A page for all my reviews of multicultural fanatasy/sci fi reviews

Just a quick post to say that (as one of my Bloggiesta self-assigned tasks) I've made a page up at the top of my blog that lists all the reviews I've written of multicultural fantasy and science fiction books for kids and teens. I have a label for these reviews--"reading in color," but since I use that label for other types of post, I wanted to pull out the reviews so that people could find them if they wanted to.

I am rather dismayed to see that I have only 33 books listed. If I continue to write about three book review posts a week, that's about 70 more reviews for this year (which doesn't sound like many at all, but can't really be helped). It seems possible that I can get at least thirty more books on that list by the end of the year, especially if I go back and write reviews for books I've already read...

(for more discussion about multicultural children's books, here's a great post at Shelf Talker--"The Elephant in the Room", and at Hunger Mountain, you can read the differing viewpoints of authors Tanita Davis ("Reflected Faces") and Mitali Perkins ("Teens do Judge a Book by its Cover").

Recommendations for multicultural sci fi/fantasy always gratefully received!

The Heavenward Path, by Kara Dalkey

The Heavenward Path, by Kara Dalkey (Harcourt Brace, 1998, YA, 222 pages)

This is the sequel to Little Sister (my review here), a tale of a noble Japanese girl from long ago, the shapeshifting, quasi-demonic Tengu who fell in love with her, and the ghosts, dragons, ancestors, and deities that the two met while on a periluous journey together. That journey ended...and the two friends, Mitsuko and the shape-shifter Goranu, parted ways for a time, though it was clear at the end of the book that there was much unfinished business between them.

The Heavenward Path begins with Mitsuko brought back to her role of dutiful daughter being groomed for advantageous marriage, a role she does not relish. But a promise she made during her last adventure several years ago returns to haunt her--she swore she would repair a small forest shrine. To break the curse she fears will harm her family if she doesn't keep her word, she calls Goranu back to her, and together they travel back to the shrine. But now the ghost of the warrior king buried beneath the shrine demands more, as penalty for the delay. The series of tasks he sets her seem impossible, even with the magical help of Goranu...but to fail means being claimed by the Lord of the Dead.

Together Mitsuko and Goranu set forth again, into a landscape of Japanese myths and legends made real. Can Mitsuko learn enough of the Tengu-do, the trickisome ways of the demons, to become devious enough to outwit the dead king? And, of even greater interest to me, will Goranu and Mitsuko find a way past the obstacle of their entirely different states of being, and find love?

The result is a lavishly and lovingly written romantic adventure, that will delight anyone who appreciates the manifestation of the mythic in the real world (and who enjoys a nice bit of understated impossible romance). It's slightly more relaxed in cadence than book one, and more directly humorous in places, making it an even faster and more enjoyable read. I liked book one, I really liked book two (oh Mitsuko and Goranu! what will become of you?), although I think one could argue that the plot of book two is thinner. But since I was busy reading the book for its characters, I'm not going to make that argument.

I've heard that a third book might be in the works, and I do so very much hope there is! But even without a third book, this is an excellent series, recommended in particular to the fantasy reader who wants a change from the much more common European-esque world making. Also good on the "girl rejects stifling norms of society" end of things.

Note on age: I stuck YA on this one, because thematically that's how it felt to me, what with relationships and all. But nothing ever "happens" between the two (sigh), and there isn't ghastly violence; a younger reader might well enjoy it as well. So I'm sticking Middle Grade on too....

Bloggiesta, here I come! -- now concluded

This weekend is Bloggiesta time! In case you haven't encountered this event before, its three days of marathon blog-work. Here's what Natasha of Maw Books, the fearless leader of Bloggiesta, defines it: "an opportunity to cross those nagging items off of your to-do list and improve your blog while in the good company of other awesome bloggers doing the same thing." There are mini-challenges to take part in, lots of great ideas on how to improve one's blog, and blogging experience, and Prizes!

Here's the starting line post....

And here's what I did.

TEN HOURS SPENT (yesterday was pretty much a washout--sickness in the family. sigh.)

Here's what I'd hoped to do, and what I've done

---writing lots of reviews. By the end of the weekend, I want to have cleared out the pile of books waiting for review. I'm going to ALA (yay!) and plan to replenish my pile of books to be reviewed....and would love to have a blank slate before they come home with me. (TWO REVIEWS WRITTEN)

--make sure I've let the publishers know I've reviewed the books I got from them (does anyone else have a problem with this? I do, mainly because every post I write has at least one typo/spelling mistake, and I have this vague idea that if I wait a day or two, I will notice and fix them and then send them off. Sometimes this works; other times, not so well). (STILL TO DO)

--tweak with the look of the blog. (SOME TWEEKING DONE)

--at some list posts (ghosts, dragons, etc.) to the menu bar at the top of the blog ONE LIST DONE

--expand my review policy DONE

--encouraging my son to write a few more reviews for his blog, Pickled Bananas, and working with him to spruce it up. (MAYBE TODAY)

And have fun reading and commenting on other blogs! 25 COMMENTS LEFT

I also took part in some of the mini-challenges.

It was a fun event to be part of, but I wish I'd been able to do more...but home alone with sick kids and sick self does not lend itself to much blogging. Next time...

Blog branding continued....plus Playful Doodles to show that I am not dead

(the point of the doodles will be made clear at the end)

One of the topics thrown out for discussion by participants in Armchair Book Expo America was that of blog branding. In my mind, I have branded this blog, and so for Armchair BEA I wrote a few thoughts about what that consisted of. And folks seemed interested.

But then Maureen Johnson came out with a manifesto against branding (with regard to authors), the punch line of which was “Don’t shove yourself into that tiny, airless box called a brand—tiny, airless boxes are for trinkets and dead people.”

And I asked myself: “Have I shut myself in a box?”

Then Colleen, at Chasing Ray, posted her thoughts--What It Means To Say "Brand Me," saying (among other thoughtful things) “Whatever I do here couldn't come close to the platform I enjoy at Bookslut (for example). Chasing Ray is just where I go to riff on stuff in an informal way.”

And I said: “But I don’t have a platform other than this blog.”

Pam at MotherReader picked up the conversation: “[Branding] certainly makes it easier for [the publishers] to promote authors and to evaluate bloggers. And I’m not saying that it’s an absolute wrong. But is it good for the bloggers?”

And I said: "We hear a lot about the publishers and the bloggers, and their uneasy relationship, but what about the readers of both books and blogs? Is it good for them, to have blogs that have distinct brands?"

The Greg from Gottabook said in the comments on Colleen’s post, asking “If you don't want anything from publishers, why would a book blogger worry?”

And I said: "but what if I want readers even more than I want arcs?"

In my mind, blog branding means giving one’s blog a distinct flavor, making it a reliably recognizable place. And I don’t really see how that is a bad thing, unless, of course, one’s attentions get so caught up in Brand Maintenance that all joy and spontaneity is lost. It seems like a common sense issue of finding balance.

And it seems to me that if one’s blog does have its distinct personality aka brand, it will attract a larger number of friendly readers. And I, for one, would not want to blog if I didn’t have readers. They give point to the whole enterprise. It’s great to write excitedly about particular books, or to post resource-type information, but why bother if there is no one there? I like to get cool arcs or books from publishers as much as anyone else, but unless I can say to myself that people are actually going to read what I write about those books, I will be uncomfortable.


I am pretty sure my definition of branding and marketing and all is a much more fuzzy thing than it is in the Cold World of Business (the semantics of it all are a little sticky). I am not even sure that other people think that my blog is branded, but I hope it is. Because I want readers to be able to find it, and I think that the identity I have created with some deliberation, and that I work to maintain (in a sane and balanced way, d.v.), helps this happen.

But I am not just a blogger; I am a Reader of Blogs. As such, I can run down my blog roll and taste each blogs own unique qualities (like a wine tasting). Even if a blogger hasn’t set out do so, a blog I find worth revisiting will bear the imprint of its writer’s voice and interest and style and taste—it will have a unique brand.

