The Science Fiction/Fantasy titles nominated for the Cybils Award, with links to reviews

There are 162 nominees in the Science Fiction/Fantasy category, which has been split into books for young and older readers.

Here are the panelists who will be reading them all, and making a short list of fivish books in each category:

Laini Taylor Grow Wings
Charlotte Taylor Charlotte's Library
Alyssa Feller The Shady Glade
Em Em's Bookshelf
Nettle The Puck in the Midden
Tirzah Price The Compulsive Reader
Amanda Blau Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

An alphabetical list of all the books follows, with links to both my reviews and reviews and recommendations by my fellow panelists (a work in progress). If it's in bold that means I've read it (124 --my final tally).

There are 64 books that fall in the Middle Grade Category:

The 39 Clues (The Maze of Bones, Book 1) by Rick Riorden (Amanda)
A Best Friend For Claudia by Bebe Weinberg Katz
Boots and Pieces by Emily Ecton (Nettle)
Boy of All Time by Che Dee
The Cabinet of Wonders by Marie Rutkoski (Nettle, Laini)
The Curse of Cuddles McGee, by Emily Ecton
The Dark Legacy by K.G. McAbee
Dark Whispers (Unicorn Chronicles) by Bruce Coville
The Diamond of Darkhold by Jeanne DuPrau
Dinosaur Blackout by Judith Silverthorne
Dragon Flight by Jessica Day George (Nettle)
Eclipse Warriors Power of III By Erin Hunter
Escape the Mask, by David Ward
Fablehaven: Grip of the Shadow Plague by Brandon Mull
The Facttracker by Jason Carter Eaton
Family Matters Partners in Time #4 by Kristen Sheley
Farworld: Water Keep by J. Scott Savage
Fish and Sphinx by Rae Bridgman
Flora's Dare by Ysabeau Wilce
The Girl Who Could Fly by Victoria Forester (me, Amanda)
Gods of Manhattan by Scott Mebus
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (Em)
Grim Hill: The Secret Deepens by Linda DeMeulemeester
The Gypsy Crown, by Kate Forsyth (Laini)
Heck: Where the Bad Kids Go, by Dale Basye
The House of Many Ways by Diana Wynne Jones
Inkdeath by Cornelia Funke
Kaimira: The Sky Village, by Monk Ashland and Nigel Ashland
Lamplighter, by D.M. Cornish
The Land Beyond the Clouds by Valerie Bishop
Magic and Other Misdemeanors by Michael Buckley
The Magic Thief by Sarah Prineas (me, Nettle, Laini)
Mary Lamb Enters the World of Maze by F. T. Botham
Masterpiece by Elise Broach (Em)
Misty Forest Fables by Acrid Hermit
Monks in Space, by David Jones
Once Upon a Time in the North by Philip Pullman
The Order of Odd-Fish by James Kennedy (Laini)
The Other Side of the Island by Allegra Goodman (Laini)
Ottoline and the Yellow Cat by Chris Riddell (Amanda, me)
Out of the Wild, by Sarah Beth Durst (Nettle)
Palace of Mirrors by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Philippa Fisher's Fairy Godsister by Liz Kessler
Portal by Jaqlyn Von Eger
Queste by Angie Sage
The Remarkable & Very True Story of Lucy & Snowcap by H.M. Bouwman (me)
Ring Dragonz Mister Rengerz
The Robe of Skulls, by Vivian French (me, Nettle)
Runemarks, by Joanne Harris
Savvy by Ingrid Law (Amanda)
The Seer of Shadows by Avi (Amanda)
The Shadow Diamond by S. Brooke
Sisters of the Sword by Maya Snow (Amanda)
Skulduggery Pleasant: Playing with fire by Derek Landy
The Softwire: The Betrayal on Orbis 2 by PJ Haarsma
Things That Are by Andrew Clements
Thornspell by Helen Lowe (Nettle)
Travelers Market by Maureen McQuerry
The Tygrine Cat by Inbali Iserles
Unnamables Ellen Booraem (Nettle)
Well Witched by Francis Hardinge
Wild Magic by Cat Weatherill
Winter Wood, by Steve Augarde

And here are the Young Adult nominees:

The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary Pearson (Nettle, Laini, Tirzah)
Airman by Eoin Colfer
Angel by Cliff McNish (me)
Aurelie: A Faerie Tale by Heather Tomlinson
Battle of the Labyrinth, Rick Riordan
Bewitching Season by Marissa Doyle (me, Tirzah)
Bite Me, by Parker Blue (Em)
Bliss Lauren Myracle (Nettle)
The Book of Names by D. Barkley Briggs
Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer (Em, Tirzah)
Brisingr by Christopher Paolini (Amanda, Tirzah)
Chalice by Robin McKinley
A Charm for a Unicorn by Jennifer Macaire
Cherry Heaven by L. J. Adlington (Tirzah)
The City in the Lake by Rachel Neumeier (Nettle, me)
City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare (Amanda, Tirzah)
The Crimson Thread by Suzanne Weyn (Em)
A Curse Dark as Gold, by Elizabeth Bunce (Em, Tirzah , Nettle)
Cybele's Secret by Juliet Marillier (Tirzah )
Cycler by Lauren McLaughlin (Em)
Damosel by Stephanie Spinner (Nettle)
The Dead and the Gone by Susan Beth Pfeffer
Dead Girl Walking by Linda Singleton
Dead is the New Black by Marlene Perez
The Devouring, by Simon Holt (Nettle, Tirzah)
Dingo by Charles de Lint
The Dragon Heir by Cinda Williams Chima
Dream Girl by Lauren Mechling (Nettle)
Ever by Gail Carson Levine (Tirzah)
Evernight by Claudia Gray
The Explosionist by Jenny Davidson (Laini, me)
First Duty by Marva Dasef
Found by Margaret Peterson Haddix (me)
Frostbite by Richelle Mead (Tirzah)
Generation Dead by Daniel Waters (Nettle, Amanda, Tirzah)
The Ghosts of Kerfol by Deborah Noyes
Graceling by Kristin Cashore (Nettle)
How to Ditch Your Fairy by Justine Larbalestier (Tirzah, me)
The Humming of Numbers, by Joni Sensel
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (Amanda, Tirzah, Laini)
Impossible by Nancy Werlin (Nettle, Tirzah)
In The Company of Whispers by Sallie Lowenstein (me)
Ink Exchange by Melissa Marr (Em)
Invisible Touch by Kelly Para
The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness
Lament, by Maggie Stiefvater (me, Tirzah)
The Last of the High Kings by Kate Thompson
Lifeblood, by Tom Becker
Little Brother, by Cory Doctrow (Nettle)
Lonely Werewolf Girl, by Martin Millar (Amanda)
The Magician: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel by Michael Scott
Masks: Rise of Heroes by Hayden Thorne
Melting Stones by Tamora Pierce
Moonstone, by Marilee Brothers
Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit, by Nahoko Uehashi
Must Love Black by Kelly McClymer (me)
Nation by Terry Pratchett (Nation)
Night Road by AM Jenkins
Nightworld No 1: Secret Vampire et al. by L.J. Smith (Tirzah)
Nobody's Prize by Esther Friesner
Noman, William Nicholson
Oh.My.Gods by Tera Lynn Childs (Tirzah, Nettle)
The Other Book by Philip Womack
Pillage by Obert Skye
Poison Ink by Christopher Golden (Nettle)
A Posse of Princesses by Sherwood Smith
Pretty Monsters by Kelly Link (Tirzah)
Princess Ben, by Catherine Gilburt Murdock (Em)
Ranger's Apprentice: The Battle for Skandia by John Flanagan
Ratha's Courage, Clare Bell (me)
The Red Necklace by Sally Gardner
The Resistance - Gemma Malley
Revealers by Amanda Marrone (Nettle, Tirzah)
Sapphique (Incarceron Book 2) Catherine Fisher
Saving Juliet by Suzanne Selfors (me)
Sea of Wind - by Fuyumi Ono
The Secret of Bailey's Chase, by Marlis Day
Secrets of the Survivors,by Mark L. Eastburn
The Sky Inside by Clare Dunkle
Spellspam by Alma Alexander
Starclimber, by Kenneth Oppel
The Stone Crown by Malcolm Walker
The Stowaway by R.A. and Geno Salvatore
A Stranger to Command by Sherwood Smith
Sucks to Be Me by Kimberly Pauley (Em, Tirzah)
The Summoning, by Kelly Armstrong (Tirzah, Em)
Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow by Jessica Day George (me, Nettle)
The Swan Kingdom by Zoe Mariot
Switch by Carol Snow (Em)
Tender Morsels Margo Lanagan
Tim, Defender of the Earth by Sam Enthoven
The Time Paradox by Eion Colfer
Treason in Eswy by K.V. Johansen
Two Pearls of Wisdom (aka Eon Dragoneye Reborn), by Alison Goodman
Untamed by P.C. + Kristin Cast
Wake, by Lisa McMann (Tirzah)
Wild Talent by Eileen Kernaghan (me)
Zoe's Tale by John Scalzi.
Zombie Blondes by Brian James

So there you have it--the most beloved books in this genre for 2008! Which will make the shorelists? (coming in January) Which will win the highest honors? (coming in February). How many can you read by December 31st? (more to the point, how many can my brave fellow panelists and I read...) So exciting!

