New releases of fantasy and science fiction books for teenagers and kids--the middle of May, 2010 edition

Here are the new releases of science fiction and fantasy for kids and teens from the middle of May. As ever, the information comes from Teens Read Too, and the blurbs, unless otherwise noted, come from the publishers via Amazon.

THE ADVENTURES OF HOTSY TOTSY by Clive Cussler “Take a look at Casey and Lacey Nicefolk and you'll see two regular, all-American kids. But these brother-and-sister twins have a secret. Hidden in the family barn is the most magical-and coolest-gadget unknown to man: a mystical box that can turn any small object into a life-size replica. When the twins' parents go out of town, the two decide to put the box to use. Taking a model boat, they create a fully functioning powerboat and enter a race up the Sacramento River. But this is no ordinary boat, and this is no ordinary race. What follows is a nautical adventure where being the first to cross the finish line is not the only prize.”

ALISON DARE: THE HEART OF THE MAIDEN and ALISON DARE: LITTLE MISS ADVENTURE by J. Torres. "Indiana Jones meets Lara Croft in fabulous, graphic adventures.Alison Dare is not your typical twelve-year-old. She's the daughter of an archaeologist/adventurer and the masked hero known as the Blue Scarab. To top it off, she's also the niece of an international super-spy; it's no surprise that a craving for danger is in her blood! Unfortunately, her parents have locked her away at the prestigious St. Joan's Academy for Girls, hoping that this would lead to a more "normal" life for their daughter. But despite all the strict rules at the school, Alison and her best pals - Wendy and Dot - somehow manage to find themselves involved in adventures that rival those of Alison's globetrotting, planet-saving relatives. Whether it's magic genies, super-powered bank robbers, or a dastardly baron bent on world domination, Alison Dare delivers the best thrills since Indiana Jones and more action than Lara Croft!"

BLIMPO: THE THIRD CIRCLE OF HECK by Dale E. Basye. “With more clever, dark humor and zany silliness, Dale E. Basye sends Milton and Marlo Fauster back for thirds in another laugh-out-loud installment of the popular series Heck. Welcome to Blimpo, where the, um, plump kids go. After his second escape from Bea "Elsa" Bubb, the Principal of Darkness, Milton Fauster makes his way to Blimpo—the circle of the otherworldly reform school, Heck, where he's sure his friend Virgil is sentenced. What Milton finds in Blimpo horrifies him. The overweight dead kids spend most of their time running on giant human hamster wheels called DREADmills that detect and exploit their deepest fears. The rest they spend eating Hambone Hank's barbecue—mystery meat that is delicious, but suspiciously (to Milton, anyway) haunting. Every classroom has a huge TV screen showing happy thin people who taunt Blimpo residents with a perfection they will never attain. Meanwhile, at her new job in the devil's Infernship program, Milton's sister, Marlo, knows all about trying to achieve perfection. And failing miserably. Can Milton get himself and Virgil out of Blimpo in time to rescue Marlo, too? Or is Fauster the next delicacy on Bea "Elsa" Bubb's menu?”

FALCON QUINN AND THE BLACK MIRROR by Jennifer Finney Boylan. "Thirteen-year-old Falcon Quinn and his neighbors, Max and Megan, board bus number 13 for school on an ordinary day in Cold River, Maine. Only the bus doesn't take its ordinary route, and Falcon and his friends soon find themselves in an extraordinary place—on Shadow Island, at the Academy for Monsters. With a student body stranger than the cast of any monster movie Falcon has ever seen, the academy is home to creatures and oddities of all kinds. In the academy's atmosphere, Falcon's friends begin to unleash and enjoy their monster natures, from flying with Pearl, La Chupakabra, to decaying with the "Zombie Snap." Falcon has always felt different, with his one bright blue eye and one shadow-black eye, but is he really a monster? Will he discover the other thing that makes him different when he finds himself in the Black Mirror? And when he learns that the school's mission is to teach students to hide their aberrant natures, Falcon and his friends need to find a way to fight back for their monster selves."

FIRE IN THE SKY: SEEKERS by Erin Hunter. “The spirits dance like fire in the sky. . . . The three cubs—Kallik, Toklo, and Lusa—along with their shape-shifting companion, Ujurak, stand on the edge of the sea-ice under the blazing Northern Lights. The land has come to an end, but the bears' journey is far from over. Now they must put their trust in Kallik's paws, as she feels the ice pulling her out toward the ocean. Life on the ice is more difficult than the bears imagined. While Kallik struggles to remember her polar bear roots, Toklo bristles in the unfamiliar territory and Lusa gets weaker by the day; black and brown bears don't belong on the ice. Meanwhile, Ujurak learns firsthand what lurks beneath the whorls and bubbles of the ice, and what he discovers will change everything. Just when it seems like they'll never survive in the frozen wilderness, a mystical encounter with a bear spirit assures them that all will be well. But this strange vision leads to even more questions, and ultimately it might tear the bears apart—this time for good—as the next steps of their journey come into focus.

I SO DON'T DO MAKEUP by Barrie Summy. "What's better than a sleepover? A sleepover with makeovers! Sherry and her friends have an awesome time with eye shadow, glitter, and more hair products than a salon. But when the girls wake up the next morning with serious skin issues, Sherry is freaked. Someone must have tampered with her makeup! It turns out that the mall's cosmetics kiosk has had lots of products returned by upset customers. Sherry is determined to get to the bottom of things. After all, she's a bit of a crime-solving celebrity (well, at least in the spirit world). Ghost academies around the world are impressed by Sherry's and her ghost mom's skills. And if anyone can solve a mystery involving mascara, it's Sherry Holmes Baldwin."

IVY'S EVER AFTER by Dawn Lairamore. “Once upon a time in the kingdom of Ardendale there lived a spirited princess named Ivy, who had no interest in being rescued by Prince Charming, and an undersized dragon named Elridge, who was better at solving word puzzles than breathing fire. Sailing into this world on a ship made of whale bones came Romil, a handsome prince with dastardly designs on Princess Ivy and her kingdom. Ivy and Elridge, both disappointments to their families, join forces to try and thwart Romil's evil plot. In the process these traditional enemies become fast freinds, discover hidden strengths, and earn the respect of all who know them. Full of humor and high adventure--and plenty of slightly skewed fairy-tale motifs--this frothy fractured fairy tale is sure to delight young readers.”