Just to show that I have taken Maureen's manifesto to heart, and am not dead in a small box, I have followed one of her suggestions ("show your doodles"). These are what happened to be next to the computer. (blushes)

The Shadow Hunt, by Katherine Langrish

The Shadow Hunt, by Katherine Langrish (HarperCollins, 2010, middle grade/YA, 329 pages in ARC form) Published as Dark Angels in the UK.

In a medieval world with ghosts and angels and friendly Hobs by the fire, where Christianity sits alongside older magic, two brave children try to save themselves, and those they love, from being lost in the hollow hills of Elfland.

As the 12th century draws to a close on the boarder of Wales, a boy named Wolf is on the run from the oppressive monastery where his father had left him as a child. High on the rocky escarpment known as the Devil's Edge, he finds himself in the path of Lord Hugo's wild hunt. But the wolves that Lord Hugo thinks are the quarry aren't running alone--caught up in the chase is a little girl, a feral child whose face is marked with a red stain.

Unwittingly Wolf leads Hugo to the cave where the girl has been living, and Hugo, desperate to find a way into Elfland, where he thinks his dead lady has been taken, decides the child is herself an elf. If she can be taught to speak, she can show him the way inside the mountain....And he chooses Wolf, who found her, to be her teacher.

Now Wolf and Elfgift, as the girl is called, have a home in Hugo's castle. There his daughter, Nest, waits to be married off at Christmas, already chaffing at the bars of the approaching cage. Nest and Wolf become allies as the winter draws in, and win the trust of Elfgift. But All Hallows Eve brings with it a mysterious jongleur, a travelling entertainer named Halewyn. Halewyn proves a true Lord of Misrule, feeding Hugo's obsession with his lost wife, and stirring up other, even darker, things that are better left alone....it is up to Wolf, with Nest's help, to save Elfgift from Hugo's mad scheme to take her back to Elfland, and it is up to Nest to save herself from an unhappy marriage.

Langrish has done a marvellous job here of blending fantasy with historical fiction, and that, combined with her skillful characterization of Wolf and Nest, makes for very good reading indeed. The story gains momentum gradually--true excitement doesn't come till near the end, and the reader has to exercise patience and trust. That being said, the subtle build-up of tension is enlivened not just by the compelling characters, but by the details woven into this tapestry of life in a haunted medieval castle--haunted both by memories of the dead, and by an actual ghost.

Langrish's portrayal of Christianity is nuanced and varied--on the one hand, there is the deeply sincere priest of Hugo's castle, living with his loving and caring wife; on the other is the narrow-minded self-righteous dogma of Brother Thomas, chaplin of Nest's betrothed. There are angels in this book, alongside the Wild Hunt--a juxtaposition that is almost certainly closer to the medieval worldview than an either/or mindset.

In short, highly recommended in particular to fans of both Rosemary Sutcliff (best ever historical fiction writer for children) and fantasy, and more generally to those who enjoy young characters bravely searching for their place in the world, those who love medieval castles, and those fascinated by the dangers inherent in Elfland.

Note on age: The main characters are in their early teens, and I think the ideal reader would be around 11 or 12 on up; there's no specifically YA-ish content, and no graphic violence, but younger children might not connect with the aspects of the plot that deal with Nest's arranged marriage and Lord Hugo's obsessions. And older readers should not be deterred by the very middle grade looking cover! The UK cover, shown at right, looks like it's aimed slightly older.

Here are Colleen's thoughts, at Chasing Ray (scroll down), a review at The Bookbag, and an interview at Imagination in Focus where Langrish discusses the book.

(disclaimer: review copy received from the publisher)

The Time Travelers, by Linda Buckley-Archer, for Timeslip Tuesday

The Time Travelers (Book 1 of the Gideon Trilogy), by Linda Buckley-Archer (2006, Simon and Schuster, middle grade, 400 pages)

Peter and Kate, two ordinary 21st century English kids, had become acquainted before their visit to Kate's father's lab ended with them falling into the clutches of an anti-gravity machine--somehow they activate it, and travel back in time. In 1763, Gideon Seymour, cutpurse and gentlemen, watches with amazement as the two children and the strange machine appear out of nowhere. Someone else sees it as well--a villainous figure nicknamed the Tar Man. And before Katy and Peter realize what has happened to them, the Tar Man has made off with the device--taking with him their only way home.

Fortunately, Gideon comes to the aid of the young travellers. With his help, Kate and Peter might be able to find the machine again...but first they must survive being plunged into the 18th century, with all its smells, strange foods, and, most alarmingly, its ruthless highwaymen...Kate and Peter slowly overcome their culture shock, although they long to return home. But Gideon has his own problems, seemingly insurmountable. He is on the run from his own demons--and the ruthless Tar Man is after him, determined to bring him back into the past he wants to leave behind.

On the road to London, and their confrontion with the Tar Man, Kate and Peter fade back and forth between past and present, giving Katy's father the information he needs to save them...if he can get to them before it's too late. But first, there's the small matter of meeting King George....

Excellent time traveling here. The author makes clear the overwhelming different-ness of the past (bringing in all five senses very nicely) without drowning the narrative in Lots of Detail. She offers a generous dollop of social history, without the book becoming at all didactic. And most importantly, her time travel strikes just the right balance with regard to plot. The timeslip is essential to the story of both the modern and the 18th century characters, but is only one part of that story. And it's not just some isolated and unexplained phenomena; its tensions--the push and pull of past and present-- are felt throughout the book. Those ongoing tensions, both emotional and practical, are what make the best timeslip stories outstanding (and this is one of my favorites of the sixty odd or so I've reviewed here). Although, that being said, I never formed a deep emotional connection to any of the characters. But you can't have everything...

Highly recommended to all who enjoy timeslip stories, and/or historical fiction, but especially to readers with a fondness for the villainous romantic highwaymen of the 18th century. I am now very curious indeed to see what will befall Kate, Peter, Gideon, and the Tar Man....

The Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards have been announced

Another good day with regards to middle grade/YA fantasy--The Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards for 2010 are:

Fiction and Poetry: When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead (Lamb/Random House)

Nonfiction: Marching for Freedom: Walk Together, Children, and Don’t You Grow Weary by Elizabeth Partridge (Viking)

Picture Book: I Know Here by Laurel Croza, illustrated by Matt James (Groundwood)

And the honor books are:

Fiction and Poetry
The Dreamer by Pam Muñoz Ryan, illustrated by Peter Sís (Scholastic)
A Conspiracy of Kings by Megan Whalen Turner (Greenwillow)

Nonfiction
Anne Frank: Her Life in Words and Pictures by Menno Metslelaar and Ruud van der Rol (Roaring Brook/Flash Point)
Smile by Raina Telgemeier (Scholastic/Graphix)

Picture Book
It’s a Secret! by John Burningham (Candlewick)
The Lion & the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney (Little, Brown)


Congratulations to all, regardless of genre! (but I really really really don't know if I can face reading Smile. I knocked my own front teeth out when I was 11, and I still have nightmares).

Welcome to this week's Non-fiction Monday Round-up, featuring bird calls and more!

The Non-fiction Monday Round-up is here today! Please leave your Non-fiction Monday link in the comments, and I'll put them in here!

Reading about the perils of batteries in children's books reminded me of the one battery operated book that my boys and I have loved for the past seven years. It's a book that I bring out every spring, when (some of us) are awoken early in the mornings by the joyous cacophony outside--Bird Calls, by Frank Gallo (2001, Innovative Kids--still in print). Eight birds are featured in double spreads, mostly ones that we have in our garden, or in the swamp nearby--cardinals, chickadees, red-wing blackbirds... (although, strangely, our eastern woodlands are not teeming with killdeers). The initial text gives clues about that page's bird, then you press a button to hear its song, pull a tab that slides open the habitat to revel the bird, and lift the text flap to read more.

