am desperate to find out what happens to them! So the quality of my reading experience changed in this second part of the book--from happy, peaceful immersion in a beautifully created world to anxious page-turning-ness. I think I will enjoy this second half a lot more on subsequent re-readings (and yes, I will be re-reading this one), now that I know what happens! This part of the book has its own strength--it's here, in conflict, that the characters of the two young protagonists grow and develop.

I recommend this one specifically to those who enjoy books with strange and magical schools where young teenagers find their place in the world. For those who enjoyed Neumeier's first book, The City in the Lake, rest assured that the same beautiful writing is here; for those who were uncertain about that one, be assured that here the story swings along much more swingingly, following a much more straightforward arc of adventure and self-discovery.

Here's another review, at The Book Smugglers

The Jewel of the Kalderash (Chronus Chronicles III) by Marie Rutkowski, for Waiting on Wednesday

I helped shortlist The Cabinet of Wonders for the 2008 Cybils Awards. I enjoyed The Celestial Globe even more. And so I was thrilled (thanks Cat, for telling me) to learn that the third volume of Marie Rutkoswki's Chronus Chronicles will be out October 25! This is one of the most satisfying historical fantasy series being written today--do give it a try, if you haven't already!

"Upon arriving in the Romany homeland to deliver the Mercator Globes, Petra Kronos, Tomik, and Neel formulate a plan to save Petra's father, who has been transformed into a Gray Man. But when a long-held secret is revealed, Neel finds himself bound to his country. The friends are quickly swept up in an epic battle for power. Thrones are at stake. Spies are afoot. Murder is common. Worst of all, Prince Rodolfo is close to becoming emperor, and ruling half of Europe.

How much is Petra willing to sacrifice to defend the people she loves? Her search for answers will take her to castles and cities, through mountains, and even underwater as she tests her strength and gambles her life."

Here's what I especially like-the clock is clearly ticking--you can see the pendulum going back and forth on the covers:

Waiting on Wednesday is a meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine

My Unfair Godmother, by Janette Rallison

My Unfair Godmother, by Janette Rallison (Bloomsbury, 2011, YA, 320 pages)

Tansy's beloved father, the one who taught her to love books, drove away one day when she was in fifth grade. When she's seventeen, she's forced to go live with him, his new wife, and her step-brother, and she's determined to give him no satisfaction whatsoever. Not only is she refusing to read anything, but she's going out with the worst boy she could find--a loutish vandal named Bo. And because of him, she's just been picked up by the police for vandalizing town hall...even though she was an innocent bystander.

Enter Tansy's fairy godmother, come to grant her three wishes and make everything hunky dory. Sadly for Tansy, though, Chrysanthemum Everstar is only a "fair" godmother--and she's more concerned about her toe nail polish and her job moonlighting as a Tooth Fairy than she is about Tansy. So her wish granting goes more than a little bit awry...and before Tansy knows what's happening, Robin Hood and his Merry Men are wrecking havoc in her home town.

Tansy's second wish has to be used to send them back, but she still has her third--and what can go wrong with wanting the ability to make gold? Plenty.

Now Tansy is stuck in the middle ages, stuck trying to spin straw into gold for bad King John. Her family (and their house) came back into the past with her, as did the cute police chief's son, Hudson. Her fairy godmother is utterly useless--sure, the beautiful dresses she magics for Tansy when she makes her brief appearances are beautiful, but having a pretty dress is beside the point when you've made a deal with Rumpelstiltskin that's rapidly turning sour....

If Edward Eager (Half Magic et seq.) were to have written a contemporary YA book with a bit of romance, something like this might have been the result. It has the same zany, humours insanity that happens when magic goes a bit askew...Those wishing to learn about the reign of King John won't find a particularly accurate portrayal of the past, but Rallison's take on the Rumpelstiltskin story should delight fans of fractured fairy tales. And there's enough underpinning of serious thought about how people make the stories of their own lives to keep this from being just fun fluff.

Today is the official release date of My Unfair Godmother (although it's been on bookstore shelves for a couple of days), and Rallison is giving a copy away at her blog. If you are looking for a fast, funny, read, do go enter!

This is Chrysanthemum Everstar's second appearance in print--her first book is My Fair Godmother. That one is a lot of fun too, and doesn't have to be read before this one.