If you might like to buy one of these books in a way that supports the Cybils Awards, here at the Cybils website are clickable links.

Step Fourth, Mallory!

It makes a nice change for me to curl up with a book for girls, having, as I do, boys, so it was a pleasure to read Step Fourth, Mallory, by Laurie Friedman, illustrated by Jennifer Kalis (Carolrhoda Books, 2008, 175 pp of large type and generous margins). One of the book things that I feel vaguely embarrassed about is that I've never read many of the standard books for young girls--no Ramona, no Amber Brown, and until now, no Mallory. I'm pleased to have met her!

Step Fourth, Mallory takes the title character off to fourth grade. She's anxious to please her teacher, Mr. Knight, but things go wrong, and wronger, and wronger still on that front. And both Mallory and her bestest friend like, as in LIKE, the cute new guy in class, and he seems to like her more. When you start the school year so happy because your best friend is at school with you, and five minutes later you're so happy to have met guy you like, it stinks to find that both are in jeopardy.

This is a great book for (surprise!) the girl starting fourth grade, but I think third graders of both genders, and maybe even fourth grade boys, will enjoy it. But not much older--there's a bit of easy reader feel to it.

Here's Mallory's website, if you want to learn more about her and her books!

Sci Fi Fantasy Cybils fun

I am going over to the Cybils site many times a day, to excitedly read the nominations for the category I'm involved in--Sci. Fi./ Fantasy.

I realized during the summer, as Cybils season approached, that this was the category I wanted to be part of, and (perhaps foolishly) decided not to focus my reading efforts fantasy-ward (although I cracked on a few, such as The Hunger Games, The Adoration of Jenna Fox, Chalice, and a few others). Result: there are lots of books I'm looking forward to reading in the coming months! (but a few that I want to read haven't been nominated yet...so if you haven't nominated one in this category yet, ask yourself--"What would Charlotte like?" (tongue in cheek here, in case that's not obvious).

One thing I that is dawning on me (joke, keep reading) is that I have a lot of reading of non-nominated books to do. For instance, Breaking Dawn is nominated, but I (gulp) haven't read any of the earlier books. I feel as though I have, but it's just not true. There are several others like that--second, third, or even higher in a series. So I have come up with a Plan to help me clearheadedly and calmly navigate the reading waters of the coming fall.

Happily, I am home sick with a cold today. This will help me implement today's part of the Plan:

1. finish reading and writing reviews of all the books that need to be read and have reviews written of them (to do today). Write to all the publishers who sent me books giving them links to all my reviews.

2. check Twilight out of the library (today), read Twilight (today?).

3. clean and remodel house, split and stack 3 cords of wood, go to grocery store, trying not to be a Vector of Disease (my children scold me all the time for not coughing into my armpit, the way they are taught to in school these days. But it's hard to learn new tricks), prepare cheap but nourishing food for my young (and my husband too, unless he's doing the cooking), explain (again) to my 8 year old why I got so cross with him yesterday when he very meanly told my 5 year old that Santa didn't exist (today).

4. check Cybils website again. Re-read list of nominations in sci. fi. fantasy. Read YA nominations, noting which ones we will probably get in our category. Muse about the fact that they had something like 93 nominations in sci.fi/fantasy last year. Decide to make tidy list of our books to post here when the dust clears. Wonder if we will get more nominations than YA gets this year (to do repeatedly).

5. rest.

Everything Beautiful, by Simmone Howell

Everything Beautiful, by Simmone Howell (Bloomsbury, 2008, 272 pp, coming this November).

When this book opens, there is nothing beautiful about the life of Riley Rose. Since the death of her mother, two years before, Riley has become a bad girl--eating, drinking, smoking, cursing, and getting laid. Her father's relationship with Norma, isn't helping her much either--Norma is Christian, and critical, and raises Riley's hackles in just about every other way possible. Because of Norma's machinations, Riley finds herself an apparent prisoner at Spirit Ranch, a Christian Camp. There she is--a fat, smoking, angry atheist being encouraged to sing happy religious songs. Only she has a bus ticket home hidden away, if she chooses to escape.

At first this seems like the only sane thing to do, but her desire to escape wanes as she gets to know Dylan, returning to camp after an accident that has left him in a wheelchair. His dedication to Badness matches her own, culminating in a wild ride together into the Australian Outback in a stolen car. This passionate act of defiance ends up leading Riley back to a belief that love exists, to the acknowledgement of beauty, and to cathartic tears for her mother's death.

It does not, incidentally, end with Riley either embracing or outright rejecting Christianity, something I was worried about (as a reader, not as a person)--the ambiguity of her state of mind is a much more satisfactory ending. I wasn't sure I was going to enjoy spending a week at a fictional Christian camp as seen through the eyes of a hostile narrator, and I was not sure at all I was going to like Riley enough to want to keep going with her story. But although at first the camp Christians seemed like caricatures, and not very nice ones, they become (generally) more three-dimensional; some are even likable. And it turns out that the camp and its strange denizens were exactly the catalyst that Riley needed in order to slough off the bad-girl shell she had adopted. I ended up liking her, and wishing her well.

This is definitely one for the tougher reader--strong language, sex, drinking, drugs, etc.

Here's another review, at Becky's Book Reviews.

The Time Garden for Timeslip Tuesday

Time somehow got away from me last week, and there was no Timeslip Tuesday. But I am back again today, with the book that I am currently reading to my eight-year old--The Time Garden, by Edward Eager (1958, 188pp in the edition I have).


According to the wikipedia article on Eager that I just linked to, he made "a distinct contribution to children's literature by introducing a theme of magic into the lives of ordinary children." Ordinary American middle class, not at all well of financially, children, who almost universally love the books of E. Nesbit. His best known book is probably Half Magic (1954), but two of my favorites are Knight's Castle, and The Time Garden, that tell of the adventures that happened to the children of the children in Half Magic.

In The Time Garden, Roger, Ann, Eliza and Jack have been dumped by their parents at an old seaside house in Massachusetts. There they discover a very old, magical toad, who dwells in a garden of flowering thyme at the edge of the ocean. All his magic has gone into the ground, so the thyme itself has become magical--a magic of time travelling. Transported back in time, the children raise the alarm when the British are coming in the Revolutionary War, help slaves escape on the Underground Railroad, visit Jo March and sisters, and the court of Queen Elizabeth. They also, most magically of all, travel back in time to one of the magical adventures of their own parents (I get a kick out of self-referentiality in books).

Eager, as a writer, allows himself to stray right to the edge of farce. The language and the situations are almost tongue in check. I think, though, that the delight he himself is getting from his writing, a delight that is shared by the reader (ie me, and presumably other Eager fans). I think his books are funny. He also creates great kids--girls that are daring, girls that are afraid, but brave enough to go through with things anyway, and boys that have thoughtful sides. (Except Jack, who is the oldest, and who has begun to notice Girls). And although there are, of course, no cell phones, and such like, the people, places, and situations do not feel especially dated.