It has actually worked very well--I was ever so pleased when my youngest, just turned three, identified red-wing blackbirds from sound alone! A most excellent book for parents like me who want their children to be as familiar with their backyards as they are with their lego sets.

(I just tried to see if I could find and swallow the battery. I couldn't, but then, I am bad with batteries. I had to get my husband to help the first time the wireless mouse needed new ones).

And for their birdwatching grandma, we bought Bird Songs: 250 North American Birds In Song, by Les Beletski. It doesn't have the flaps or the tabs, but it does sit on her coffee table, and every visit the boys enjoy finding the birds they know, and listening to new ones.

(dragging this post on-topic for my blog--I am trying to think of any bird-watching characters in fantasy or science fiction. I can't).

TODAY'S ROUND-UP:

Sarah at In Need of Chocolate brings us African Animals, by Caroline Arnold.

Laura Salas shares that she'll be signing her books A Is for Arrr! A Pirate Alphabet, and Fuzzy-Fast Blur: Poems About Pets at ALA in Washington D.C., and also has news of a new version of her writing class for nonfiction writing.

Abby (the) Librarian has 882 1/2 Amazing Answers to Your Questions About the Titanic by Hugh Brewer and Laurie Coulter.

At TheHappyNappyBookseller, Doret looks at a favorite of mine--Seeds of Change, a biography of Wangari Maathai by Jen Cullerton Johnson and Sonia Lynn Sadler.

The Wild About Nature blog features April Pulley Sayre's Turtle, Turtle, Watch Out!

At Madigan Reads is a look at The Wimpy Kid Movie Diary, by Jeff Kinney.

Jennifer at the Jean Little Library presents 4 gardening books for kids--it's great to hear that they are in high demand at her library!

In honor of the start of hurricane season (and please oh please may they come late and seldom this year) Shirley at Simply Science has Hurricanes, by Mari Schuh.

Wendie Old at Wendie's Wanderings talks about The Smash! Smash! Truck, Recycling as You've Never Heard it Before.

The Man Who Flies with Birds is reviewed by Marie at The Association of Jewish Libraries.

Moms Inspire Learning is featuring One Well: The Story of Water on Earth, by Rochelle Strauss.

Here's a concept book by Andrew Clements --The Handiest Things in the World--at NC Teacher Stuff (it's about hands)

Rasco from RIF looks at SIT IN: How Four Friends Stood Up by Sitting Down.

Anastasia is in in with a great dinosaur book, Born to Be Giants, at Picture Book of the Day.

And at Blog from the Windowsill you can fine more dino fun, with Dinosaurs by Lila Prap.

Finally, Three Turtles and their Pet Librarian take a look at the Cool Crafts recycling series from Capstone.

Thanks for stopping by! Next week's Non-fiction Monday will be at Books Together.

48 Hour Reading Challenge Finish Line!

I read for 22 hours, social media-ed for at least three hours, and probably spent a good 30 minutes wandering around the house looking for the book I was reading, and cursing (there were lots of interruptions, and sometimes I remember to leave my book where I was sitting, but often I don't, and leave them on top of the toaster, or on the tv, etc.)

I read nine books, and part of three more--3118 pages. Last time I read for 35 hours, but only got through 3706 pages....dunno why (they must have been less generously spaced). And in my finish line post last year I also proudly posted that I didn't misplace a single book. Humph.

A Nest for Celeste, by Henry Cole, 150 pages (it technically has more, but there were so many illustrations this is all I'm giving myself) (thoughts in post below)
A Time To Dance, by Robina Beckles Willson 192 pages (ditto)
The Heart is Not a Size, by Beth Kephart 243 pages (ditto)
Sorcery and Cecelia by Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer 316 pages (I can't believe I had this sitting on my shelf unread for the last five years. What was I thinking?)
Falling In, by Frances O'Roark Dowell 245 pages (reviewed below)
The Year of the Bomb, by Ronald Kid 195 pages (a tad disappointing, but I often don't really like books where the characters spend a lot of the time being anxious/angry/tense, like these guys were)
Rescue in Ravensdale, by Esme Cartmell 237 pages (this was perhaps my favorite--full review to come)
The Heavenward Path, by Kara Kalkey, 222 pages (full review to come)
Ivy's Ever After, by Dawn Lairmore, 311 pages (full review to come)

And I also read 267 pages of Eyes Like Leaves, by Charles De Lint. (his fourth book, written years and years ago...spells druid "dhruide", describes someone's eyes as having "alabastrine" irises, and includes a "greybeard" named Puretongue....Yet despite lots and lots of this sort of thing, especially at the beginning, it is not entirely un-compelling. But I don't think I'll be finishing it).

Finished these two, for 340 pages:
Firestorm, by David Klass (three posts down)
The Game of Sunken Places by M.T. Anderson (ditto)

so a bit short of my goals --30 hours, 15 books. But, as noted above, there were interruptions....at least the tbr pile has made good progress, and I read some good books!

Quick thoughts on several books read for the 48 Hour Reading Challenge

I'm in the homestretch of the 48 Hour Reading Challenge...three more books read, two more books half read.

Here's what I read this morning:

A Nest for Celeste, by Henry Cole, is one I fell in love with the first day it arrived at my house, when my nine year old son picked it up and began to read it....and read it...and read it till the end. I love any book that can achieve that magic. Here are his thoughts about it, at his own blog, Pickled Bananas. I found this story of a mouse looking for a home an enjoyable read myself--it's a charmingly illustrated meditation on friendship, and, with a wildlife conservation under-message that I liked very much. Great for a child; not quite enough to the text, I think, to be quite successful as a cross-over book to grown-ups, but why should it be, after all. (342 pages, but lots of them were illustrations...so I think I'll only give myself 150 pages for this one)

A Time To Dance, by Robina Beckles Willson (1962). A pleasant enough story about girls at a ballet school...interesting not just ballet-wise, but as historical fiction. If you're a ballet school story fan, definitely well worth reading, if not, don't bother! (192 pages)

The Heart is Not a Size, by Beth Kephart. Two girls, friends since they were small children, journey together to Mexico, to work at a humanitarian building project. Very Beth Kephartian, in its lyrical introspection. It's not my favorite of her books though (that would be House of Dance--a lovely book). In this one, the story never moved as powerfully as I felt it was going to a grand finale. (243 pages)

Middle Grade Fantasy and Science Fiction--this week's compiliation of posts from around the blogs

Interrupting my 48 hours of reading challenge to bring you another round-up of middle grade fantasy and science fiction news and reviews! Please let me know if I missed yours.

The News Item of the Week: Skulduggery Pleasant, by Derek Landy, has won the ‘Bord Gáis Energy Irish Book Award' for Irish Book of the Decade competition. This is so cool, not just because Skulduggery is fine book, but because a fantasy book for kids beat books from all other categories! Hooray for middle grade sff!

The Reviews:

Alison Dare: Little Miss Adventure, by J. Torres and J. Bone, at Jean Little Library.

Athena the Brain, by Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams, at Ms. Yingling

The Boneshaker, by Kate Milford, at TheHappyNappyBookseller.

Counter Clockwise, by Jason Cockcroft, at Charlotte's Library.

Enchanted Glass, by Diana Wynne Jones, at Book Nut.

Falling Up, by Frances O'Roark Dowell, at Charlotte's Library.

Greenwitch, The Gray King, and Silver on the Tree, all by Susan Cooper, at Book Nut.

The Hunt for the Eye of Ogin, by Patrick Doud, at Tempting Persephone.

Ivy's Ever After, by Dawn Lairamore, at Books at Midnight.

Magic Below Stairs, by Caroline Stevermer, at Charlotte's Library.

Princess of Glass, by Jessica Day George, at Charlotte's Library.

The Prometheus Project: Trapped, by Douglas E. Richards, at Becky's Book Reviews

Pyramid of Souls (Magic Keepers Book 2), by Erica Kirov, at books4yourkids, Fantasy Book Critic, and Charlotte's Library.