(review copy received from the publisher)

South Dakota hates you, Mama, or, Learning geography through google analytics

A rather nice bonus to blogging is using the map feature on google analytics to teach the kids geography. There's a map of the world showing all the countries ones visitors are from, and you can click into each country to see its different states and cities. We are learning lots about the obscure towns of the world--I had never before, for instance, heard of the Russian town of Tomsk, and the majority of my Polish readers come from the previously unknown to me town of Sosnowiec (or possibly it's just one very faithful reader). Here are some Sosnowiecians, not reading my blog:


More people in California than in New York like my blog (thank you, California), but, as my little one pointed out, "South Dakota hates you, Mama." And it is true that only two South Dakotans have visited my blog (North Dakota, for the record, has sent nine visitors). But what, I wonder, can I do to attract more readers from that great state????? And I'm a little hurt that Vermont is showing so little interest....

(edited to add: these numbers are just from the past month. But South Dakota has always been my worst state....)

Bloodline Rising, by Katy Moran

Last March, I was working on my new releases post for the second half of the month, which included Bloodline Rising, by Katy Moran. Every time I post a new releases list, I am, of course, full of book lust. But the description of this book made me do something I almost never, ever do--I wrote directly to the publisher to ask if I could have a review copy. Because, really, what fan of Megan Whalen Turner's books, who is also a fan of Dark Age England, and of historical fiction with magic, could resist this summary:

"The Ghost is the fastest, most cunning young criminal in Constantinople. Skilled at lying and deceit, he has the power to twist the minds of men, bending them to his will. He is both invisible and invincible. Or at least he thinks so - till the day his father returns from the desert. A ruthless barbarian assassin, Essa is not pleased to discover that his wild son Cai has become the city's most notorious thief. But sinister forces are moving against Cai and he finds himself captive on a trading ship. The Ghost no longer, he is now a slave. But luck has not deserted him completely - the ship is bound for Britain, the home his barbarian parents fled, long ago. When he becomes a slave to Wulfhere, prince of Mercia, Cai soon discovers that his Anglish masters know more about his family than he does - what secrets have his mother and father been keeping from him? As Cai sharpens his skills of subterfuge and persuasion, war threatens, and he must choose: will he use his phenomenal talents for good, or evil?"

And then the book arrived (thank you, Candlewick!) and I began to read...and I found it good.

There are two distinct parts of this book--the Constantinople part, and the British part. The Constantinople part features Cai as the brash thief, whose preternatural abilities bring him to the attention of the Lord of the Thieves, and a dangerous mission that could change the course of the Byzantine Empire. This section is utterly sparkling, and I could have happily stayed in Cai's city for a whole book, enjoying his exploits and caught up in the political intrigues of that time and place!

Then (as the summary says) he's captured and sent as a slave to Britain, his parents' homeland. And now the story shifts to the politics and intrigues of the feuding Anglo-Saxon kingdoms. And Cai finds that he, all unknowing, has a place in these politics by virtue of who he is--secrets that have been kept from him all his life emerge to challenge his native cunning. Here in Britain Cai is no longer the brash thief he was when he was just a boy. He's wracked by guilt for what he sees as unforgivable failures back in Constantinople (careful spoiler avoidance here), and uncertain what place he will have in this new world.

But as he grows to manhood he finds that the gifts that stood him in good stead back then have more to them then he had imagined. And the story is now one of loyalty (to whom?), friendship (but who are the friends, and who is the enemy?), and magic....

I confess I have a strong penchant for the first half of the book; I was not quite as sucked in to the Anglo-Saxon England part. In large part, I think this is because of the author's choice to use the first person present--this worked well while Cai was dashing around Constantionable, and there was lots of immediate action, and also worked while he was on the slave ship. In England, when the focus of the story is on Cai's introspective, emotionally-charged efforts to figure out his life, it was less gripping. And because the focus was so strongly on what was going on in Cai's mind, the world of the Anglo-Saxons around him never became quite real to me.

In short, I enjoyed the book, but not quite as much as I had hoped I would.

viz reading age--Cai is 12 at the beginning, 13 at the end. There's some violence, and an unmarried girl gets pregnant (off stage). The book is marketed as YA, but older middle grade kids probably would enjoy this one too.

The Hopless Futility of the tbr pile; aka I just bought 27 books

There was a library booksale this morning. Near my house, and on a Sunday, which meant I could go, because of it not being a Saturday, when the car goes to Boston. It was an unusual booksale--a local library has just moved to a bigger, better building, and everything they left behind was for sale....

And the kids/YA books were three for a dollar.

Mercifully, I only bought eight that I haven't read including my first Discworld purchase--Wee Free Men. The others were things like my own copy of The Velvet Room (finally! I knew one would come to me eventually, if I waited patiently), a considerable number of YA fantasy books that I didn't have, and things like The Arabian Nights illustrated by Maxfield Parish....