KERKA'S BOOK: THE FAIRY GODMOTHER ACADEMY by Jan Bozarth. "In the second title in the Fairy Godmother Academy series, the narrative viewpoint switches to Kerka, the sidekick in Birdie’s Book (2009), who is now on a quest to her sister Biba’s voice, as well as her own destiny. Ever since their mother died, Biba has not talked, and as Kerka, 13, trains to become a fairy godmother, she reenters the dreamland of Aventurine and embarks on a perilous journey in which she confronts her own shortcomings. The blend of magical detail with family drama will hold fantasy fans, even those new to the series." (from Booklist)


KID VS. SQUID by Greg van Eekhout. "Thatcher Hill is bored stiff of his summer job dusting the fake mermaids and shrunken heads at his uncle's seaside Museum of Curiosities. But when a mysterious girl steals an artifact from the museum, Thatcher's summer becomes an adventure that takes him from the top of the ferris wheel to the depths of the sea. Following the thief, he learns that she is a princess of the lost Atlantis. Her people have been cursed by an evil witch to drift at sea all winter and wash up on shore each summer to an even more terrible fate—working the midway games and food stands on the boardwalk. Can Thatcher help save them before he, too, succumbs to the witch's curse?"


LEGENDS: BATTLES AND QUESTS by Anthony Horowitz, "Including King Arthur, The Minotaur, Inca legends and more! There was a time when monsters and dragons roamed the earth and the gods walked among us. A time of blood, swords and furious battles. A time of legends, heroes, darkness and death . . ."



MONSTER SLAYERS by Lukas Ritter. "When vicious, dog-headed gnolls kidnap everyone living in the small village of Hesiod, only Evin and his fighter friend Jorick manage to escape. With help from an ancient guidebook of magical beasts called A Practical Guide to Monsters, the two boys and a new friend--elf wizard Betilivatis--must trek through ancient ruins and face one menacing monster after another in order save their families. But Evin soon realizes that not everything is as it seems. Someone--or something--has taken leadership of the gnolls and has dangerous plans for the kidnapped villagers. Betilivatis often disappears mysteriously and has strange conversations with someone only she can see. And Evin is having unusual dreams of a place he's never been, a place that feels more and more real with each passing day."

PHANTOM OF BLOOD ALLEY: BARNABY GRIMES by Paul Stewart & Chris Riddell. "Barnaby Grimes is a tick-tock lad, high-stacking his way across the rooftops of his city in search of adventure and mystery. In each tale, he encounters a supernatural force and must battle the horrors that await him. In this new adventure, Barnaby finds himself in the fiercely competitive world of early photography, where the rewards are immense but so are the risks. After an experiment goes disastrously wrong, Barnaby is on the trail of a mad chemist with a talent for disappearing into thin air. . . ."


THE RING OF FIVE by Eoin McNamee. "The Ring of Five, set at a school for spies, is full of surprises as well as fascinating questions about loyalty, destiny, and what it means to be a spy. Danny Caulfield doesn't know how he ended up at a mysterious academy called Wilsons. A few of the students are pretty scary. Someone tries to murder him. Even the ravens that haunt the school seem to be against him. Yet he also finds friends: Les, an exceptional thief; Dixie, who has an unsettling talent; and Vandra, a physick with special powers. It turns out that Danny is destined for a terrifying mission. As he embarks on his training, he is shocked and secretly thrilled to discover that he seems to have all the natural gifts of the perfect spy—most importantly, the ability to betray."

SUPER HUMAN by Michael Carroll. "Four thousand years ago the world’s first super human walked the earth. Possessing the strength of one hundred men, skin impervious to attack, and the ability to read minds, this immortal being used his power to conquer and enslave nations. Now plans are in motion that will transport this super human to the present, where he’ll usher in a new age of tyranny unlike anything the world has ever seen. Determined to stand against them, using powers they’ve only just begun to master, is a ragtag group of young heroes. For them this first test may be their greatest . . . and last."


THE WIDE-AWAKE PRINCESS by E. D. Baker. “In this new stand-alone fairy tale, Princess Annie is the younger sister to Gwen, the princess destined to be Sleeping Beauty. When Gwennie pricks her finger and the whole castle falls asleep, only Annie is awake, and only Annie—blessed (or cursed?) with being impervious to magic—can venture out beyond the rose-covered hedge for help. She must find Gwen's true love to kiss her awake. But who is her true love? The irritating Digby? The happy-go-lucky Prince Andreas, who is holding a contest to find his bride? The conniving Clarence, whose sinister motives couldn't possibly spell true love? Joined by one of her father's guards, Liam, who happened to be out of the castle when the sleeping spell struck, Annie travels through a fairy tale land populated with characters both familiar and new as she tries to fix her sister and her family . . . and perhaps even find a true love of her own."

YOUNG ADULT

THE FIRE OPAL by Regina McBride. "There was a time when Maeve O'Tullagh led a simple life; a time when she and her mother, Nuala, collected kelp on the foreshore near their cottage in Ard Macha; a time when she played among the Celtic ruins with her older brothers and daydreamed about the legendary Holy Isles, an enchanted land ruled in a past age by a beautiful goddess. But after Maeve's sister, Ishleen, is born, her mother sinks into a deep, impenetrable trance. For years, Maeve tries to help her mother "awaken," and then the unthinkable happens: Ishleen succumbs to the same mysterious ailment as Nuala. Heartbroken to think that her sister and her mother might be lost to her forever, Maeve sets off on an unimaginable quest to a world filled with fantastical creatures, a web of secrets, a handsome, devious villain who will stop at nothing to have her hand in marriage—braving them all to retrieve a powerful glowing stone that will help her recover the souls of her loved ones and bring them home to Ard Macha."

THE GOLDEN SPIRAL: THE HOURGLASS DOOR by Lisa Mangum. “His eyes. His touch. His kiss. Dante was unlike anyone Abby had ever met. Now he s gone, and Abby will do anything to get him back . . . The hourglass door has closed behind Dante, sending him back in time to hunt down Zo, Tony, and V. Abby knows that Dante, as a Master of Time, is the only one who can stop them from destroying time itself. She also knows that he will need her help. But almost immediately, things start to change, and Abby s worst fears are realized when Zo begins targeting her past specifically. As Abby s world fractures around her, she must face a terrible truth: either Dante didn t make it through the door, or he is lost forever. So with Dante s blueprints in hand, she begins construction on a new door, a new time machine that will either save Dante or doom him. With each new change that ripples into her present, Abby s life continues to spiral out of control. Her relationships with Jason, Natalie, and even her family are threatened to the breaking point and beyond. Zo s power is greater than Abby ever imagined, but as she struggles to free Dante, she receives help from an unexpected and unlikely ally. The bank is eroding. The barriers are thinning. And time is running out.”


HELL'S HEROES: THE DEMONATA by Darren Shan. "Beranabus and Dervish are gone. Bec has formed an unholy alliance with Lord Loss. Kernel is blind, held on Earth against his will. Grubbs is mad with grief and spinning out of control. The demons are crossing. The Disciples are falling. The Shadow is waiting. Welcome to the end."