The Red Pyramid, at A Patchwork of Books, BiblioFile, and at The Book Zone (for boys)

Scrumble, by Ingrid Law, at Abby (the) Librarian.

The Secret Lives of Princesses, by Philippe Lechermeier, at Welcome to My Tweendom.

Space Crime Conspiracy, by Gareth P. Jones at Review Haven

The Magic Warble, byVictoria Simcox, at Bookworming in the 21st Century.

The Interviews:

Kate Milford (author of The Boneshaker) at The Enchanted Inkpot

Joni Sesel (whose most recent book, The Timekeeper's Moon, was shortlisted for the Cybils) at Holly Cupala's blog.

Janice Hardy (The Shifter) at Paroddity

Miscellaneous cool things:

vvB32 reads is bringing us SteamPink week-- she defines SteamPink as "female heroine stories with romance, adventure or mystery in a steampunk world" and we are all invited to join the fun!

and (just because I love love love looking at these), here is something I guess you could call SqueakPunk:
For more cat and mouse armour, here's the website of the artist, Jeff de Boer.

48 hour reading challenge halfway post

I've now finished the first 24 hours of the 48 hour reading challenge, and am not doing terribly well. I've read for 10 hours and 10 minutes, and have finished 3 whole books (Falling In, The Heavenward Path, and Rescue in Ravensdale) and 3 halves of books, and some of Comet In Moominland out loud, for a total of 1004 pages plus however many pages were in Rescue in Ravensdale which I can no longer find, something like 240. However, two books went back to the library today, clearing things up a bit (joke. There is no help or hope for me viz book clutter). With the exception of Rescue in Ravendale, I've been reading my library books, so as to get them out of the house, but I think it might actually be better to read my own books so that I can get them shelved...

It is too hot to do anything outside, the children are quiescent, and there is food in the house...so I'm hoping to have a Nicer reading experience for the next 24 hours. (But I won't be making my goal of thirty hours...oh well!)

I have also been to a birthday party, where I had to talk to other parents and couldn't go hide in the shrubbery and read :(, and I spent another hour on social media...

Falling In, by Frances O'Roark Dowell (48 Hour Reading Challenge)

1 hour and ten minutes more read, 20 more minutes blogging, and finally a book from my tbr stack completed--Falling In, by Frances O'Roark Dowell (Simon and Schuster, 2010, middle grade, 245 pages). It took me a bit longer to read this one, because of being base in an outside game of tag for part of it (which means the boys were hurling themselves on me at high speed). It was also a slower read because about half way through I found myself enjoying it quite a lot...I was by no means certain during the first half.

It's the story of a girl named Isabelle, the sort of child who is cut from a different cloth, who has no friends and looks at things differently from other children...and one day she opens a door and finds herself falling into to a whole nother world. Not so dissimilar to ours, but more olde fashioned-y, not a a magically talking animal type world, but one in which the idea of witchcraft is given serious consideration. To such an extent that all the children of this new place all live in mortal terror of the witch who eats small children, when they are in season.

In this other world, Isabelle is befriended by a slightly younger girl, Hen, who has strayed from the path to the camp where the children have taken refugee from the witch. And when they are taken in by Grete, an older woman with a knack for herbal cures, it becomes pretty clear that rumors of witchly child-killing have been greatly exaggerated. Convincing everyone else that Grete is harmless is going to be a tough job...but Isabelle has formed an attachment to Grete stronger than then her bonds with the people of her own old life, and she's willing to try.

I was doubtful at first, put off by what I found to be annoying and disruptive authorial insertions. For example, when the author asks "You want me to tell you where Isabelle is, don't you? You want me to spell it out for you, draw you a map, paint a picture" (page 32). I didn't exactly nod in agreement....

But, almost despite myself, I found found myself drawn into Isabelle's story, my reading speed slowing down as the author did, in fact, start making this place come alive for me. Isabelle and Hen's time with Grete is full of particulars of plant-lore, which I enjoyed lots, and, on a higher level, there are themes of not being quick to judge, appreciating differences, and recognizing other's gifts that are clearly stated, yet still nicely integrated into the story.

A more detailed and thoughtful review can be found here at Book Aunt, and here's another at Becky's Book Reviews.

48 Hour Reading Challenge--Firestorm and The Game of Sunken Places

Update One: 4:20 pm to 7:02 pm. Off to a bad start. Read 30 or so pages of Boneshaker, then had to take child to swimming lesson. Thought I had put Boneshaker in bag. Hadn't. Forced to read the two books I had with me--both ones that were unfinished from last week. Came home from swimming lesson and was unable to locate Boneshaker. Valuable time lost failing to find it.

Total pages read: 378 Books from tbr pile read: 0 (sigh) Total time read: 1 hour and 45 minutes. Time spent on line: 20 minutes

The first of these was Firestorm, by David Klass (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2008, YA), which I hadn't finished for a reason--I didn't like it all that much. Basic plot--kid sent from future (when just a baby) must save world from environmental disaster. A bit heavy handed with the pro-environmental Message, and although lord knows I take plastic bottles out of my co-workers trash all the time, heavy handed-ness is still heavy handed-ness. And then when the Great Confrontation happened, I was unconvinced by the strange thing of great power upon which everything hung. I had hoped to use this for a Timeslip Tuesday book, but the time travel element is "it happened and now here we are in the present" and thus not that interesting time travel wise. I might, however, read the next book in the series at some point--I confess to being curious.

The second was M.T. Anderson's The Game of Sunken Places (Scholastic, 2004, upper middle grade-ish), because the next book of this has just been released and sounds good. Basic plot--two boys stuck in the middle of magical game whose rules they don't know and which involves deadly creatures. It was a fine book, funny at times, gripping at others, but since I never connected emotionally with either boys (their fault or mine, I dunno) I was never that committed to it. However, I did connect very strongly with the troll. Excellent troll work here, Mr. Anderson.

2004 was a long time ago, and Anderson sure has put lots of other great books under his belt (I don't think that metaphor quite works, but maybe you know what I mean). So I bet that the second book, The Suburb of Sunken Stars, is rather good...

My 48 Hour Reading Challenge Starting Line

Here is my tbr pile, assembled neatly (give or take) on top of the woodstove (hooray for summer and another place to pile books) in preparation for this weekend's 48 hour reading challenge, hosted by Mother Reader! 22 lovely books to choose from...

Still more than I can read, but much more releastic than last year's stack of 46, shown below:

Last year I read for 35 hours. This year, I'm going to take life easy and shoot for 30 hours and 15 books...I'll be starting in an hour, after getting boys and chickens fed and settled....

Princess of Glass, by Jessica Day George

Princess of Glass, by Jessica Day George (Bloomsbury, 2010, YA, 288 pages) is a delightful Cinderella re-telling. The curse of the 12 Dancing Princess having been broken (see Princess of the Midnight Ball), young Princess Poppy and her sisters have been dispersed amongst the principalities of their European-esque world to strengthen political alliances. Marrying foreign dignitaries is, of course, one possible path toward alliance strengthening--but Poppy feels much too young to start thinking along those lines. Instead, she's trying to enjoy her visit with distant cousins. Even though she refuses to dance (she's had enough dancing to last a long time), she whiles away her time at balls and parties honing her card shark skills (which are considerable). Prince Christian's arrival from a northern court enhances life more than a little...and romance is in the air...

But a sinister magic is at work in the background. Another girl, Eleanora, forced to work as a maid after her noble father's disgraceful bankruptcy, has fallen under the thrall of dark spellworking. Her "fairy godmother" has promised her Prince Christian...and sends her off to the balls, begowned more gloriously than any princess, with her feet encased in shoes of glass.

The enchantments surrounding Eleanora blind all who see her--they can think of nothing but her charms. But Poppy, who has warded herself against dark magic (since she's been there, done that, and doesn't want to again) can see through the glamour. And so can Roger, who loved Eleanora years ago. Together Poppy and Roger work to break the magic spells that has ensnared her, but Poppy's skill with knitted charms and Roger's incomplete knowledge of potions are weak weapons against a malevolent fairy godmother, hell-bent on seeing her protege marry the prince. Whatever the cost...