Timeslip-wise, the magic is unworrying to the reader (that is, it is not explained so much as to become strained), although the children do their share of worrying about their effect on the past. This is, as far as I know, the only timeslip book whose catalyst is a magical toad.

My only faint criticism of Edward Eager is that his chapters are too long. I suggest the audio versions.

THE CYBILS!!!!!

The Cybils are coming! Yes, the award that I think is the most fun, the most inclusive, and the most generally wonderful, is back for another year! The reason I think all these things is that the Cybils are for all of us voracious readers--we get to nominate those books we loved the most in the past year, in a variety of different categories. Nominations open tomorrow at the Cybils site, so head on over!


I am still musing about my own choices; here's what I have so far:


For best picture book: In a Blue Room, by Jim Averbeck (my interview with Averbeck)
For best easy reader: Stinky, by Eleanor Davis (my review)
For best middle grade fiction: Eleven, by Patricia Reilly Giff (my review. From the other reviews I've read, there are mixed opinions on this one. I think it's lovely).

For best YA: House of Dance, by Beth Kephart (my review)
For best non-fiction for younger readers: Seven Miles to Freedom: the Robert Smalls Story by Janet Halfmann (I, um, am rather fond of this one, as you can see in my review)

Added on October 1: I got all my nominations in, except one- I was beaten to Stinky by 100ScopeNotes...now I must find time for a period of quiet introspection, and ask myself if there is another easy reader I truly love.

I don't have a poetry book or an older non-fiction book picked yet...

And I'm not nominating anything in the sci fi/fantasy category either. Because I am on the panel! What fun! What a wealth of books I have in store for me!

Here is the entire line-up of us:


Organizer: Tasha Saecker Kids Lit

Panelists:

Laini Taylor Growing Wings
Charlotte Taylor Charlotte's Library
Alyssa Feller The Shady Glade
Em Em's Bookshelf
Lynette The Puck in the Midden
Tizrah Price The Compulsive Reader
Amanda Blau Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs



Judges:

Tasha Saecker Kids Lit
Anne Boles Levy The Cybils
Erin Miss Erin
Eisha Prather Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast
Tanita Davis Finding Wonderland, Readers' Rants

One of the best things about being involved with the Cybils is getting to know other bloggers. So greetings to all my fellow committee members. I look forward to meeting you!

Perfect Chemistry

I am a Bad Reader. I know perfectly well that writers put the ending at the end for very good reasons, but sometimes I just have to know how it all works out. I hit a new low while reading Perfect Chemistry, a new YA book by Simone Elkeles (Bloomsbury, 2008). I checked at least five times, because I kept getting anxious about the romance between the two main characters (not to be spoilerish or anything).

The romance is the central element of this book. Brittany seems like a perfect rich white girl, Alex seems like an archetypal Hispanic bad boy. But beneath their carefully crafted exteriors (crafted by themselves, that is, as well as by Elkeles), each hides a different, more vulnerable self. When their chemistry teacher makes them partners for the year, they are both appalled. But the chemistry between them cannot be stopped by stereotypes and misconceptions...although it does get awfully tense at times, what with gang violence and drug deals and family secrets. Which is why I had to keep checking the end.

Maybe this isn't the most realistic book ever, but it sure had me caring about Brittany and Alex, willing to suspend disbelief and enjoy.

Perfect Chemistry is told in alternating viewpoints, and I am wondering if having Alex as the narrator for half the book will result in any teenage boys giving this a try...and if they would like it. It's easy to predict that many teenage girls will eat it up.

There's another review here at the Ya Ya Yas.

Anatomy of a Boyfriend

So a while ago, Daria Snadowsky asked me if I'd like a review copy of her book, Anatomy of a Boyfriend (2007, Delacorte Press, 259pp), and I said, "Yes, please!" It came, I read it with enjoyment, and I began to think about the review I'd write.

My first thought was, "This is Forever for the text-messaging generation!" Like Judy Blume's classic 1975 story, the story concerns a teenaged girl (Dominique) achieving her heart's desire--a boyfriend (Wes), with all the, um, "fun" involved. And boy do I feel a little silly being euphemistic here, because, as it is in Forever, the fun is pretty explicitly described, making this book as potentially educational for the naive girl today (if such a thing exists) as Forever was for me....Then I read the promotional literature that came with the book. Surprise! My insight was not unique to me. And then there's the little fact that Anatomy of a Boyfriend is dedicated to Blume. So I put off writing my review, so as to muse some more...

But I left it till to late, because by the time I got around to almost writing my review, Liz, over at a Chair, a Fireplace, and a Tea Cozy, had written her review, and it is a review of such comprehensive insight that there seemed little to add (this is your cue to go over to her place and read her review. Then you can come back). It gave me a feeling akin to what I once felt upon bringing a plate of home made cookies (and my cookies generally have a raffish charm all of their own, which is to say they are not crisp and professional looking) to someone's house, only to find that the party was catered and the deserts gourmet.

So thinking it over some more in the weeks that passed after that, I now offer what I hope is a Unique Insight. In case you did not go to Liz's blog as requested, here's a quote: "I'm not saying Dom isn't emotionally invested in her relationship with Wes; she is. I'm just saying she is emotionally invested in having a relationship, and Wes happened to be the person who was available." Which is why the plastic doll boyfriend is such a perfect cover image. My Insight: the shallow nature of Dom and Wes's actual friendship and understanding is perfectly illustrated by the fact that even after going out with him for a year and a half, she still doesn't get what his dog means to him (spoiler: the dog dies).

"Honestly, Wes, you were the best owner any pet could ever ask for."
Wes sits up and for the first time in our relationship looks at me hatefully.
"Owner? She was family."

So there you have it. In short, Anatomy of a Boyfriend, which is now out in paperback, is a frank, entertaining story that makes the important point that there is more to having a boyfriend then sex.

My husband, incidentally, came with a dog he adored. The first time I went to his house, it bit my nose. "Oh well," I thought, as the blood dripped from my right nostril. "At least I can show him how brave I am...."

Red Glass being given away....

About a year ago, I found out (to my great excitement) that I was going to be on the nominating committee of the Cybils Awards in the YA category (it got even more exciting as it became clear that we would have well over 100 books to read).

One of the first that I read was Red Glass, by Laura Resau (here's my review). Many of the books nominated were generously sent to us by their publishers, but for whatever reason, we didn't get our own copies of this one. So I read my library's copy three times.

But now I might win a Signed Copy! Yes, a signed copy is being given away at the blog of Yat-Yee Chong, as a follow-up to her great interview with Laura Resau.

nb: the deadline has been extended till October 8.

And speaking of the Cybils, nominations will be opening in October...anyone is welcome to enter their favorite books in a variety of categories!

Gee shucks!

Trisha over at the Ya Ya Yas has honored me with the following:

To which I say, "Right back at you!" and "Thanks a lot!"

Here are the rules:
1) Add the logo of the award to your blog (check)
2) Add a link to the person who awarded it to you (check)
3) Nominate at least 7 other blogs (seven seems excessive. Kind of check)
4) Add links to those blogs on your blog (check)
5) Leave a message for your nominees on their blogs! (check)

Here are the blogs I'd like to honor in turn, I've tried to think of blogs that haven't been honored yet (although goodness knows I am not certain about much in this world, including whose gotten what award etc.):

Librarian Mom, who spent a whole post to which I am unable to link directly recommending a book just for me.

The Fidra Blog, because I love the books they're republishing and Vanessa's take on life as a Scottish children's bookstore owner.

A Patchwork of Books and A Year of Reading, because I know I can count on them both for good book reviews.

and Collecting Children's Books, because it makes for the best reading about children's books there is on line.

Toon Books -- a graphic way to interest the young reader

(Note to reader: I am going to overuse the colon in the post. Sorry).

Here's what, in my experience, kids who are learning to read like: graphic books. So I think this is an absolutely wonderful idea: graphic books designed for the early reader. This is the premise of a new series called Toon Books ("bringing new readers to the pleasure of comics"), and when the publishers asked if I would like three of these books to review, I said, "Yes please!"