ILLYRIA by Elizabeth Hand. “Madeleine and Rogan are first cousins, best friends, twinned souls, each other’s first love. Even within their large, disorderly family—all descendants of a famous actress—their intensity and passion for theater sets them apart. It makes them a little dangerous. When they are cast in their school’s production of Twelfth Night, they are forced to face their separate talents and futures, and their future together. This masterful short novel, winner of the World Fantasy Award, is magic on paper.”

INK BLOOM: DRAW AND PAINT A FANTASY ADVENTURE by Jim Pavelec & Chris Seaman. “Create an array of fantastic alien creatures, landscapes, ships and background elements while being entertained with the story of a strong female character and learning how illustration and story work hand in hand. Follow Hachi, a 17-year-old girl of Chinese-Japanese descent immediately following World War II, as she discovers herself and her innate powers while traveling to futuristic worlds, encountering new friends and terrible foes that will push her newfound powers to their limits.”

RESTORING HARMONY by Joelle Anthony. "The year is 2041, and sixteen-year-old Molly McClure has lived a relatively quiet life on an isolated farming island in Canada, but when her family fears the worst may have happened to her grandparents in the US, Molly must brave the dangerous, chaotic world left after global economic collapse—one of massive oil shortages, rampant crime, and abandoned cities. Molly is relieved to find her grandparents alive in their Portland suburb, but they’re financially ruined and practically starving. What should’ve been a quick trip turns into a full-fledged rescue mission. And when Molly witnesses something the local crime bosses wishes she hadn’t, Molly’s only way home may be to beat them at their own game. Luckily, there’s a handsome stranger who’s willing to help."

THE RISE OF RENEGADE X by Chelsea M. Campbell. "Sixteen-year-old Damien Locke has a plan: major in messing with people at the local supervillain university and become a professional evil genius, just like his supervillain mom. But when he discovers the shameful secret she's been hiding all these years, that the one-night stand that spawned him was actually with a superhero, everything gets messed up. His father's too moral for his own good, so when he finds out Damien exists, he actually wants him to come live with him and his goody-goody superhero family. Damien gets shipped off to stay with them in their suburban hellhole, and he has only six weeks to prove he's not a hero in any way, or else he's stuck living with them for the rest of his life, or until he turns eighteen, whichever comes first.To get out of this mess, Damien has to survive his dad's "flying lessons" that involve throwing him off the tallest building in the city--despite his nearly debilitating fear of heights--thwarting the eccentric teen scientist who insists she's his sidekick, and keeping his supervillain girlfriend from finding out the truth. But when Damien uncovers a dastardly plot to turn all the superheroes into mindless zombie slaves, a plan hatched by his own mom, he discovers he cares about his new family more than he thought. Now he has to choose: go back to his life of villainy and let his family become zombies, or stand up to his mom and become a real hero."

STILL SUCKS TO BE ME: THE ALL-TRUE CONFESSIONS OF MINA SMITH, TEEN VAMPIRE
by Kimberly Pauley. "With vampire boyfriend George and best friend Serena by her side, Mina thought she had her whole life—or rather afterlife—ahead of her. But then Mina’s parents drop a bomb. They’re moving. To Louisiana. And not somewhere cool like New Orleans, but some teeny, tiny town where cheerleaders and jocks rule the school. Mina has to fake her death, change her name, and leave everything behind, including George and Serena. Not even the Vampire Council’s shape-shifting classes can cheer her up. Then Serena shows up on Mina’s doorstep with some news that sends Mina reeling. Mina may look a lot better with fangs, but her afterlife isn’t any less complicated!"

THE WATER SEEKER by Kimberly Willis Holt. "Amos Kincaid is the son of a dowser – a person gifted in knowing how to “find” water deep in the ground. As a young person, Amos doesn’t reveal his gift to others; he’s not sure he wants the burden. But through his experiences growing up and crossing the Oregon Trail, Amos learns about life’s harsh realities, especially the pain in losing loved ones. As he cares for those around him, Amos comes to accept his dowsing fate. This epic novel is a fascinating period piece about the westward expansion and one man’s destiny as he searches for love and family."


WINTERCRAFT by Jenna Burtenshaw. “Ten years ago Kate Winters’ parents were taken by the High Council’s wardens to help with the country’s war effort. Now the wardens are back...and prisoners, including Kate's uncle Artemis, are taken south on the terrifying Night Train. Kate and her friend Edgar are hunted by a far more dangerous enemy. Silas Dane – the High Council’s most feared man – recognises Kate as one of the Skilled; a rare group of people able to see through the veil between the living and the dead. His spirit was damaged by the High Council’s experiments into the veil, and he’s convinced that Kate can undo the damage and allow him to find peace. The knowledge Kate needs lies within Wintercraft – a book thought to be hidden deep beneath the graveyard city of Fume. But the Night of Souls, when the veil between life and death is at its thinnest, is just days away and the High Council have their own sinister plans for Kate and Wintercraft.”

Troll Fell, by Katherine Langrish

Troll Fell, by Katherine Langrish (Harper Collins, 2004, middle grade on up, 264 pages in its US incarnation).

When his father died, young Peer became enslaved by his two ogreish uncles, who run a mill under the shadow of the mysterious Troll Fell. But his uncles didn't take him in just to have a boy to work for them. From overheard fragments of their conversation, Peer learns that they have plans for him--plans involving the trolls that live beneath the mountain, with their unimaginable wealth. Wealth that his uncles would happily sell him for.

In the same village lives Hilde, daughter of a farmer gone a Viking. With her father away, it's up to Hilde to keep the trolls from being too pestersome--generally a few thwacks with a broom is enough. But when the greed of the millers pulls her family into their dark plotting, Hilde and Peer must join forces, and brave the world below the hill to save to innocent children...

This the sort of story that has a very pleasant solidity to it. Part of this stems from the physical descriptions (evocative without weighing things down), and part comes from the engaging protagonists and the repulsive villains. But perhaps most of all, it's the inclusion of a wealth of non-human folkloric creatures that makes this such an interesting book. Besides the trolls themselves, these creatures include the sinister Granny Greenteeth and the put-upon Nis (the household helper at the mill), who provide spookiness and comic relief, receptively. These creatures are firmly in the Real world--part and parcel of life in this alternate Scandinavia (I was reminded quite a bit of Jan Brett's trolls, which have a similar meeting of the mundane and the fantastic).

And as well as the pleasure of reading a good story, well told, it's an awfully nice change to read a fantasy story in which neither of the children is Chosen or Special. Peer and Hilde are two ordinary kids, sharing the world with extraordinary creatures, but possessing no magic themselves. Just pluck.


Here's the UK cover at right--I think it is closer to the feel of the book, what with the eye peering through the crack....