This is my favorite Jessica Day George book to date, and in large part it's because I loved Poppy to pieces! It was a treat to see her in her own book. She's beautifully idiosyncratic, sweet and smart, and I cheered for her throughout. The prince comes off not so well--a bit of a stock Charming Prince--but then again, he's befuddled for part of the time by Eleanora's enchantments, so doesn't get that much page time to really be himself.

Plot-wise, there were a few things that I thought didn't work so well--in particular, I didn't understand why Eleanora ended up as a maid after her father lost all his money. It seemed unlikely that [one character in particular] wouldn't have taken her in....or at least helped her. And the motivation of the evil godmother felt a bit forced. But happily, I was able to gloss over such issues while reading the lovely descriptions of dress and balls and knitted charms and card games, and wondering if Poppy would ever dance again......and shuddering, just a little, at the glass slipper end of things--molten glass is not my own shoe medium of choice.

Speaking of knitted charms, these are so prominently featured in the book that I am tempted to count this book as a textile fantasy, which I am amassing a bibliography of (this post has my list to date). There are even instructions at the end that tell you how to knit your own! But in the end, I think not--I'm looking more for books in which the craft and art of the textiles is an integral part of the story or the main character's life. With Poppy, it's more a useful knack. Still, I'll stick the textile fantasy label on it...because it's really cool.

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

Note on age: The age of the characters (in their teens) and the interest in romance (although very much the falling into, rather than the consummating, side of romance) makes this YA ish. But there's nothing unsuitable for middle grade readers--the dark magic side of things is not all that dark.

(disclaimer: review copy received from the publisher)

Magic Below Stairs, by Caroline Stevermer

Magic Below Stairs, by Caroline Stevermer (June 10, 2010, Dial, middle grade, 208 pages)

Life at the orphanage could have been worse for young Fredrick. True, the master of the place couldn't stand him, but at least the cook was fond of him. And then came the night that Billy Bly, a Brownie took such a liking to him that the course of Fredrick's life changed dramatically, and he found himself plucked from amongst his fellow orphans to serve in Lord Schofield's household. True, he's now on the lower rungs of the below-stairs hierarchy, but still, it's many steps up from the orphanage. And Billy Bly has come with him....

As Frederick learns the new duties required of him, he begins to attract Lord Schofield's attention. The lord is a magician, and there is something about the quality of Fredrick's work (his cravat tying in particular) that intrigues him mightily--it seems that there is more to Frederick than meets the eye. And when the household relocates to a cursed country residence, Frederick finds himself drawn into the world of magic. He and Billy find themselves up against a vicious curse, and unless they can stop it, all that Lord Schofield and his young wife hold dear might be lost....

This is a lovely book, reminiscent of Diana Wynne Jones in its delightfully light and brisk writing (although it has more of a linear plot to it than much DWJ--I wasn't confused once). The magical adventure isn't all that harrowing (just enough so to add suspense, and give Frederick something to work against). Instead, it's the fun and detailed and utterly enjoyable story of Frederick's journey that makes the book sing. The supporting characters are great as well-- Bess, the servant girl who takes him under her wing, is a loyal and brave friend (and she gets quite a bit of screen time, adding to the book's appeal to girls), and Billy Bly, Lord Schofield, and all the rest of the manage added to my enjoyment as well.

People looking for fantasy with lots of action-packed build-up to the final confrontation, filled with whackings and plottings and escapes etc, might be disappointed. And I do think that Stevermer might have given us a few more pages of tension here. Goodness knows I feel that there is a surfeit of child-against-dark-lord-of-evil books, so this made for a refreshing change, but I wanted just a bit more of the dangerous part.

That being said, people looking for really good stories, really well told, in which character is central but magic is important, will probably enjoy it lots, just as I did (lots).

This is a companion book to the series written by Stevermer with Patricia Wrede--Sorcery and Cecilia, The Grand Tour, and The Mislaid Magician. Those who have read those books will enjoy meeting Lord Schofield and his wife Kate again, but Magic Below Stairs is completely stand-alonish. Which I know, because I haven't read any of the others. They are so going on my 48 Hour Reading Challenge Book Pile.

(disclaimer: my ARC of Magic Below Stairs was gratefully received/snatched from the publisher at ALA Midwinter)

The Mythopoeic Fantasy Awards 2010 finalists

This just in--

Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Adult Literature

• Barbara Campbell, Trickster’s Game trilogy consisting of Heartwood, Bloodstone, and Foxfire (DAW)
• Greer Gilman, Cloud & Ashes: Three Winter’s Tales (Small Beer Press)
• Robert Holdstock, Avilion (Gollancz)
• Catherynne M. Valente, Palimpsest (Spectra)
• Jo Walton, Lifelode (NESFA Press)

Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Children’s Literature

• Kage Baker, The Hotel Under the Sand (Tachyon)
• Shannon Hale, Books of Bayern consisting of The Goose Girl, Enna Burning, River Secrets, and Forest Born (Bloomsbury)
• Grace Lin, Where the Mountain Meets the Moon (Little, Brown)
• Malinda Lo, Ash (Little, Brown)
• Lisa Mantchev, Eyes Like Stars (Feiwel & Friends)

For the full lists, here's the Mythopoeic Awards site.

And now I am trying to decide which of the books in the children's category I'd pick to be the winner (since I've read them all). I'm going to go with Ash, although I bet Shannon Hale wins! (and that would be fine with me too).

Viz the adult books--I read the first 50 or so pages of Cloud and Ashes, and it was not for me--very mannered and painstakingly Crafted, and I found it too confusing and stilted. And I haven't read any other the others.

(with this post I am pre-empting all the work I just put into my last post, a new releases list, so do please go visit that too so that I don't feel it was all a Waste. Thanks.)

New releases of fantasy and science fiction for teenagers and kids--the beginning of June, 2010 edition

Here are the new releases of science fiction and fantasy for children and teenagers from the beginning of June. This time, just to be fair, I started at the bottom and worked up with the pictures, getting as far as I could stand before giving up....(and I have given up trying to tease blogger into letting me format the blurbs with pictures into neat rows. I was so hopeful when I discovered the html for paragraph breaks, but it didn't help appreciably).

Blurbs from the publishers, list from Teens Read Too.

I have a couple of these on hand in the waiting-to-be-reviewed pile...and I've just added some to my Amazon shopping cart, like the new Nathaniel Fludd book (for my oldest), and House of Dolls (for me, because I like doll house books). And YA-wise, Everlasting looks great, and The Sorcerer of Sainte Felice sounds very nice also...Which ones do you want?

MIDDLE GRADE:

ADVENTURES OF A CAT-WHISKERED GIRL by Daniel Pinkwater. Big Audrey is a girl . . .with cat’s whiskers . . .and sort of cat’s eyes. But, is there an other cat-whiskered, sort of cat-eyed girl? Big Audrey waves goodbye to her friends Iggy and Neddie, Seamus, and Crazy Wig, in Los Angeles and hitches a ride with bongo-playing-while-driving Marlon Brando across the country to Poughkeepsie, New York, city of mystery. She finds she has questions needing answers—and a bit of inter-plane-of-existence traveling to do. Big Audrey and her telepathic friend Molly zigzag off on an incredibly strange and kooky adventure, and solve the mystery of the cat-whiskered doppleganger.

AURORA FEE by Megan Barnes With her pale white skin, long black hair, and unnaturally large eyes, sixteen-year-old Aurora Fee stands out in a crowd. But there’s something different about this seemingly ordinary high school student. She’s wise beyond her years. And she’s keeping a centuries-old secret, one that threatens to hurt the people she loves: Aurora Fee may have been human once, but she s not anymore.