So the following arrived: Stinky, by Eleanor Davis, Mo and Jo: Fighting Together Forever, by Dean Haspiel and Jay Lynch, and Jack and the Box, by Art Spieflman (yes, the same Art who wrote the Maus books). They are really beautiful, high-quality hardcovers, with simple stories and easy words to read. They were greated with much interest by my eight year old. It was the sort of happy interest that results in said child choosing to curl up on the sofa and read, followed by such strong pleasure in one of the books (Stinky) that he asked if he could start his own blog so as to write his own review of it (here)!

I liked Stinky very much as well. It's the story of a swamp monster, who regards humankind with loathing. When a boy invades the swamp, the monster tries to drive him out, but despite all the yucky swamp-ness he throws at the boy, the boy doesn't leave. In the end, they are friends. A very nice easy reader indeed.

Sadly, we both liked the other two titles less well. I found the Jack that lives in the box scary as all get out, and Mo and Jo, about two kids who fight each other while learning to use their super powers to work together to fight crime, not my cup of tea. But this is not to say that other kids might not like them lots, and I will be looking out for other titles in the series, because I do think it's a brilliant premise.


Here's the Publisher's Weekly article announcing the series back in 2007.
Here's a review of the first three in the series, from Comics Worth Reading.

LM Montgomery news

Here's a link to an article in the Globe and Mail (Canada) from Sept. 19th, with a sad revelation from L.M. Montgomery's grand-daughter. Such a pity that things never got better for her.

Misc. stuff, with a strong element of complaint

The September Carnival is up here at Jenny's Wonderland of Books, and contains many great posts about many great children's books. I'm especially pleased that Jenny mentioned that the book I offered, The Ghosts, by Antonia Barber, was a favorite of hers as well.

This was one of the few un-grumpy making things of the past few days. The chief reason for my grumpiness is that I haven't been able to do what I want, which is to read The Hunger Games gosh darn it because by now probably everyone else has and it looks really good and I read the first 31 pages and really liked it. The boys and I had walked to Barnes and Noble on Saturday, and all bought books (they didn't have the new Traction Man book, or the new Patricia Mckillip books, but they did at least have The Hunger Games, so I was happy, for a moment). And like I said, I read the first 31 pages with enjoyment.

But instead of reading pages 32 et seq. I have been stripping and priming nasty old Victorian kitchen windows from my nasty kitchen, which we kind of have to do before winter comes, i.e. soon. And the nasty toilet upstairs broke, so my husband had to fight it for hours, and couldn't help me, and as we were leaving the house this morning, the nasty ceiling fan kind of fell off the nasty ceiling.

However, thank you everyone who left comments over at my son's blog! They were appreciated. He is going to learn how to touch type in school this year (3rd grade), which should help his blogging....On the subject of comments, anyone that ever wants to leave me one, not that anyone would, of course, is welcome to.....

I Know an Old Teacher, by Anne Bowen

For Poetry Friday today, I have I know an Old Teacher, by Anne Bowen, illustrated by Stephen Gammell (2008, Carolrhoda Books), which arrived today from the publisher (thanks).

All right, I'm stretching things a bit to write about this book in a Poetry Friday post. It's actually a cumulative story (you know, the old lady who swallowed a fly deal). But heck, there are rhymes.

"I know an old teacher who swallowed a flea.
It fell from her hair and plopped into her tea."

And things progress--a spider, a fish, a rat, a snake...one by one, all the class pets make their way down Miss Bindley's throat, while her students outside watch through the windows in horror. Will one of them be next!!???!!!

This is gruesome stuff, but the yuck factor might well appeal to the strong-stomached child. I myself like the horrified asides of the children best!

"She's GOT our Lizzie."
"She can't have Lizzie!"
"Well, she's GOT her!"
"Going, going..."
"Gone."
"Poor Lizzie."

The illustrations are colorfully frenetic distortions of reality-- a great accompaniment to the story!

I am writing this at my local library, where it is Game Day (speaking of frenetic). I have just passed the book on to a random nine year old boy, who has his nose in it.....time passes...."Here you go," he says, giving it back. "Funny!"

Poetry Friday is at Author Amok today.

My Fair Godmother

My Fair Godmother, by Janette Rallison (Bloomsbury, 2008, 304 pp in ARC form, for readers 10 and up).

A fairy Godmother sounds like a nice thing to have. But what happens when your fairy godmother is only fair (cause of not doing so well at Fairy Godmother School), and she's a gum-chewing, cell-phone carrying, shopaholic to boot? Sixteen-year-old Savannah Delano gets to learn the hard way.

Savannah certainly needs help. In her own words:

"Here's my definition of a bad day: Your boyfriend of four months-who until 12 seconds ago, you thought was the most perfect guy to set foot on earth-breaks up with you.

My definition of a truly horrible day: The aforementioned boy dumps you for none other than your sister.

The definition of my life: He does all of this right after you inform him that you blew your last dollar buying your dream prom dress. he asks if you can get a refund. It turns out he'll be taking your sister."

So when fairy godmother wanna be Chrissy turns up, promising to make things end happily ever after, Savannah doesn't say no. Instead, she says, thinking out loud, "I just with that somehow my life could be like a fairy tale." And with a flash of her wand, Chrissy sends her off to be Cinderella. But this Cinderella still has months of drudgery to go until the ball...Her second wish lands her in the role of Snow White, which isn't much better. Will the third time be the charm? Her sister Jane and ex-boyfriend Hunter end up enmeshed in Savannah's medieval turmoil, along with another boy, one Savannah had barely thought about back in the real world, and together they must make the happy ending come true, or else risk never returning home.

This is a great romp through the cliches, pitfalls, bitter realities and ultimate romantic triumphs of fairy tale land. I'd give this one to anyone who loved Gail Carson Levine's Ella Enchanted, or Sarah Beth Durst's Into the Wild. In short, I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a scintillating escape from reality.

Timeslip Tuesday: The Ghosts, by Antonia Barber

In my Timeslip Tuesday posts, I seem (generally) to have two broad categories of book--those that are recent, and new to me, and those that I read as a child--books that have haunted me ever since. Today's book is one of the later, one I read as a nine year old, and recently found again: The Ghosts, by Antonia Barber (1969 , ages 10 and up).* On the left is the cover I knew as a child, at the bottom is the modern reprint cover that is utterly and completely hideous and enough to turn anyone against the poor book forever.

On a cold and rainy night in London, a stranger comes to the home of Lucy and Jamie. He brings good news--the offer of a job for their mother, as caretaker to a country house. This comes as a godsend to the family, struggling to hold on after the father's death. And despite the strange circumstances, and the vague mystery surrounding the old man, the offer is good. Lucy and Jamie are ecstatic to have an old house and its garden to explore...undeterred by whispers that the place is haunted.

But it is haunted, in a way. Sarah and Georgie, two children from the past, have been travelling to the present in a desperate effort to find help. A hundred years ago, someone wants them dead, and judging from the two small headstones in the churchyard, that person succeeded. Lucy and Jamie are the first people the not-yet-dead children meet who aren't too afraid to listen to their story. Now they must find the courage to go back to Sarah and Georgie's time, to save them from the terrible fire that killed them.

The Ghosts is still in many library systems, and it's available quite cheaply used. I promise that if you have a child who likes time travel stories, and who will not quail at some rather scary bits (the fire is truly terrible), they will like this book. It's hard to promise to grownups that they will like a children's book, because of grownups having lost that first fine freshness, as it were. But when I, who am grown up, re-read it to review here, I was still all wide-eyed and trepidatious at Lucy's first meeting with the ghost children, horrified by the discovery of their graves, and flinching and face-making during the fire....I still love it. I had a look at the reviews on Amazon, and they almost all echo my sentiments. Except for one pedant who gets in a snit about the twisted logic of time travel. Hmph to him (or possibly her).

This book was reprinted in the UK as The Amazing Mr. Blunden, after a movie was made of it with that name in 1972. I deliberately did not try to explain Mr. Blunden or his amazingness in the review because it would have gotten too complicated and spoilerish.

So anyway, here's the lovely cover of the most recent edition:

Bother. It didn't come out very large--sorry. If you peer closely, you can see Lucy and Jamie's heads floating in a cauldron of time travel elixir...