The story of Peer and Hilde continues with Troll Mill and Troll Blood...both of which are now high on my reading list.



And finally, here's Katherine Langrish's website, where there's lots to see and do.

The Pig Scrolls and The Pig Who Saved the World, by Paul Shipton

For young fans of Greek mythology, here is a diverting series that puts a fresh spin on the world of gods and monsters. The Pig Scrolls (2005) and The Pig Who Saved the World (2006), by Paul Shipton, tell the story of Gryllus, who sailed with Odysseus home from the Trojan War, and who was turned into a pig by Circe the enchantress. When all his shipmates were transformed back, Gryllus hid in the woods. After all, life as a pig was somehow more satisfying--sun on the back, tasty treats, low expectations--than the nasty and brutish humanity of his former life.

But sometimes even a pig can become caught up in adventure, and this is what happens to Gryllus when his path crosses that of Sybil, a desperate young oracle-in-training commanded by Apollo to find the talking pig. She's desperate with good reason--something strange is happening on Mount Olympus, and the followers of Thanatos (aka Death) are gaining in strength. Joined by a rather odd goatherd (nicknamed Bumscruff by Gryllus) the trio sets out to journey to Delphi and save the world. Beset by monsters at (not quite) every turn, and regarded much too hungrily by Epicurius and his cohort (who have never had the chance to eat talking pig before) it's a bit much for our porcine hero. But at the end he finds it in himself to save the world....

In the his second adventure, Gryllus and Sibyl are off to find Circe--the pig is ready to be human again. But once more, they are plunged into mythological mayhem. With the severed, yet still sentient, head of Orpheus in tow, and accompanied by Tithonus (in the grasshopper stage of his eternal life) they must escape from Cyclopses and sea monsters to defeat a new danger to the cosmos. Can a rather pie-obsessed pig be a hero once again?

Light-hearted and fast-paced, these are very entertaining books. Gryllus' narrative, filled with introspective asides about what a pig wants, and snarky commentary about this, that, and the other, held my attention nicely. He is something of an anti-hero--it's pretty much a given that he'd rather run than fight. And from this comes the emotional tension of the stories, because as he and Sybil go through repeated trials and tribulations, it's clear that in spite of his continued displeasure with heroics, Gryllus is growing up, and putting aside piggish things. It's never a given that Gryllus will do the brave thing, or even do his best, but, at the end, he manages to come through....Sybil, on the other hand, has spunk and brains for two.

Age-wise, this is just fine for older middle grade kids on up, and a rather fun read for grown-ups too! (Especially the second book, which I thought was tighter. And I liked the Cyclopses lots).

(disclaimer: review copies received from the publisher, Candlewick)

World Myths and Legends: 25 Projects You Can Build Yourself

World Myths and Legends: 25 Projects You Can Build Yourself, by Kathy Ceceri, illustrated by Shawn Braley (Nomad Press, 2010, 119pp)

Although this book might sound like a fairly ordinary craft book, it is much more--it is also an excellent introduction to the cultures and myths of a diverse selection of peoples, and one I highly recommend to home-schoolers in particular. As well as the coverage of the expected European civilizations (Greece, Rome, and Northern Europe), the book includes Egypt and Mesopotamia, Sub-Saharan Africa, India, China, Japan, Australia, and North, South, and Central Australia. That being said, it is still is somewhat euro-centric (the map of important places has more points in the European region than elsewhere), and the book begins with Europe.

The 25 projects of the title are nestled into extremely informative text, providing both historical background for the cultures in question, at a fairly high level of detail and vocabulary. Helpful "Words to Know" blocks educate and clarify--one such selection includes personification, spiritual, avatar, unity, reincarnation, caste, karma, and dharma. Although the book does include well-written retellings of various myths, because they are accompanied by such education-driven material, reading this book is much more an actively learning/discussing/comparing experience than a standard anthology of "stories from many lands" book.

The projects themselves are extremely varied, and go beyond simple craft-ness. For instance, one activity for the Greek section is to use Euclidian geometry to make an equilateral triangle--fun with compasses! For the Celts, the reader is instructed in the making of a Beltane flower hair wreath and a Triskeles armband; the African section tells how to make a version of Ashanti Adinkra cloth. I could go on...but the point is that these are rather cool projects, such as I have never seen elsewhere.

Fun and instructive!

(disclaimer: review copy received from the publisher)

Today's Non-fiction Monday round-up is at Picture Book of the Day.

Today's Round-up of Middle Grade Science Fiction and Fantasy from around the blogs

Welcome to my 25th (!!!) round up of the week's worth of posts about middle grade fantasy and science fiction (well, all right, no science fiction, as usual, but if there were it would be here) found around the blogging world. It makes me sad when I see posts later on that I missed, so please, if you know of any I don't have, let me know, in the comments or via email (charlotteslibrary at gmail dot com).

Reviews:

Athena, Grey Eyed Goddess, by George O'Conner, at Becky's Book Reviews.
Attack of the Fluffy Bunnies, by Andrea Beaty, at Books4yourkids
Carbonel, the King of Cats, by Barbara Sleigh, at Tor.
Catweazle, by Richard Carpenter, at Charlotte's Library.
Drizzle, by Kathleen Van Cleeve, at Charlotte's Library.
Grow Up, the fourth Daniel Boom book, by David Steinberg, at Lori Calabrese
The Keeper's Tattoo, by Gill Arbuthnott, at Today's Adventure.
Kid vs Squid, by Greg Van Eekhout, at Charlotte's Library.
The Lost Children, by Carolyn Cohagan, at 512 Kids.
The Pyramid of Souls (Magickeeper, Book 2), by Erica Kirov, at Joe Barone's Blog.
Theodosia and the Eyes of Horus, by R.L. LaFevers, at Greg Leitch Smith's blog
Tortilla Sun, by Jennifer Cervantes, at Reading in Color.
Zeus, King of the Gods, by George O'Conner, at Becky's Book Reviews.

Miscellany:

The Story Slueths are looking closely at Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, by Grace Lin, this month, and here's a reaction to their first post at Fairrosa Cyber Library.

Colleen's May column at Bookslut, "Nothing is Just a Story," is all about sci fi/fantasy--lots of good books discussed!

A look at Middle Grade trends in Speculative Fiction over at The Spectacle. And speaking of trends, here's author/agent Mandy Hubbard's take: "The middle grade market is pretty wide-open... Just make sure, again, not to be too derivative-- no orphan wizards, people."

And speaking of orphans, I have a post on Good Mothers in mg sci fi/fantasy here.

A discussion of how bad the bad guys should be, at kt literary, with lots of discussion in the comments.

An interview with Rick Riordan at Shelf Awareness, an interview with Rhonda Hayter (author of The Witchy Worries of Abbie Adams) at Literary Asylum, and a great interview with R.L. LaFevers at Hello Ello 2.