But still I am wondering if the insurance will cover the seemingly inevitable collapse of the poor house under the weight of all the books. And I am wondering if I will ever be Caught Up. I feel that if I could get caught up on all the books I want to read that were published before April 2011, I would be able to stay caught up, but somehow I feel that there is little hope of this...

And I'm thinking that maybe I'll call that library tomorrow and ask if they want to get rid of a few of the bookshelves while they're at it....

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

Welcome to another gathering of all the blogs posts I found this week about middle grade science fiction and fantasy! If I missed your post, let me know, and if you'd like to link to this review, I'd really appreciate it (I'd really like it to be more widely known)

The Reviews (strangely, I now feel no pressing need to review The Emerald Atlas or Kat, Incorrigible, although I do want to read them both!)

Aliens on Vacation, by Clete Barrett Smith, at Abby (the) Librarian

Any Witch Way, by Annastaysia Savage, at Bookworm Lisa

Blackbringer (Faeries of Dreamdark) by Laini Taylor, at Opinions of a Wolf

The Boy at the End of the World, by Greg Van Eekhout, at Stomping on Yeti

The Clockwork Three, by Matthew Kirby, at Reading Tween

The Emerald Atlas, by John Stephens, at Book Dreaming, The Elliott Review, Stalking the Bookshelves, Karissa's Reading Review, The Brain Lair, Simply Books, Chersti Nieveen, Pure Imagination, and The Book Smugglers

Enchanted Glass, by Diana Wynne Jones, at The Speculative Scotsman

Entwinned, by Heather Dixon, at The Book Aunt (who assures me that this is a middle grade cross-over)

Freedom Stone, by Jeffrey Kluger, at Charlotte's Library

The Girl With the Silver Eyes, by Willo Davis Roberts at Tor

Howl's Moving Castle, by Diana Wynne Jones, at Ex Libris

Inside Grandad, by Peter Dickinson, at Becky's Book Reviews

Kat, Incorrigible, by Stephanie Burgis, at We Be Reading, It's All About Books, The Musings of a Book Addict, Writer, Reader, Dreamer, and Reading Vacation

The Map Across Time, by C.S. Lakin, at My Love Affair With Books

Ninth Ward, by Jewell Parker Rhodes, at One Librarian's Book Reviews

Terribly Twisted Tales, edited by Jean Rabe and Martin H. Greenberg, at The Written Word

The Unicorn's Tale (Nathaniel Fludd Book 4), by R.L. LaFevers, at Strange and Random Happenstance

Urchin of the Riding Stars, by M.I. McAllister, at Just Booking Around

Zorgamazoo, by Robert Paul Weston, at books4yourkids

and take a look into How To See Fairies, by Brian Froud and John Matthews at Suvudu

The Other Good Stuff (Interviews etc.)

Candy Gourlay (Tall Story) at Reading in Color

Liz Kessler (A Year Without Autumn--which is out in the UK now, in the US in the fall) at Wondrous Reads (where there's also a review) and at My Favorite Books

The Tor blog visits the Harry Potter Exhibit in New York

Here's a pod cast at Coode Street of Gary K. Wolfe, Farah Mendlesohn, and Tansy Rayner Robers, discussing Diana Wynne Jones

You can test your knowledge of Artemis Fowl with this quiz from the Guardian

Sherwood Smith takes on the question of archetypes at Book View Cafe, and at The Spectacle they're talking folk tales and fairy tales

Tony DiTerlizzi looks into the Hobbit as it might have been, had Maurice Sendak been chosen to illustrate it (thanks to Monica at Educating Alice for the link)

Read-a-thon Wrap-up

The 24 hours of the Read-a-thon are up....and my piles are only a little smaller.

Here's what I read:

2 from the Library Book Pile-- Blue Fire, by Janice Hardy, and Ten Miles Past Normal, by Frances O'Roark Dowell

1 from the Received from Publishers Pile-- My Unfair Godmother, by Janette Rallison

1 from the Books Bought for Self Pile--The Floating Islands, by Rachel Neumeier

and 88 pages of 1 book from the Long Term tbr pile--The Oracle Betrayed, by Catherine Fisher

So not as many as I had hoped, but it was a lot of fun! I didn't try to stay up all 24 hours--too much else to do--but I did push myself to read more than usual, and so some small progress was made.

Thank you so much, Read-a-thon organizers!