As ever, if anyone has a review of a timeslip book up that they'd like to share, let me know and I'll put up a link!

*This post was up for about over a year, lacking the picture of the book from my childhood, because I hadn't been able to find one. Then, out of the blue, a kind reader sent me a link! Thank you, kind reader.

Remember This, by S.T. Underdahl

Remember This, by S.T. Underdahl (Flux, 2008, 275pp), begins with two girls, Lucy and Sukie, best friends for ages, practicing for the upcoming cheerleading tryouts. But despite this, I kept going (sorry everyone who actually likes books about cheerleading. They just aren't my thing). And, happily for me, the book was about much more. Unhappily for Lucy, she takes a hard fall on her tailbone during tryouts, and has to smile bravely as Sukie makes the team. Now her best friend is moving off into another social world, leaving Lucy facing a summer working evenings at a local Mexican restaurant and not much else.

But Lucy's summer becomes more complicated, when her beloved grandmother begins showing signs of dementia. Nana Lucy, who had always signed her letters to her granddaughter the same way--"remember this: I love you"-- has Alzheimer's. Now Lucy's life becomes focused on keeping her grandmother safe, while watching her slip away.

And things are complicated by the new dishwasher (very cute) at the restaurant. A text conversation two years ago made him Sukie's sworn enemy, but to Lucy (cue romantic music) he is becoming much more, throwing her friendship with Sukie into even greater jeopardy.

Very real (with the possible exception of the new dishwasher being a very cute, sensitive, smart teenage guy ready to fall in love; this never happened to me in high school), very absorbing, very moving. Nana Lucy never becomes less than a real person, with worth and dignity, and her namesake Lucy is likewise lovable.

An added bonus feature is an interview with S.T. Underdahl at the end of the book. During the weekdays, she's a neuropsychologist, specializing in dementia. During her lunch breaks, she writes (I have heard good things about her previous ya novel, The Other Sister, and, based on the quality of her writing her, I'm actively inspired to look for it).

For an interesting look at the World of Book Covers, here's an entry from the author's blog talking about the cover of this book.

And here's another review, at Reader's Rants.

Blogging his way to a more literate life

My older son just started his own book blog. In two days, he's written about three books, and is tremendously excited about the whole thing. And it's been great to see him sitting thoughtfully and laboriously pecking out words on the computer, and sitting on the floor of his room surrounded by his books, trying to decide what to blog about next. Although, actually, his next post is going to be about his favorite online game, but at least he'll be writing, without any outside pressure at all. I'm sure as he gets more confident his posts will become longer, until as a teenager (five years from now) he will be ready to more up to such august positions as Contributor to Guys Lit Wire.

Like so many of us, he's concerned about his blog stats. I'm not putting a link in my main page list, because I am find-able if one tries hard enough, and I don't want him to be too easily identified (he's chosen the cunning alias of "Book," so that's ok).

But just this once, until he's older, here's the link to his blog: Pickled Bananas. If you have a sec, head on over and let him know he's not writing to a vacuum--I would love to see him keep writing, and reading too of course!

Dead Girl Walking

I just finished reading Dead Girl Walking, by Linda Joy Singleton (Flux, 312 pages), not quite in one siting, but it would have been if little chores like feeding the chickens, feeding the children, etc. hadn't interfered.

I'm guessing that most of us wondered, back in high school, what it would have been like to have been someone else. Amber Borden, kind of dorky, kind of unpopular, kind of sneered at by the glitterati of her school, doesn't have to wonder anymore what life is like for Leah, the beautiful alpha female of her class. Why? Because Amber is living Leah's nightmarish life, trapped in Leah's body, and she wants out!
Following an unfortunate meeting with a runaway postal vehicle, Amber almost dies. After visiting the portal of the afterlife, she's sent back to earth again to rejoin her body. But, being one of the most directionally challenged people around, she gets lost on the way back, ending up in Leah's body instead of her own. Leah has just tried to kill herself.

Now Amber's the one with the fit and sexy body (but why the strange hardness of her breasts?) , the rich and successful parents (what has gone wrong with Leah's mother? What games is her sadistic father playing with her?) , the love of an ultra cute boyfriend (but Leah's journal tells a different story), and so on and so on.

It is not a nice life. Not at all. Amber desperately wants to be herself again, and go back to her own crowded, un-cool, loving life, chunky thighs and all. Escaping Leah's life, however, proves trickier than she thought it would be, and it becomes a race against time for Amber to get back to her body before that body gets taken off life support.

It's a nice mix of fun (mainly because Amber is an amusing character) and seriousness (because of the rather obvious message. In case you missed it, here it is: sometimes even rich and beautiful people have crummy lives). And, perhaps most importantly, it is a Good Read. The sort where you are surprised that time has passed while you were reading.

This is the first book of a series--the second book, Dead Girl Dancing, is due out in the spring of 2009.

Jen just reviewed it over at Jen Robinson's Book Page, where she says it's suitable for 10 and up. I would push it up a bit, to 12--it's not like anything happens that is shocking, but there are lots of innuendos that I think would make it a better read for older kids/teenagers.

Here are other reviews, at Michelle's Minions and Si, se puede! Yes we can.

Last day to enter for free ARC of Need, by Carrie Jones

If you'd to be entered, please leave a comment here! Carrie Jones is one of my favorite authors about girls in high school, but in this, her fourth book, there's more--inhuman creatures, both good and bad, prowling the wintry woods of Maine.

no Timeslip Tuesday today....

I wasn't able to write about a Timeslip Book today, because it was the Annual Meeting of the Friends of the Library, and since I am president I had to buy the cookies and cider etc. (anyone want any left over cookies and cider?) We (basically me and 2 other people) raised $4090, $2200 of which we spent on books. And many of the books came from reviews written by other bloggers--so thank you very much!

Most excitingly of all, we had two new Friends come with ideas and enthusiasm and a willingness to assume Offices. If anyone has any tips on how to recruit new active Friends and keep them happy and involved, please let me know!

Scattered authors of the UK have a blog...

I just learned, via the Fidra Blog, that there exists, across the pond, the Scattered Authors Society, comprised of about 150 UK writers of children and teenagers. For a few months they have had a blog going -- An Awfully Big Blog Adventure. Much good stuff! And so nice for those of us who periodically poke the blogosphere to find things to read (other than the Guardian, bless its heart) about books being published over there.

Seven Miles to Freedom: The Robert Smalls Story

It is such a great pleasure to have the chance to write about a book that I unequivocally loved--Seven Miles to Freedom: The Robert Smalls Story, by Janet Halfmann, illustrated by Duane Smith (2008, Lee & Low Books, Inc., 40 pages). And I am not alone in my strong feelings for this book:

"Awesome!" said my five year old. "Is there another book about him?"

"Cool!" said my eight year old. "Read it to us again."

I shall. This copy, that I was lucky enough to get from the publisher, will stay in our home library. And lest the publisher have any uncertainties about sending free books to bloggers, let me say that they are guaranteed at least one more sale, because I am buying it for my local public library.

So. There is young Robert Smalls, growing up a slave in South Carolina, getting a job in Charlestown, but having to send the money back to his master. He falls in love with another slave, they marry, and have children. But always there is the threat that they might be sold hanging over their heads. When the Civil War begins, there is new hope, but Robert is now working for the Confederate Army, piloting a river boat between the forts of South Carolina's rivers.

But when the white captain and crew of the boat fall into the habit of spending their nights ashore, leaving Robert and other enslaved African Americans on board alone, Robert dreams up a daring plan of escape--to take the boat, pick up their families from the shore, and escape past the numerous forts to freedom, seven miles away down the river, where the Union navy waits at sea. Robert knows the signal codes for safe passage past each fort, but with the sun rising, will the lookouts realize he is black, and open fire? And will the Union ships recognize them as friend, or foe?

This is a masterpiece of suspense, told in simple yet powerful words. All three of us were at the edge of our seats. And although Halfmann makes clear the evils of slavery, she does not fall into the traps of cheap rhetoric or over-emotional pity for the slaves whose story she tells. This is a great book!