There's lots of fantastical beast goodness over at The Book Aunt!

And finally, here's a lovely post about ghost stories for children at Seven Miles of Steel Thistles (the blog of Katherine Langrish).

Where are the Good Mothers in Middle Grade Science Fiction and Fantasy?

In honor of Mother's Day, I've been thinking about mothers in middle grade sci fi and fantasy. How many mothers are there in mg sff who are not a. dead b. evil c. virtually non-existent by virtue of being depressed/insane/preoccupied with their own lives? From the fairy tales of the nineteenth-century on to the present, there have been so many, many orphans. So many, many, children of absent and evil mothers. And even when a mother might be "good" (which is to say, involved and caring), often she is an impediment (actual or emotional) to the magical journey of the child protagonist (as in The Puzzle Ring, by Kate Forsyth).

I just went through all 156 posts I've written about middle grade books (most of which are fantasy), and found only one really nice mother (in The House on Mayferry Street, by Eileen Dunlop, from the 1970s). Moving beyond the books I've written about, I could only think of one contemporary series where there is someone who meets my criteria for a "good mother" -- Sarah Heap, in the Septimus Heap series. She genuinely cares about all her children, she's there for them, and she's not evil or dead. Casting my mind further back in time, I rather like the mother of Will Stanton in The Dark is Rising, a book in which the hominess of Will's home makes the magic stand out ever so clearly. And that's about all that's coming to mind.

It's not at all surprising that there are so few good mothers in this genre, and, in fact, I thought of sub-titleing this post "should there be Good Mothers in sci fi fantasy?" I think that one of the reasons kids read these books is to escape their own lives, to explore and try on other personas. Fantasy offers metaphors that can be brought home--ways of re-casting issues from the real world. And so one does not necessarily want the Good Mother casting her shadow of stifling love over the realm of the imagination. (For Good Mother as Nightmare, Neil Gaiman's Coraline is the obvious choice, although The Runaway Bunny, by Margaret Wise Brown, is a close second).

As I was going through the mg sff books I've reviewed, I ticked them off in my mind--dead, dead, absent, dead, evil, dead, dead, dead. There are a huge number of dead mothers (fathers, not so much). It's rather sad that so many authors are killing the mothers--as a mother myself, I don't want to be cut out of my sons' journey toward growing up (and I want to stay alive, thanks very much). I don't want to be cast an impediment that will hold them back. And I think this is one of the reasons I am very fond of the Septimus Heap books is that Angie Sage makes Sarah a loving mother, without, in any way, impinging on the magical experiences her stories offer either the characters or the readers.

If I am missing any obvious (or even not so obvious) good mothers, let me know!

(for those who want to read more about parents, this time in contemporary YA literature, here's a NY Times article from April entitled The Parent Problem in YA Literature, and here's Liz's response at A Chair, A Fireplace, and A Tea Cozy).

Some science fiction picture books in honor of Space Day

Happy Space Day! The aim of Space Day, taken from its official site, is "nurturing young peoples' enthusiasm for the wonders of the universe and inspiring them to continue the stellar work of today's space explorers." Since this is something that books are good at, here are some of our favorite science fiction picture books.

Mungo and the Spiders from Space, by Timothy Knapman, illustrated by Adam Stower (Dial 2008). Mungo finds himself inside the book he was reading...an epic space adventure entitled "Galacticus and Gizmo save the Universe." But it looks like they won't be able to save the universe from Dr. Frankenstinker and his robot spiders without Mungo's help. This is a great one for the older picture book reader--it feels somewhat like a comic book with bigger, brighter pictures. But it's a fun one to read to a smaller child too. We read this one five times in the week we had it out from the library.

Actually, this one might not inspire a child to head out into outer space (what with its scary spiders). But it is still fun.

There's Nothing to Do on Mars, by Chris Gall (Little Brown, 2008). "When Davey Martin's family moved to Mars, he thought he'd never make a friend again...Davey knew there was nothing to do on Mars." A lovely mix of a bored child and an utterly unboring planet waiting for him to discover its secrets while jetting around on his flying scooter. I especially liked the fact and diagram filled endpapers, but my boys liked the amusing story.



Sheep Blast Off! by Nancy Shaw, illustrated by Margot Apple (Houghton Mifflen Co., 2008). Those crazy sheep are back, and this time they commandeer an alien spacecraft. As anyone familiar with Shaw's sheep knows, they are bumblingly (is that a word?) incompetent--"Sheep panic. Sheep guess. Which button should they press?" A funny "first science-fiction" book for the younger child (3ish).




The final book on our list is one that really celebrates space travel and exploration in the spirit of Space Day. Astro Bunnies, by Christine Loomis, illustrated by Ora Eitan (Putnam, 2001) tells, in rhyme, of the rabbit inhabitants of a technologically-advanced rabbit world who travel into space.


"Astro bunnies
See a star
Think they'd like to
Go that far"

So they don their space suits, and blast off into a magical cosmos, conducting scientific experiments, and even meeting a star travelling race of alien bunnies (with three ears)!

Yet wherever
Bunnies go
There is one thing
They all know

Rockets fly and
Rockets roam
But bunnies ALWAYS
Come back home

(and this is where I used to add "to their mamas who love them so very very much," snuggle snuggle, making this Mother's Day appropriate too!")

Another good one is Earth to Clunk, reviewed here

Kid vs. Squid, by Greg van Eekhout

Kid vs Squid, by Greg van Eekhout (May 11, 2010, Bloomsbury, middle-grade, 256 pages in ARC form)

Spending his summer with fake mermaids and other assorted grotesqueries wasn't Thatcher's idea, but he had no choice. Dumped at a ghastly sea-side town in California by his parents, he spends his days dusting the creepy curiosities in his uncle's museum. But one night a mysterious girl steals the creepiest of all--a shrunken head, and Thatcher takes off in pursuit.

The thief is no ordinary girl--she's a princess of lost Atlantis. The head is no ordinary shrunken head--it belongs to the evil witch Skalla who destroyed Atlantis long ago. And now Skalla wants her head back...and, incidentally, plans to destroy the whole town, along with everyone in it, and quite possibly take over the world.

Standing against her are Thatcher (ordinary boy), Trudy (ordinary girl, except for her keen interest in the FBI's techniques), and Shoal (princess of Atlantis), who can't really do much for most of the book because of being swallowed by an evil fish. So, in non-stop action, a swirling mass of evil lobster-men, jellyfish boys, strangely intelligent sharks, the flotsam of Atlantis, and two (ordinary) kids converges in an epic struggle. And then the giant squid shows up...

The author has an enjoyable dry wit, and the story is enlivened with quite a few funny bits, such as this one:

"That's a submarine," I said.