THE BASILISK'S LAIR: NATHANIEL FLUDD, BEASTOLOGIST by R. L. LaFevers. Nate Fludd, Beastologist, is back in the camel saddle in hot pursuit of a missing, deadly Basilisk--the King of Serpents. As if saving an entire Dhughani village from the Basilisk's poisonous gaze isn't difficult enough, Nate and Aunt Phil must begin to piece together the mystery of his parents' disappearance and protect the lone copy of the Fludd Book of Beasts from a sinister man who always seem to be one step ahead of them. Pack your goggles, rue, and an extra pair of gloves and join Nate on another unbelievable adventure--there's no rest for the world's youngest beastologist-in-training!

BATTLES OF THE CLANS: WARRIORS by Erin Hunter. An inside look at each Clan's fighting secrets:

• ShadowClan's night ambush technique
• ThunderClan's surprise Lightning Strike tactic
• WindClan's secret underground tunneling
• RiverClan's water maneuvers
• SkyClan's fearsome "skydrop" move

Plus never-before-told stories behind the most significant battles in Clan history!

THE BRIMSTONE KEY: GREY GRIFFINS, THE CLOCKWORK CHRONICLES by Derek Benz & J. S. Lewis A year ago, the Grey Griffins were just regular kids from Avalon, Minnesota. That was before they learned about the existence of evil fairies, werewolves, and other things that go bump in the night. Now they are monster-hunters, celebrated heroes, and allies to the legendary Templar knights---but even heroes have to go to school.When the Griffins enroll at Iron Bridge Academy, a school to train young recruits in the fight against the forces of evil, they find themselves at the center of a whole new adventure. The Clockwork King, a Templar foe from days past, has returned to finish the plan he set in motion decades ago. A plot to steal the souls of changelings---humans infused with fairy blood and supernatural abilities---in order to power his army of clockwork war machines.

BUDDY ZOOKA IN THE FRENCH QUARTER & BEYOND by Tracey Tangerine Buddy Zooka brings the French Quarter to life like no one since Ignatius Reilly. In fact, if A Confederacy of Dunces were written by Lewis Carroll, Buddy would appear. Buddy is a happy-go-lucky musician in the French Quarter until one day he goes fishing and catches an alligator, Mardi Gator, who quickly decides to take up residence in Buddy’s hat. Thrown off his usual carefree routine, Buddy loses his smile and starts to contemplate his world. Buddy’s journey turns spiritual as faith healers show him how man has been degrading his environment and how the secret to our salvation resides within each one of us. Buddy’s story is at turns zany and contemplative, and the lesson learned is a profound one that resonates in New Orleans like nowhere else.


CHOKE: PILLAGE by Obert Skye. Pillage was the first of three books in the fantasy adventure that Obert Skye calls a Pillogy. Choke, the second, continues the eccentric adventures of Beck Phillips, who seems to have a knack for causing mischief in the secluded village of Kingsplot. In book one, Beck used his unique gift to unexpectedly hatch several dragon eggs. Thankfully, the dragons were destroyed . . . or were they? In Choke, a stranger has discovered that Beck Phillips is the key to finding and hatching a lost dragon s egg a task that will bring the riches and fortune that Beck s family was destined to have. Beck learns that outward appearances can be deceiving and that grown-ups really do have valuable lessons to offer. Readers will laugh out loud at Beck s antics and sit on the edge of their seats while Beck and his friends confront Liz, the largest, most ferocious dragon Beck has ever seen!


FAIRIES AND THE QUEST FOR NEVER LAND by Gail Carson Levine. Gwendolyn Carlisle loves fairies, perhaps too much. On her birthday, she receives the precious “kiss” necklace, which has been passed down from mother to daughter ever since Peter Pan gave it to Wendy Darling. That night, Gwendolyn has her first tantalizing vision of Fairy Haven. More than anything, Gwendolyn wishes she could be there. At last, Peter Pan comes for her. The instant they reach Never Land, she sets out to find fairies. But the fairies are not eager to meet her. Then the evil Kyto, a dragon the fairies once helped to capture, escapes. He intends to destroy Never Land, starting with Fairy Haven. The fairies have but one choice: they must stop Kyto. As they begin their desperate quest—a quest that could be their very last—the fairies must decide if Gwendolyn can help or hinder. . . .

THE GENIE KING: SECRETS OF DROON by Tony Abbott. Neal, Julie, and Keeah are on a quest to find the wizard Galen and his all-powerful Moon Medallion. But this is no ordinary mission, for the Moon Medallion is hidden in no ordinary place. It's somewhere in Ut, a magical city in a bottle that only appears once every one hundred years. Fortunately, as a genie, Neal can travel through time. But he'll need a little help from his fellow genies to find the Medallion. To prove himself, he must complete seven difficult trials. Will he pass the genies' test in time to save Galen?

GHOST HUNTER: CHRONICLES OF ANCIENT DARKNESS by Michelle Paver. Her cry rips the souls from your marrow. With her spear she snares them. She devours them. Eostra truly is an eater of souls. Winter is coming. Souls' Night draws near. Eostra, the Eagle Owl Mage, holds the clans in the grip of terror. Torak must leave the Forest and seek her lair in the Mountain of Ghosts, while Renn faces an agonizing decision. Wolf, their faithful pack-brother, must overcome wrenching grief. And in the final battle against the forces of darkness, Torak will make the most shattering choice of all. Ghost Hunter, the final book in the Chronicles of Ancient Darkness series, draws the reader for the last time into the shadowy world of the deep past and brings Torak to the end of his incredible journey.

GHOST STORIES: SHADES SHORTSby Dennis Hamley, Gillian Philip, Anne Rooney, & Alex Stewart. Four terrifying ghost stories are packed into this haunting collection. A girl has a strange encounter on a misty road in Gillian Philip's "Misty;" a boy at war finds himself stepping into the past in Dennis Hamley's "Tunnel;" an ancient wrong needs to be righted in Anne Rooney's "The Hanging Tree;" and a stay in the country isn't quite what it seems in Alex Stewart's "The Waiting Room."

HOUSE OF DOLLS by Francesca Lia Block. In a little house from another time, with lace curtains in every window and paintings hung in gold doily frames, Wildflower, Rockstar, and Miss Selene live a warm and cozy life. They wear fancy dresses, bake play-dough cakes, and spend their days enjoying one another's company. For the three dolls, life is small but good. But life is not good for Madison Blackberry, the owner of the dollhouse. Her grandmother pays more attention to the dolls than to her. The dolls have one another, but she is lonely in her big, empty apartment. Then one day, as things always do—even for dolls—everything changes...

THE LAST HUNT: THE UNICORN CHRONICLES by Bruce Coville. In the center if Luster stands an enormous tree called the Axis Mundi, the Heart of the World. But now that tree is wounded, pierced through by magic. And through that wound marches an army of Hunters, led by the sinister and vengeful Beloved. And they are all determined to destroy each and every unicorn. As the unicorns gather to defend their lives, the human girl, Cara, is sent on a mission to meet a ferocious and mysterious dragon. Faced with perilous danger, Cara must make a desperate decision that will change her life forever.

THE POWER POTION: THE GECKO & STICKY by Wendelin Van Draanen. Thirteen-year-old Dave Sanchez is a daytime student, an after-school courier . . . and a secret superhero! So far Dave's been able to juggle his different roles. But in Dave's hands is the scariest package he's ever been asked to deliver. It's a tube, sealed on each end with wax, and addressed to . . . Damien Black. Holy tacarole! He can't just hand over a package to the most devious criminal in the city! Who knows what's in there? So Dave breaks a cardinal rule of mail carriers everywhere—he opens the package. Inside is a small bottle that's labeled: one drop, two at most, tested, works. The potion in this bottle is blue and sparkly and oozy and smelly—but what does it do? Ah, poor Dave. He has opened a Pandora's box of trouble. Your classic can of worms. And as a result, he'll find himself facing off with six-horned goats, terrifying tarantulas, a java-junkie monkey—and, of course, Damien Black.