I was so gripped by the story that I didn't want to stop and look at the pictures (sorry, Mr. Smith). And in a way I think this is a good thing. The eyes of my children were studying the paintings--bold brush strokes with little detail--but they were not the busy sort of pictures that work well in some books, but which can be distracting. In particular (going back after the fact to study the illustrations more closely), I loved the picture of Robert Smalls holding his first born--a tender picture of a black American father with his baby that the world of picture books is richer for having. Duane Smith is black himself, and it ends the book perfectly, I think, that his face on the jacket flap is the last picture one sees.

Janet Halfmann provides a densely written page telling what happens next to Robert Smalls and his family (more adventure, sorrow, hope, hard work, and great disappointment). There is a real picture of him, driving the point home that he is a real live person, despite the fact that his adventures are told in a picture book. She closes the book with his own words:

"My race needs no special defense, for the past history of them in this country proves them to be the equal of any people. All they need is an equal chance in the battle of life." These words were spoken by Robert Small, former five-term United States Congressman, at the 1895 constitutional convention, at which South Caroline restricted the rights of African American to vote to such an extent as to virtually disenfranchise them.

So in the spirit of those words, don't wait till February, African American History Month, to read this book to your children, or put it in the hands of your teenagers, or place it, face out, in your library.

Here's another review from The Well Read Child who I was amused to see also didn't look at the pictures the first time through, and another from Fuse #8.

For more nonfiction, head over to Non-Fiction Monday, at Picture Book of the Day!

Madeline and the Cats of Rome

Fans of Madeline have cause for rejoicing. A new book has arrived--Madeline and the Cats of Rome (2008, Viking Juvenile, 48 pp), by John Bemelmans Marciano. He is the grandson of Ludwig Bemelmans, author of the original Madeline books, and carefully studied the art and words of his grandfather in creating his own.

It works! Madeline and the Cats of Rome is a book that fans of the series and new friends of Madeline should both enjoy.

In this story, Madeline, the other 11 girls, Miss Clavel, and their faithful hound Genevieve, exchange cold and rainy Paris for springtime in Rome (lucky them!). All goes well, as they enjoy the sights, until an urchin makes off with Miss Clavel's camera. Madeline and Genevieve chase after her, into the dark side of the city. At last they catch the thief, inside an abandoned house, filled with hundreds of stray cats...

It is up to Madeline to find a way to help the poor cats without resorting to crime, and she comes through triumphantly!

The artwork is close enough to the originals so as not to disturb (too much) the delicate sensibilities of avid fans (that would be me), and with sufficient charm of its own to entertain young readers who aren't quite sure who Madeline is (my boys). And the pictures are a nice introduction to the tourist attractions (not quite as glorious as the tour of France presented in Madeline and the Gypsies, and I with that this one, like that one, identified what we're seeing, but it's still nice).

The words with which this story is told are spot on, continuity-wise. It's that same sort of verse that is used in the earlier books--kind of awkward in places but still caries the adventure on swimmingly.

There was only one thing missing--Miss Clavel does not get a chance to run "fast and faster, to the scene of the disaster."

John Bemelmans Marciano is also the author of Bemelmans: The Life and Art of Madeline's Creator. He also, back in completed his grandfather's book Madeline in America, and Other Holiday Tales (1999), which started, surprisingly, as "Madeline's Christmas in Texas" -- you can learn more about that in this interview, and a few years later, completed Madeline Says Merci (2001), and, on his own, wrote Madeline Loves Animals (2005), for younger children.

Here's another review, from The Children's Book Review.

Fir-Flower Tablets for Poetry Friday

Today was decidedly mixed. On the plus side, I got the sewer bill paid, and some other small but pressing business of that sort attended to. Also on the positive side, the library at Brown University had a book sale, and my husband and I filled a box with treasures. I, for instance, found a book called Librarians are Human, by Margaret Bingham Stillwell, subtitled "Memories In and Out of the Rare-Book World 1907-1970" that looks rather fascinating. I also got a $25 parking ticket, because I was so excited at the site of all the books that I couldn't be bothered to put a wretched quarter in the wretched meter.

However, I did find a book for Poetry Friday. It's Fir-Flower Tablets, a book of poems translated from the Chinese by Florence Ayscough, re-worked as poems by Amy Lowell, a favorite poet of mine (Houghton Mifflen, 1921). There are many beautiful poems here, and it is hard to choose which to share. These are a few that caught my eye at first glance.

Song of the Snapped Willow

written during the Liang Dynasty

When he mounted his horse, he did not take his leather riding-whip;
He pulled down and snapped off the branch of a willow tree.
When he dismounted, he blew into his horizontal flute,
And it was as though the fierce grief of his departure
would destroy the traveller.

Autumn River Song on the Broad Beach

by Li T'ai-po

In the clear green water -- the shimmering moon.
In the moonlight -- white herons flying.
A young man hears a girl plucking water-chestnuts;
They paddle home together through the night, singing.

and another by Li T'ai Po, A Song of the Rest-House of Deep Trouble

At Chin Ling, the tavern where travellers part is called the
Rest-House of Deep Trouble.
The creeping grass spreads far, far, from the roadside where it started.
There is no end to the ancient sorrow, as water flows to the East.
Grief is in the wind of this place, burning grief in the white aspen.
Like K'ang Lo I climb on board the dull travelling boat.
I hum softly, "On the Clear Streams Flies the Night Frost."
It is said that, long ago, on the Ox Island Hill, songs were
sung which blended the five colours.
Now do I not equal Hsich, and the youth of the House of Yiian?
The bitter bamboos make a cold sound, swaying in the Autumn Moonlight.
I pass the night alone, desolate behind the reed blinds, and
dream of returning to my distant home.

I don't know what it means that "songs were sung which blended the five colours," but it sounds like the stuff of which dreams are made.

The Poetry Friday Roundup is at Wild Rose Reader today.

NB: the poems in the book are laid out slightly differently from the way they appear here, and I'm sorry about that but blogger will not let me do it properly. grrr. However, this book is available on line if you want to see the real thing....

ARC of Need up for grabs

A little while ago I reviewed an ARC of Need, by Carrie Jones (coming out this December). It wasn't exactly 100% my cup of tea (here's my review), and I want to find it a home with someone who really does love were-creatures and romance! Leave a comment; I'll do a drawing on Wednesday, Sept 10.

"Hunger Games" give away

Just a quick note that Cheryl Rainfield is giving away three copies of Hunger Games here. Bags I one, but that leaves two for others!

Back to School Book Quiz

There's a back to school book quiz in the Guardian today!

Jane Nissen books, and Noel Streatfeild

Yesterday I found that the book I reviewed for Timeslip Tuesday had recently been republished by Jane Nissen Books, of whom I had never heard. Today I explored their website. It is a veritable feast of beloved twentieth century books--indeed, on the website it says that "the purpose of this personal venture is to bring back into print some of the best-loved children’s books of the 20th century and to enable a new generation of readers to discover for themselves high-quality, timeless titles that should not be lost."

I am especially pleased that they have just republished Green Smoke, by Rosemary Manning--this is a lovely younger-middle-grade book about a little girl who meets a dragon. It delighted me as a child, and my boys also love it.

It is also rather pleasing to see that two Noel Streatfeild books have been re-published-- Tennis Shoes and Circus Shoes. The former is about a family of four children who are being pushed to succeed at tennis--even thought tennis is less appealing to me than theater or ballet, this is one of my favorite Streatfeilds, perhaps because not everyone in the family ends up being wildly successful. Circus Shoes (the original title was The Circus is Coming) less about finding one's talent and pursuing it singlemindly. It tells of two orphans, who run away to find their uncle, a circus clown, and struggle to find a place for themselves in his strange and wonderful world. Here's a review from the Guardian from 2006, when it was re-issued.

The only sadness, which happens every time one sees lots of books one wants being published in the UK, is the exchange rate-- Jane Nissen Books has a link to Amazon UK, but that gets expensive fast. Amazon over here does, however, seem to have a lot of used copies of Tennis Shoes available at reasonable prices (edition unspecified), so perhaps there is a trickle down effect...