"Oh, aye, she's called the Other Nautilus. And a fine vessel she is. She's not seaworthy, but for a death trap, aye, a very fine vessel." p 145 of arc (hee hee)

At times the intensity of the action threatens to overwhelm the characterization, but that should not be a deterrent to the young reader who wants something fast and wacky.

Here's another review, at Bib-Laura-graphy.

(arc picked up at ALA midwinter)

Drizzle, by Kathleen Van Cleve

Drizzle, by Kathleen Van Cleve (Penguin, 2010, middle grade, 358 pages) tells of a magical rhubarb farm, where it rains every Monday at the same time, there's a lake you cannot drown in, the insects are big and smart, and so are some of the plants....Polly Peabody loves her farm, and her family (with the glaring exception of her big sister, who isn't exactly nurturing). But one Monday, the rain doesn't come, her beloved older brother falls ill, and the farm is in danger of being sold.

Polly seems to have a greater connection to the farm than anyone else in the family, so it falls to her to unlock the secrets of the farm. Polly isn't particularly brave, or smart, or determined--but she does care enough to keep trying, until at last she understands how to bring the magic back....

Polly is not my favorite heroine of the year. She makes a really rotten choice early in the book, loosing her temper with a beloved plant that is trying to help her figure out what is going on, and shredding him--pretty immature. She has a lot of growing up to do socially as well...and, although one can't cast stones, it's pretty easy to see why she doesn't have friends at school. She does gain confidence as the book progresses, though (partly through her reading of Emerson's Self Reliance, which is woven nicely into her story), and by the end of the book she's become more likeable.

(But the plant shredding really got to me. It's not simply that I love my own plants, but I just can't relate to anyone who practically kills her best friend in a fit of frustration.....Just by way of contrast, Tasha at Kid's Lit called Polly "a great protagonist.")

It was the magical setting of the farm, and the gradually unlocking of its mysteries, that carried me through the book. I was a tad afraid the farm would be magical in a twee sort of way--I'd heard that there was chocolate rhubarb growing there, and a magical umbrella ride, and it sounded a bit, um, childish. But it isn't; it's a lovely, enchanting place (edited to add, because I was just thinking about it some more) that combines the magic with a dash of science and considerable horticultural interest, very pleasing to those of us who like that sort of thing....

Here are some other reviews, at Searching for a Good Read, Eva's Book Addiction, and Kids Lit.

Catweazle, by Richard Carpenter, for Timeslip Tuesday

Today's Timeslip story is one that I last read when I was ten years old or so...I hung on to my battered Puffin paperback all these years, and now have finally revisited it.

Catweazle, by Richard Carpenter (Puffin, 1970, middle grade, 190 pages) tells of an Anglo-Celtic magician, who, while being pursued by Normans, works a magic spell that lands him (and his toad, Touchwood) on a turkey farm in 20th century England. There he is much impressed by the "magical" powers of the farmer's son Edward, commonly known as "Carrot."

"Master!" he whispered.
"Eh?" said Carrot.
"Let me serve thee!"
"What?"
"Teach me thy elec-trickery- that I may do it."
"Do what?" said Carrot.
"Put the sun in a bottle," said Catweazle, pointing up at the light-bulb." (page 25)

For Carrot, the next few weeks become a blur as he tries to keep Catweazle out of mischief. Yet still Catweazle, determined to get home, causes confusion after confusion, whether it's pinching the crystal ball from the local fortune-tellers shop, trying to fly off the steeple of the church and causing the vicar much distress, or serving as a very reluctant interviewee on the subject of local folklore. Catweazle has some touch of true magic, a very independent spirit, and a firm belief that Carrot is a fellow traveler on the path of dark arts. Very trying for Carrot, who tries to be helpful, but is instead the constant recipient of medieval abuse.

Here's Catweazle after Carrot has offered him a restorative shot of brandy:

"Yeeeeeaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!" he cried, skipping round the room, clutching his stomach and then his throat. "I burn! I burn!"
"Thought that would do the trick," murmured Carrot.
Catweazle stopped jumping about and advanced on Carrot, coughing and spluttering. Tears ran down his face leaving little pale paths on his dirty face.
"Thou bow-legged beetle!" he snarled.
"That's better," said Carrot.
"Thou white-legged worm!"
"Anything else?" asked Carrot calmly.
Catweazle took a deep breath. "Thou wry-necked, trash-mongering, swaggering, double-tongued, huff-snuff!" (pages 122-123)

It's the type of book where everything is constantly teetering on the edge of minor disaster--poor Carrot is constantly rushing around after Catweazle, tiding the edges of reality after they have been disrupted, and always afraid this father is going to find out about it all, and send Catweazle off...so it's not a restful read, even though it's often quite funny.

Catweazle, although often maddening, has his moments of dignity--and indeed, he is in a difficult position, seeing the modern world through the eyes of early medieval magic. Carrot sees someone worth helping in him (even though he doesn't believe that Catweazle came from the past), and Catweazle has certainly brought color and excitement to the world of the turkey farm. But in the end, Catweazle finds his way home back to the past...and finally convinces Carrot that all the things he said about himself were true.

It's an excellent read for a ten or eleven year old, and didn't seem dated to me at all.

Catweazle's story continues in Catweazle and the Magic Zodiac, which I sadly no longer seem to have a copy of, and which I remember liking even better....Next time I'm in England (where my husband's family lives), I'll have to remember to look for it. Or maybe I'll just buy it used from Amazon, where both books are available...

Catweazle began as a television series--the 40th anniversy DVD has just been released.

Dragons of Darkness, by Antonia Michaelis

Dragons of Darkness, by Antonia Michaelis (Amulet Books, 2010 US, 2006 Germany, YA, 545 pages).

Tiger Moon, shortlisted for the Cybils last fall, was the first book of Michaelis' I'd read. I fell in love with her dream-like story telling, in which magic and the mundane mixed in a fantastic Indian adventure. So Dragons of Darkness, a magical journey into the mountains of Nepal, was an obvious book to look for this year.

In Nepal, a 14 year old boy named Jumar, the invisible son of the king, leaves the palace where he has been a virtual prisoner all his life to seek revenge on the Maoist insurgents he believes have killed a faithful servant.

In Germany, a 14 year old boy named Christopher grieves for his brother Arne, kidnapped by the Maoists and held hostage somewhere in Nepal. A library book, full of pictures of the place, lets him feel closer to his brother...and he falls into the pages, and is there. Not only is he in Nepal, he has fallen on top of Jumar...

Christopher's grandmother, whom he strongly resembles, was Nepalese--he can pass for a local. And the magic that transported him has given him the language too. So the two boys (one of whom is invisible), set out toward the mountains. There they see the havoc wrought by the color dragons, who steal all that is good and beautiful wherever their shadows pass. The grey rice in the fields has no sustenance, and worse still, any person touched by a dragon's shadow becomes a bronze statue.