RAIJU: A KAIJU HUNTER NOVEL by K. H. Koehler. His home destroyed by a rampaging kaiju, or giant monster, Kevin Takahashi and his father relocate to New York City where Kevin believes the nightmare is over and the only battleground left to face from now on is high school.
But soon after his arrival in the Big Apple, a new kaiju emerges. Qilin is so powerful that even the U.S. Military may be unable to contain or destroy the monster. And if that isn't bad enough, Kevin is falling in love with Aimi Mura, the resident "bad girl," and the girlfriend of the toughest bully in school. But will Aimi still want him when she discovers his darkest secret? Because Kevin is more than a ragged refugee from the now defunct city of San Francisco. He's also a Keeper -- a teen wizard who can summon ancient, demonic god-beasts to do battle for him, and his creature to call is Raiju, the oldest of the ancient Kami. Kevin has only a short time to win Aimi over and save the city of New York. Because Raiju and Qilin are about to clash, and after the dust settles, there may be no home left for either one of them!

RISE OF THE NINJA: MOONSHADOW by Simon Higgins. In the moonlight, the explosive fast draw became a horizontal streak of silver, flashing momentarily from the cover of the shadow. The tip of Moonshadow's sword ambushed the lurking foe, who stood, still drawing his own weapon.

It's the dawn of an age of peace in medieval Japan, and a power hungry warlord is plotting to plunge the nation into a deadly civil war using a secret weapon from the West. Enter Moonshadow, the newest and youngest agent for the Grey Light Order, a covert brotherhood of shinobi (ninja spy warriors) who work for the shogun. For his first mission, Moonshadow is sent on a perilous journey to capture the plans for the secret weapon. Can Moonshadow defeat the evil warlord, rogue samurai, professional killers, and another ninja spy to save his country from violent chaos? Or will his first mission also be his last?

SCI-FI STORIES: SHADES SHORTS by Mary Chapman, Alan Durant, David Orme, & Gillian Philip. An enthralling collection of four intriguing science fiction stories. A strange creature kept in a science lab isn't quite what it seems in Gillian Philip's "The Changeling;" two space garbage men pick up a bit more than they bargained for in David Orme's "Space Junk;" a young girl has an unsettling encounter with identical strangers in Mary Chapman's "Strangers;" and a space war comes to an end, but at what cost in Alan Durant's "The Neronian Box."

THE SECRET ZOO by Bryan Chick. Something strange is happening at the Clarksville City Zoo. Late at night, monkeys are scaling the walls and searching the neighborhood— but what are they looking for? Noah, his sister Megan, and their best friends, Richie and Ella, live next door to the zoo. Megan is the first to notice the puzzling behavior of some of the animals. One day Megan disappears, and her brother and their friends realize it's up to them to find her. Their only choice is to follow a series of clues and sneak into the zoo. But once inside, will they discover there's much more to the Clarksville City Zoo than they could ever have guessed?

SHADOW DEMON OF OZ, by James C. Wallace II. It was in the early month of Spring when the old humpback trunk of O.Z. Diggs, the original Wizard of Oz was opened by his great grandson, Jamie Diggs, revealing a magical heritage lurking within. Following in the footsteps of his great grandfather, a young boy named Jamie pursued the ways of magic and soon found himself transported to the magical Land of Oz where, alongside Dorothy, he faced his greatest fears and the fearsome Army of Trees in defense of the Tin Woodman. Now the young magician is called to return to the Land of Oz to take his place as the new Royal Magician of Princess Ozma; Ruler and Sovereign of Oz.

THE SHADOW HUNT by Katherine Langrish. Wolf is on the run—from the oppressive monastery where he was raised, from the ghosts and demons that haunt the windswept moors of Devil's Edge, and from the shadows in the landscape that resemble the Devil himself. When Wolf rescues a strange child on Devil's Edge, he takes her to a grand castle hoping to win the favor of its ruler. There he strikes up an unlikely friendship with a girl named Nest, and he thinks he's finally found a place to call home. Wolf is determined to fit in, but not everything is as it seems at the castle. Dark forces are conspiring against Wolf and Nest, and a sinister enemy is looming closer than they could ever realize. With lies masquerading as reality, will Wolf and Nest learn who they can trust . . . before it's too late?


SPACE COWBOY by Justin Stanchfield. On the remote planet of Aletha Three, a genetically engineered creature with the unstoppable killing instinct of earth’s most ancient predators has begun stalking the struggling population. Armed only with his dad’s old rifle, cowboy Travis must find out where the predator came from and how he can stop it – before it gets a taste for people, instead of cattle.




THE SUBURB BEYOND THE STARS. by M. T. Anderson Something very strange is happening in Vermont. It's not The Game of Sunken Places - Brian and Gregory have been through that before, and there's not supposed to be another Game until they say there's a Game. But still . . . when they go to visit a relative in the Vermont woods, they find many things are . . . off. Like, people aren't where they're supposed to be. And houses are everywhere. In fact, the houses seem to be taking over. If anyone in the universe can make high adventure out of supernatural urban sprawl . . . well, it's M. T. Anderson.

THE TILTING HOUSE by Tom Llewelyn. Brothers Josh and Aaron Peshik are about to discover that their new home with the tilting floors hides many mysteries. When the boys and their neighbor Lola discover the hidden diary of F.T. Tilton, the brilliant but deranged inventor who built the house, they learn a dark secret that may mean disaster for the Peshik family. Can the kids solve the riddles of the tilting house before time runs out?

WOLVEN by Di Toft. With his big snaggly teeth, patchy black fur, and glowing golden eyes, Woody is far from the cutest of dogs, yet Nat is strangely drawn to the rough mutt that howls at the moon. And before long Nat discovers that Woody's not a dog at all--he's a wolven: a shape-shifter who changes from wolf to boy without much warning. A secret government agency knows about Woody's mutant status, too, and wants to trap him and turn him into a hairy new breed of bioweapon. To escape capture, and to make sense of Woody's strange identity, the two friends--boy and werewolf--set off on a great adventure.

THE WORLD ABOVE: ONCE UPON A TIME by Cameron Dokey. A retelling of Jack and the Beanstalk.

THE ZOMBIE CHASERS by John Kloepfer. Zombie Attack! When brain-gobbling zombies invade, a sleep­over at Zack Clarke's house quickly turns into a Level-3 creep-over. The undead have infested the streets, filling the air with deathly moans and the stench of rotting flesh. Meet the Zombie Chasers: Zack: His house is a wreck, his sister's a zombie, and he's stolen his mom's Volvo. He's totally going to be grounded if he survives the night. . . .Rice: He's studied The Zombie Survival Guide, but is he prepared to fight the living dead? Madison: She seriously cannot believe her best friend has become a zombie and left her alone with these dweebs!They're on a mission to save the world, but first they have to survive their flesh-eating, half-dead neighbors—and one another. Can the Zombie Chasers make it out alive?

YOUNG ADULT

DECEPTION: HAUNTING EMMA by Lee Nichols. When Emma Vaile's parents leave on mysterious business trip, it gives her the perfect excuse to be a rebellious teen. Throw some parties, get a tattoo (or maybe just a piercing), and enjoy the first few weeks of her junior year. Then her best friend stops talking to her, the cops crash her party, and Emma finds herself in the hands of a new guardian—her college-age "knight in J.Crew armor," Bennett Stern—and on a plane to his museum-like mansion in New England. After enrolling at Thatcher Academy, Emma settles in by making friends with the popular legacy crowd. But she can't shake the strange visions that are haunting her. She has memories of Thatcher she can't explain, as if she's returning home to a place she's never been. Emma doesn't trust anyone anymore—except maybe Bennett. But he's about to reveal a ghostly secret to Emma. One that will explain the visions . . . and make Emma fear for her life.