Incidentally, Oxford Children's Classics has, just this month, republished Party Shoes, a Streatfield that is hardish to find over here, and it is available at Amazon new.

And finally, the dvd of Ballet Shoes starring Emma Watson is now available over here--here's what the New York Times says about it.

The House in Norham Gardens, by Penelope Lively

Welcome to another Timeslip Tuesday, wherein I look at a book that I had heard lots about, but hadn't read until a few weeks ago. It's consistently described as a Timeslip--but the time travel element is miniscule, which disappointed me.

It is The House in Norham Gardens, by Penelope Lively (1974, for older middle grade readers and up).

In wintry Oxford, back in the 1970s, a fourteen year old girl begins to explore her great aunts' attic. Hoarders of both material things and things of the mind, the aunts have shared their house of nineteen rooms with Claire since the death of her parents. They are getting older, money is getting tighter, and Claire is growing up--all unsettling things. But what Claire finds in the attic is the most unsettling thing of all.

Her great-grandfather had travelled to New Guinea long ago, on a voyage of anthropological imperialism of the sort that has filled many western museums with the cultural treasures of other people. One thing never made it to the museum--a painted tamburan, a ceremonial shield of a New Guinea tribe. This shield begins to fill Claire's thoughts, until at least it seems she begins to see people of the Tribe from a century ago, coming to Oxford to fetch back this lost piece of their being. Then Claire opens the door to the outside and comes face to face with a man of the tribe.

After this strange, dreamlike encounter, where no words are exchanged, the cold winter begins to break, and the tensions in Claire's life begin to be resolved. An African student becomes part of the household, bringing both new life and financial security, Claire becomes more at peace with her position of loving, respectful responsibility toward her aunts. As spring comes, Claire has her final dream, wherein she herself travels to New Guinea. She sees that the people there, in the present, have moved forward in time themselves, and no longer need the piece of their past that was in her aunts' attic.*

The House in Norham Gardens is clearly a book about the interstices of time, but I feel that it is a bit to put it in the Timeslip category. The more I think about it, the more I think that the shield and the people of New Guinea are a metaphorical reflection of Claire's own life, and don't actually have any magical reality. Still, it's an awfully good read for the introspective type, interested in inter-generational relationships, old houses and the memories they hold, with a bit of magic, metaphoric or real, thrown in for good measure.

The House in Norham Gardens was recently republished by Jane Nissen Books. Here are some other reviews, at the Scholar's Blog, at Good To Read, and at Books for Keeps, a UK online book magazine. They are all worth reading in their own right!

Anyone else with a timeslip review is welcome to leave a link in the comments, and I will add it to this post.



spoiler:


*and so the museum gets it after all, which I found a bit of a let down.

Elephant Run, by Roland Smith

I am an enthusiastic reader of my blog stats--today was made more joyful by learning that mine is the second entry that Google shows when asked to find "experiences with demonic birds at sea." On a slightly more mundane note, it's become obvious that many students were asked to read Roland Smith's book, Peak (2007) for their summer reading, and that they didn't (lots of searchs for "plot summary peak" etc). I myself successfully read Peak last fall when it was nominated for the Cybils*, and I enjoyed it enough (here's my review) to see what else Smith had written. Another 2007 book, Elephant Run (Hyperion, 318 pp), caught my eye, and I recently made the time to read it.

London is being blitzed, and 14 year old Nick's mother thinks that it would be a good idea to get him out of there. So she sends him off to his father's teak plantation in Burma, where he hadn't been since he was a child. Turns out this was a bad, bad idea--almost immediately, the Japanese invade Burma, take over the plantation, and send Nick's father to a prison camp. Nick remains behind in servitude to the plantation's new Japanese overlord, until, with some unlikely companions, he escapes on elephant-back to rescue his father and race for the border into India.

This story makes for an exciting read, and I'd be happy to recommend it (probably more to boys than to girls), in large part because of its unusal subject matter and setting. There aren't, as far as I know, any other YA books designed to appeal to boys that address the Japanese conquest of east Asia in WW II. If I were a high school teacher of WW II history, I would defiantly put this book on my list of optional reading.

But I didn't find Nick believable as a boy from 1941 England--he came across as an out-of-shape contemporary American teenager (which perhaps means that the book will have more appeal to that audience). I felt that the relationships between the characters only existed to further the plot, not as things of interest in and of themselves (and as a result, I found the ending a bit contrived). This made it feel to me (possibly with complete injustice) as though Smith had set out to write a Book for Boys (see above), and therefore didn't bother too much with the interactions of his characters, which is the sort of thing that Girls like to read about. Although most of the story is told from Nick's point of view, several chapters are told from that of Mya, a teenaged Burmese girl who dreams of being an elephant trainer. This was useful plot-wise, but it didn't make Mya much more of a believable character in my eyes, and (cynic that I am) I found myself thinking that Smith had given Mya her own chapters to add Girl Appeal to his Boy Appeal. There is also a friendly and poetry-loving Japanese soldier, so that we don't fall into the trap of assuming everyone in the Japanese army is Evil.

I did enjoy reading it though--it is strong on setting and story! I guess my dissatisfaction comes from my hope that this would be comparable to Neville Shute's (a wondhttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.giferful book), and (since that is such a wonderful book) I was bound to feel a bit let down.

*The Cybils are awards given by the kidslit blogging community to the best books in several categories. Nominations for this years awards (anyone can nominate their favorites) will be starting in October. Here's the Cybil's website for more info.

Welcome to Poetry Friday!

Welcome to Poetry Friday! Please leave a link in the comments, and as the day progresses (the dropping off of children at school--hooray! the removal of 200 moldy boxes of artifacts from their condemned home in an old house at Rhode Island College into Department of Transportation dump trucks -sigh, a bit of peaceful time at work, back to get boys, and home again, or possibly to the library if the computer has decided to hate blogger again) I shall add the links.

Here's the poem I've chosen-- The Highwayman, by Alfred Noyes (1880-1958). It's an old chestnut that I remember my mother reading to me when I was little, and which I read recently to my boys who listened wide-eyed. I think would make a truly splendid picture book...UPDATE! One of today's contributors, Slyvia from Poetry for Children, has just let me know that it "HAS been issued in picture book form by Oxford U, illustrated by Charles Keeping, and in the VISIONS IN POETRY series in a film noir-ish interpretation of a biker in NYC." Somehow I find the former more appealling.

PART ONE

I

THE wind was a torrent of darkness among the gusty trees,
The moon was a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas,
The road was a ribbon of moonlight over the purple moor,
And the highwayman came riding—
Riding—riding—
The highwayman came riding, up to the old inn-door.

II

He'd a French cocked-hat on his forehead, a bunch of lace at his chin,
A coat of the claret velvet, and breeches of brown doe-skin;
They fitted with never a wrinkle: his boots were up to the thigh!
And he rode with a jewelled twinkle,
His pistol butts a-twinkle,
His rapier hilt a-twinkle, under the jewelled sky.

III

Over the cobbles he clattered and clashed in the dark inn-yard,
And he tapped with his whip on the shutters, but all was locked and barred;
He whistled a tune to the window, and who should be waiting there
But the landlord's black-eyed daughter,
Bess, the landlord's daughter,
Plaiting a dark red love-knot into her long black hair.

IV

And dark in the dark old inn-yard a stable-wicket creaked
Where Tim the ostler listened; his face was white and peaked;
His eyes were hollows of madness, his hair like mouldy hay,
But he loved the landlord's daughter,
The landlord's red-lipped daughter,
Dumb as a dog he listened, and he heard the robber say—

V

"One kiss, my bonny sweetheart, I'm after a prize to-night,
But I shall be back with the yellow gold before the morning light;
Yet, if they press me sharply, and harry me through the day,
Then look for me by moonlight,
Watch for me by moonlight,
I'll come to thee by moonlight, though hell should bar the way."

VI

He rose upright in the stirrups; he scarce could reach her hand,
But she loosened her hair i' the casement! His face burnt like a brand
As the black cascade of perfume came tumbling over his breast;
And he kissed its waves in the moonlight,
(Oh, sweet, black waves in the moonlight!)
Then he tugged at his rein in the moonlight, and galloped away to the West.