The suffering of the mountain people is exacerbated by the war between the Maoists and the Royalists. And it is this war, full of complex injustices, in which the two boys are about to become entangled. The rebel cause becomes real in the person of Nayu, a girl their age who is recruiting for the Maoists. She is brave, she is beautiful, and both boys fall hard for her...

And their loyalties and their missions become a confusion in their minds. To save Arne, to end the pain caused by the color dragons, to become visible, and to bring peace to Nepal, Jumar, Nayu and Christopher must journey bravely through mountains where death--in the beauty of a dragon's wing, in the muzzle of a gun, in the land itself-- could lie around every corner. And it would be a lot easier if they were sure what they were looking for...

Both a quest story and a coming of age story, Michaelis has created a rich and complex world in her magical Nepal. It is both modern, in its fictionalized evocation of the actual people and politics of the place, and fairy-tale like, with its enchantments and dragons, and the sense of old stories being re-lived. Her characterization is vivid, and the tangled relationship between the three young teenagers is fascinating and convincing. Friendship and loyalty are complicated things...and Michaelis captures this well.

But, sadly for me, I found the adventures of the heroes' journey becoming a little tedious after a while--I felt that I grasped the "danger lurks around every corner" and "people are suffering" and "no cause is totally just" themes sooner than the author believed I had--at 545 pages, it's a long book, and didn't necessarily need to be quite so long. So although I enjoyed it, I didn't fall hard for it, the way I did with Tiger Moon.

Fans of Finnikin of the Rock, by Melina Marchetta, might like this one--it is similar in feel, with its violent, unremitting journey (although fewer violent things happen to the characters in this book, and it is closer to a fairy tale than an epic, with more moments of beauty and wonder).

Note on age appropriateness: Two of the main characters turn to each other for comfort, and end up having sex. There's violence, and one scene in particular that is rather horrible and sad.

Here's another review at Wands and Worlds, which (among other things) discusses the mix of real world politics and fantasy in the book.

Poop Happened! A History of the World from the Bottom Up

When I was young, I spent several days inside a Viking privy in York, England. From an archaeological point of view it was fascinating--the preservation was wonderful. So wonderful, in fact, that the privy smelled like it had been used yesterday, and intact turds were recovered (one of which ended up on display in the Jorvik Viking Center. Fascinating stuff, that poop--you can learn a lot from it!

Poop Happened! A History of the World from the Bottom Up, by Sarah Albee, takes poop and runs with it. It is a chronological compendium of the history of defecation in Europe (mainly England) and the USA, providing not only poop-specific facts (I didn't know Queen Elizabeth I travelled with a port-a-potty), but tying them to the larger social history in an extremely compelling way (poop and the decline and fall of the Roman Empire, for instance). It's an excellent introduction to social history--the sort that eschews dates and names in favor of trends and interconnections. It makes the point that to understand the workings of a society, and the trajectory of its history, understanding daily life is important, and interesting, too!

Poop Happens! is chock full of extremely interesting details, arranged in short sections of just a few paragraphs that flow nicely into one another. Albee does an excellent job, I thought, packing a lot of information into an accessible format, and this accessibility is further enhanced by the copious illustrations, both historic images and cartoons.

The obvious reader for this book would be the middle-grade kid, but I think its appeal, and its utility, goes beyond this demographic. For instance, many people have noticed that few fictional characters ever have to poop. But for any writer of fantasy or historical fiction who wants to create a world that is really three-dimensional, this book, with its quirky tidbits and exposé of the dark underparts of life, might be just the thing...

My main disappointment is with the European focus of the book--the subtitle is misleading, as "world" implies a global perspective, and it's annoying (and just plain wrong) when it turns out to be short for "the European world." There are a few pages devoted to toilets beyond Europe, but these were so sparse that they felt like token nods. And the indigenous cultures of North and South America are not included. What were the sanitation arrangements, for instance, at Machu Picchu? At Teotihuacan?

Sarah Albee herself apologizes for this problem in the introduction, explaining that she was limited by lack of primary sources available in English. But why couldn't they have changed the subtitle to reflect this? And perhaps she could have added more non-Western poop if she had spent more time talking to archaeologists--we are, after all, able to find toilets even when there are no written records of them.

Still, a fascinating and very readable book with lots of kid appeal.

Other reviews at A Chair, a Fireplace, and a Tea Cozy, and Welcome to my Tweendom.

Non-fiction Monday is hosted today by Bookends.

(disclaimer: review copy received from the publisher)

Avielle of Rhia, by Dia Calhoun (a textile fantasy)

After reading Brightly Woven a while back, I set off on the trial of other textile fantasies--stories in which weaving, or other textile arts, are an integral part of the story (because I like books where people do things with their hands, and make beautiful things). A list of the textile fantasies I've looked at so far is at the end of the post; but now, on to Avielle of Rhia.

Avielle of Rhia, by Dia Calhoun (2006, Marshall Cavendish, YA, 397 pages). Avielle is a princess in a land where it is thought that the traits of the ancestors become manifest again in their descendants. And Avielle bears an uncanny resemblance to the most cursed queen of all, Dolvoka, whose dark magic drove the birds away from Rhia. Dolvoka came from Dredonia long ago, an unwilling bride sealing a peace treaty, and Avielle has inherited the silver skin and silver hair of the Dredonia. Many, including Avielle herself, fear that she has inherited Dolvoka's dark magic as well...

Avielle grew up on the outskirts of royal life, facing prejudice and distrust, finding solace in her weaving, and in her love for her little brother. But that life comes to a crashing halt when the Brethren of the Black Cloaks, who have come to power in Dredonia, make their move against Rhia. In a hideous whirlwind, the king's castle is destroyed, killing almost all inside. By chance Avielle was in town, visiting Gamalda, the most skilled weaver in the kingdom, and so she survived.

Her family is dead, and her kingdom in jeopardy. But Avielle refuses to come forward, to face the fear and suspicion of her people--instead, she becomes Gamalda's apprentice. Gradually she learns to let her own magic come to her as she weaves dream-fraught cloth, inspired by the goddess, and gradually this leads her closer to the wisdom that will guide her as she faces her destiny. But for the most part, her days are filled with life on a busy street of crafters and printers and magic users. From her new neighbors, Avielle learns lessons of friendship, and trust, and the bonds that bring ordinary people together. It is these lessons, as well as her own magic, that will let Avielle defeat her own demons, and those of her country.