EVERLASTING by Angie Frazier. Sailing aboard her father's ship is all seventeen-year-old Camille Rowen has ever wanted. But as a lady in 1855 San Francisco, her future is set: marry a man she doesn't love in order to preseve her social standing. On her last voyage before the wedding, Camille learns the mother she has always believed dead is in fact alive and in Australia. When their Sydney-bound ship goes down in a gale, and her father dies, Camille sets out to find her mother and a map in her possession - a map believed to lead to a stone that once belonged to the legendary civilization of the immortals. The stone can do exactly what Camille wants most: bring someone back from the dead. Unfortunately, her father's adversary is also on the hunt for the stone, and she must race him to it. The only person Camille can depend on is Oscar - a handsome young sailor and her father's first mate - who is in love with Camille and whom she is inexplicably drawn to despite his low social standing and her pending wedding vows. With an Australian card shark acting as their guide, Camille eludes murderous bushrangers, traverses dangerous highlands, evades a curse placed on the stone, and unravels the mystery behind her mother's disappearance sixteen years earlier. But when another death shakes her conviction to resurrect her father, Camille must choose what - and who - matters most.

FORGIVE MY FINS by Tera Lynn Childs. Lily Sanderson has a secret, and it's not that she has a huge crush on gorgeous swimming god Brody Bennett, who makes her heart beat flipper-fast. Unrequited love is hard enough when you're a normal teenage girl, but when you're half human, half mermaid, like Lily, there's no such thing as a simple crush. Lily's mermaid identity is a secret that can't get out, since she's not just any mermaid—she's a Thalassinian princess. When Lily found out three years ago that her mother was actually a human, she finally realized why she didn't feel quite at home in Thalassinia, and she's been living on land and going to Seaview High School ever since, hoping to find where she truly belongs. Sure, land has its problems—like her obnoxious biker-boy neighbor, Quince Fletcher—but it has that one major perk: Brody. The problem is, mermaids aren't really the casual dating type—the instant they "bond," it's for life. When Lily's attempt to win Brody's love leads to a tsunami-sized case of mistaken identity, she is in for a tidal wave of relationship drama, and she finds out, quick as a tailfin flick, that happily ever after never sails quite as smoothly as you planned.

MY SOUL TO KEEP: SOUL SCREAMERS by Rachel Vincent. Kaylee has one addiction: her very hot, very popular boyfriend, Nash. A banshee like Kaylee, Nash understands her like no one else. Nothing can come between them. Until something does. Demon breath. No, not the toothpaste-challenged kind. The Netherworld kind. The kind that really can kill you. Somehow the super-addictive substance has made its way to the human world. But how? Kaylee and Nash have to cut off the source and protect their friends—one of whom is already hooked. And so is someone else…

NOCTURNE by L.D. Harkrader Flanders Lane is tired of being protected by her Uncle Anatole. After years of studying magic in the back of his bookshop, she's ready for an adventure of her own. Then one day, strange things start happening. A burglar breaks into the butcher's shop, stealing nothing, but leaving the floors sparkling clean. Soon the seamstress's apprentice vanishes on her way home, leaving behind only a shoe still laced at the top. And then worst of all, Uncle Anatole disappears. That night, a young vampire hunter named Pascoe knocks urgently on the bookshop door. Pascoe insists there is a vampire lurking in nearby Blakely Hall. Flanders looks deep into Pascoe's gorgeous eyes and finds herself agreeing to help him. As Flanders tracks the vampire, her feelings for Pascoe grow until she stumbles upon a secret that turns everything she thought she knew about Pascoe--and herself--upside down.

PASSING STRANGE: GENERATION DEAD by Daniel Waters. Karen DeSonne always passed as a normal teenager; with her friends, with her family, and at school. Passing cost her the love of her life. And now that Karen’s dead, she’s still passing—this time, as alive. Meanwhile, Karen’s dead friends have been fingered in a high-profile murder, causing a new round of antizombie regulations that have forced them into hiding. Karen soon learns that the “murder” was a hoax, staged by Pete Martinsburg and his bioist zealots. Obtaining enough evidence to expose the fraud and prove her friends’ innocence means doing the unthinkable: becoming Pete’s girlfriend. Karen’s only hope is that the enemy never realizes who she really is—because the consequences would be worse than death.

RAISED BY WOLVES by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. Adopted by the Alpha of a werewolf pack after a rogue wolf brutally killed her parents right before her eyes, fifteen-year-old Bryn knows only pack life, and the rigid social hierarchy that controls it. That doesn't mean that she's averse to breaking a rule or two. But when her curiosity gets the better of her and she discovers Chase, a new teen locked in a cage in her guardian's basement, and witnesses him turn into a wolf before her eyes, the horrific memories of her parents' murders return. Bryn becomes obsessed with getting her questions answered, and Chase is the only one who can provide the information she needs.But in her drive to find the truth, will Bryn push too far beyond the constraints of the pack, forcing her to leave behind her friends, her family, and the identity that she's shaped?

THE SECRET TO LYING by Todd Mitchell James was the guy no one noticed — just another fifteen-year-old in a small town. So when he gets into an academy for gifted students, he decides to leave his boring past behind. In a boarding school full of nerds and geeks, being cool is easy. All it takes is a few harmless pranks to invent a new James: fighter, rebel, punk. Everyone’s impressed, except for the beautiful "Ice Queen" Ellie Frost and the mysterious ghost44, an IM presence who sees through his new identity. But James is riding high, playing pranks and hooking up with luscious Jessica Keen. There’s just one thing awry: he’s starting to have vivid dreams of being a demon-hunting warrior, a thrill that is spilling over into dangerous and self-destructive acts while he’s awake. As he’s drawn deeper into his real-life lies and his dream-world conquests, James begins to wonder: What’s the price for being the coolest guy around?

SHADOWS OF THE REDWOOD: THE SCIONS OF SHADOW by Gillian Summers When the Redwood Forest tree shepherd disappears under mysterious circumstances, Keelie Heartwood and her elven grandmother arrive at the local Renaissance festival to investigate. Then her grandmother vanishes—and Keelie finds herself ensnared in a life-or-death battle against an ancient curse, a goblin prophecy, and a diabolical alliance.

THE SHORT SECOND LIFE OF BREE TANNER: AN ECLIPSE NOVELLA by Stephenie Meyer. Fans of The Twilight Saga will be enthralled by this riveting story of Bree Tanner, a character first introduced in Eclipse, and the darker side of the newborn vampire world she inhabits. In another irresistible combination of danger, mystery, and romance, Stephenie Meyer tells the devastating story of Bree and the newborn army as they prepare to close in on Bella Swan and the Cullens, following their encounter to its unforgettable conclusion.



SISTERS RED by Jackson Pearce. Scarlett March lives to hunt the Fenris-- the werewolves that took her eye when she was defending her sister Rosie from a brutal attack. Armed with a razor-sharp hatchet and blood-red cloak, Scarlett is an expert at luring and slaying the wolves. She's determined to protect other young girls from a grisly death, and her raging heart will not rest until every single wolf is dead. Rosie March once felt her bond with her sister was unbreakable. Owing Scarlett her life, Rosie hunts fiercely alongside her. Now Rosie dreams of a life beyond the wolves and finds herself drawn to Silas, a young woodsman who is deadly with an ax-- but loving him means betraying her sister and has the potential to destroy all they've worked for.

THE SORCERER OF SAINTE FELICE by Ann Finnin Condemned to death by the Holy Office for sorcery, fifteen-year-old Michael de Lorraine is rescued from the flames by Abbot Francis and granted refuge at Sainte Felice, a Benedictine monastery in fifteenth-century France. Michael learns that this strange and wonderful place, famous for its healing wine, harbors renegade monk-sorcerers, enchanted gargoyles, and a closely guarded secret that could spell violent death for the Abbot. As the church intensifies its cruel pursuit of Michael, Abbot Francis and the wizard monks find themselves in grave danger. Michael will do anything to protect his mentor, but are his own magical powers great enough to save the monastery from the merciless, bloodthirsty Inquisition?