The thrilling conclusion (and it is thrilling) can be found here.

So again, welcome, and I look forward to reading your poems!

Links:

John Mutford, over at The Book Mine Set, is in with a look at Jailbreaks, an anthology of Canadian sonnets edited by Zachariah Wells.

Julie Larios at The Drift Record is in with two poems by Richard Wilbur, one for grown ups and one from his book Opposites and More Opposites, and then crowns her post with an original poem of her own.

Little Willow is in with Hamlet's letter to Ophelia --Never Doubt I Love. She should not go to the Scholar's Blog, where more Hamlet is featured, unless she wants to experience the joy of getting to see David Tennant vicariously.

Sarah at In Need of Chocolate is in with a lovely butterfly poem.

At Just One More Book, Andrea looks at Ocean Wide, Ocean Deep, by Susan Lendroth.

In honor of Labor Day, Mary Lee at A Year of Reading offers It Couldn't Be Done, by Edgar Guest, and Stacey at Two Writing Teachers offers an acrostic by Nicholas Gordon. I am also putting the two poems of Louisa May Alcott, posted at the Write Sisters, here...the first one is especially relevant (and made me grit my teeth a tad).

Cloudscome, at A Wrung Sponge, has a doozy of a poem about starting school, Lisa at A Little of This a Little of That shares the poem that will be on her students' desks on Tuesday, and Elaine at Wild Rose Reader has a back to school poetry book that looks like a great one to check out this time of year.

I for one am very glad school has started because my boys were getting very tired of each other's exclusive company toward the end there... and I was getting tired of the predictable results. Somehow my gentle dove like murmurings about violence not being the answer had no effect. But anyway, Yat-Yee Chong shares a poem on siblings by Naomi Shihab Nye that I look forward to reading.

Appropriate for the school starting season (I just spent an hour at the school playground, meeting new parents) is Msmac's original poem inspired by the prompt-- "I come from..." And there is also an original back to school poem from Gregory K. at GottaBook.

Elaine also has three lovely poems for the end of summer at Blue Rose Girls (at least, I assume they are lovely because Elaine likes them but goodness knows I have not yet had a chance to read anything I'm linking too...that is a pleasure all the sweeter for being deferred, or maybe not). On the same theme, Tricia of The Miss Rumphius Effect shares Farewell To Summer, by George Arnold, and Rebecca at A Gypsy Caravan shares another by Rowena Bennett. At the Three Legged Dragon, Tabitha visits some Scottish poetry, and I'm putting the poem she shares (Fern by Liz Nevin) in this category too, because I think it is metaphorically applicable.

On the other hand, Becky at Farm School is clinging to summer, with Wild Bees, by John Clare (never heard of him--there are a lot of new ones for me today).

Laura Salas is keeping me company on the other side of the law with a poem about pirates, "Cat-o'-Nine-Tails," and some15 Words or Less poems.

Sara at Read Write Believe posts about finding lost poems, which has just become easier, and shares a link to the apropos poem, One Art, by Elizabeth Bishop.

Susan over at Chicken Spaghetti has a link to very interesting looking article that's up at the Poetry Foundation, and Karen Edmisten also links to it, and not to take away from their blog stats but here is the direct link because it does look, as I said, very interesting.

And here's one that I did take the time to read, and am glad I did--Wild Geese, by Mary Oliver, over at On the Learn.

Two participants today reference Obama-- Janet at Writer2be is in with some Langston Hughes, and Sylvia at Poetry for Children has an excerpt from I am the Bridge, by Carole Boston Weatherford. In a patriotic mood, Kelly Fineman has some of Walt Whitman's America (I love it). And I guess this goes in this section--a rat's version of America the Beautiful, from Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat, brought to us by Becky's Book Reviews.

At Semicolon, Sherry is in with an English translation of a stirring 4th-century hymn. Barbara at Stray Thoughts shares a poem by John Donne.

Eisha at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast has a bit of Sappho (I knew there were issues with the survival of her poems, but didn't know we had only one complete example).

Anastasia at Picture Book of the Day is in with a look at Sputter Sputter Sput, by Babs Bell (looks like fun). Also reviewing a book is Kelly at Big A little A--Our California, which looks lovely (although the title, to an East Coaster like me who has never been to CA, makes me suspicious--is the "our" including or excluding me?).

At Finding Wonderland, you can enjoy The Microbe, by Hilaire Belloc (which I had never read--I love those last two lines!), or you can appreciate (though not enjoy) a poem from China posted at Biblio File.

Pause, during which, among other things, we troop down to the end of the street, along with all our neighbors, to watch one of the mill buildings at the end of the street burn. Much smoke, no fire. I hope no firefighters get hurt.

Ruth at There is no such thing as a Godforsaken Town, has an Emily Dickinson poem that's new to her (and to me)--Surgeons must be very careful.

Liz in Ink shares Robert Louis Stevenson's poem, Now When the Number of My Years, and Em at Em's Bookshelf also is in with RLS- The Land of Story-books. It's Em's first P.F. post--welcome!

Suzanne, at Adventures in Daily Living, is in with the lyrics to I Saw My Youth Today, by Richard Shindell.

At Paper Tigers, there's a link to a lovely essay Aline wrote--Waking up on the Right Side of the Poetry Bed.

And finally, with The Answer to the Puzzle, is Miss Erin!

Thank you all for coming to Poetry Friday! I am looking forward to going back and reading in depth what I just skimmed. If I messed up your link, misspelled your name, or grossly mis-categorized your offering, please let me know (charlotteslibrary@gmail.com). If you notice any egregious typos, errors of grammar or style, or simply disagree with my choice of words, you can let me know that too.

Need, by Carrie Jones

Need, by Carrie Jones (Bloomsbury, 2008, 290 pages in ARC form)

Carrie Jones is one of my favorite writers of books about teenaged girls. So when Need arrived, I jumped right in without stopping to read the back of the book. I began reading along happily, following Zara to her grandmother's house in Maine. She's been sent there after the death of her father has thrown her into a depression to deep for her mother to cope with (but there's more to it...). "You look like a zombie," says a random stranger on the plane, and indeed, that's how she feels--dead inside, filling her mind by naming fears and writing Amnesty International letters. And she arrives in wintry Maine (only October, actually, but plenty cold and snowy), and starts a new school, and meets some cool kids, mean kids, and extraordinary kids, and, unlike Zara's grandmother, I was more or less untroubled by the creepy guy Zara keeps seeing.

But then!

It turns out that he is not just a creepy guy, he is a Wicked Pixie, driven by inhuman needs to do inhuman things! The back cover says this too, so I don't count this as a spoiler. But anyway, this book is not like Carrie Jones' other books. It is not just a high school story, it is a high school story about nasty pixies, cool were-creatures, and a struggle to the death (or at least to life-long imprisonment, which in this case, since we're talking inhuman-type creatures here, can be rather long). And that's all the plot I'm telling about, so as not to spoil it. But it has action, suspense, and luv.

It is also about winter in Maine (chilly), starting a new high school (fraught), and coming to terms with the death of a beloved parent (even more fraught). And those realistic elements were the parts of this book I liked best--the fantastical plot was lots of fun, and kept me turning the pages, but I found it a tad over the top. But fans of paranormal fantastical romance adventure stories featuring high school students should adore it!

Amazon gives the release date as December 23--this means that if you have someone on your gift list who fits the above description, they probably will not have had a chance to read it yet and it will make perfect gift. At her blog, Carrie wrote of having a contest to give an ARC away, and as soon as the co-worker to whom I have lent mine gives it back, I will be passing on my ARC to a lucky reader here. Unless my co-worker is a book mangler, and returns it in unsuitable for giving away condition. I will leave a note here when I know.

UPDATE: My ARC of Need is now up for grabs here!

But in the meantime, there are Carrie Jones' other books, two of which I've reviewed-Tips on having a Gay (ex) Boyfriend, and Girl, Hero.

An aside: here's what I found creepiest about the book--the cover when you glimpse it upside down and the trees turn into the straggly hair of some eyeless horror. Coincidence, or conspiracy?