It's a rather lovely book, in its collection of diverse characters all busy with their lives, the magic that is part of life, and the textiles--lovely textiles of great metaphoric import...And it's worth reading for this aspect of it alone. As part of her plan to help Avielle gain wisdom, Gamalda sends Avielle into the lives of all the neighbors--the magical sock maker, the book-seller, with his whimsical system of organization, the silversmith and glass makers, lovely artisans both, and more. Fascinatingly detailed descriptions bring all of these characters, and their shops, to life.

Avielle's own story--one of coming to terms with prejudice, grief, and self-doubt--is compelling also, but it was not subtle. I felt that things were underlined a tad too much--the reader is not give a heck of a lot of credit. And I found this to be the case with the world building as well--falling just short of excellent because the points were driven home a tad too hard.

That being said, this is a lovely one, I think, for the 12 or 13 year old girl, for whom reading fantasy is her path toward learning about the world, for thinking about things in our world through the mirror of magical places.

And the textiles are lovely...

Thanks, Natalie, for the recommendation! I enjoyed this one.

(note on age: I put this one in both mg and ya--I think it's definitely a tween. There's no sex, but it is very much a teenage girl growing up. There's violence, but not enough to make it upper middle grade unfriendly)

Other textile fantasies I've reviewed:

The Spellcoats, by Diana Wynne Jones
Tom Ass, by Ann Laurence
Brightly Woven, by Alexandra Bracken
Silksinger, by Laini Taylor

Other textile fantasies that I haven't:

A Curse Dark as Gold, by Elizabeth Bunce
Weaveworld, by Clive Barker
Gathering Blue, by Lois Lowry
Dragon Slippers, by Jessica Day George

Any more recommendations?

This Sunday's Middle Grade Fantasy and Science Fiction round-up

Welcome to another week's worth of middle grade fantasy and science fiction reviews and etceteras from around the blogs (middle grade being 9-12, ish). Please let me know if I missed your post, or if you saw something really cool that I should add!

Abby Carnelia's One and Only Magical Power, by David Pogue (2010) at Book Aunt.

The Adventures of Benny, by Steve Shreve (2009) at Charlotte's Library.

Any Which Wall, by Laurel Snyder (2009), at Becky's Book Reviews.

Attack of the Fluffy Bunnies, by Andrea Beaty (2010), at Book Aunt

The Blue Sword, by Robin McKinley, at Fantasy Literature (although the subtitle is "How YA fantasy is done" this is a wonderful book for 11 and 12 year olds too)

The Boneshaker, by Kate Milford, at Fuse #8.

Boom! by Mark Haddon (2010, original incarnation 1993) at Book Aunt.

Enchanted Glass, by Diana Wynne Jones (2010), at Eva's Book Addiction.

Flight of the Outcast, by Brad Strickland (2010), at Book Aunt.

Hellion, by Christopher Fowler (2010), at The Book Zone (for Boys) (one of those YA books that the review thinks would be appreciated by the upper middle grade set).

The Hidden Boy, by Jon Berkeley (2010) at Keep Reading to Your Child.

The Magic Thief, by Sarah Prineas (2008) at Writing at High Altitude.

Middleworld, by J. & P. Voelkel (2010), at Charlotte's Library.

Molly Withers and the Golden Tree, by Kent Allan Rees (2009), at Jules' Book Reviews.

The Ring of Five, by Eoin McNamee at Charlotte's Library.

Runemarks, by Joanne Harris (2008) at Robin McKinley's blog.

The Sixty-Eight Rooms, by Marianne Malone (2010), at Charlotte's Library.

Skellig, by David Almond, at The Zen Leaf.

The Storm in the Barn, by Matt Phelan (2009), at Biblio File and Yet Another Children's Book Blog.

When You Reach Me, by Rebecca Stead (2009) at Lucy was Robbed.

The Witchy Worries of Abby Adams, by Rhonda Hayter (2010) at In Bed with Books.

Wyrmeweald: Return's Wealth, by Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell (2010) at Nayu's Reading Corner, and at Fantasy Book Review (and here's a post from the same site about its artwork)


For fans of Blackbringer, by Laini Taylor--the Story Sleuths chose it as their book to discuss in April, and here are the posts:

Post #1: Point of View in Blackbringer
Post #2: Word Choice & Language
Post #3: Suspense
Post #4: Midpoint
Post #5: Lending Fantasy a Semblance of Truth, an essay by Susan Fletcher

Interviews:

For fans of Eoin Colfer, here's a BBC video in which he talks about writing fantasy for children.

Rhonda Hayter, author of The Witchy Worries of Abby Adams, at In Bed with Books

Robin McKinley at Speculative Book Review.

Diane Zahler, author of The Thirteenth Princess, at Manga Maniac Cafe.

And at Suvudu, you can find books for your own reading list by reading about the 10 books that most influenced Christine Brodien-Jones, author of The Owl Keeper.

This has been Moomin Week at Tor! All who love the Moomins must visit the wide range of posts! And celebrate the re-release of the books by Macmillan! Coincidentally Moomin novice Lenore looks at Comet In Moominland today...

Heck: Where the Bad Kids Go, by Dale E. Basye (2008) is getting some attention in the blogs this week--it's going to be made into a movie by Juan Jose Campanella. The newest book in the series, Blimpo, comes out May 11.

The fifth book in the Sluggers series (magic meets baseball meets historical fiction) just came out--to celebrate, Boys Rule Boys Read! are having a review challenge to celebrate.

And yes, it's not middle grade, but still of great interest: the brackets for the YA Debut Battle of the Books are up here at the Shady Glade! I'm going to put my money on The Demon's Lexicon, but since I haven't read a lot of them, I could easily be missing the obvious favorite...

And finally, here are some lovely pictures of Will and Lyra's bench, and the garden it's in, at Once, Oh Marvellous Once.

Middleworld, by J & P Voelkel

Middleworld, by J. & P. Voelkel (Egmont, 2010, upperish middle grade on up, 398 pages in ARC form). Book 1 of The Jaguar Stones.

Strangely, playing computer games at home in Boston had not prepared 14 year-old Max very well for his encounter with the Mayan god of the dead. And, more generally, his rather lazy attitude toward life had not equipped him for jungle adventure, politeness when encountering different foods and customs, and a stiff upper lip. Let alone being a hero.

But when Max is suddenly sent off to the tiny Central American country of San Xavier, where his parents are leading an archaeological dig, he is forced to become one. Because his parents have gone missing, the clock on the Mayan doomsday calender is ticking down, and the incredible power of the five jaguar stones of the ancient Mayan kings might be about to fall into the hands of someone really, really evil.

Fortunately for Max, it's not up to him to defeat the villain, or even survive the jungle on his own. When he leaves his uncle's house in the city to set off on the trail of a mysterious thief, he meets Lola, a brave and resourceful Mayan girl. She takes him in hand and teaches him a few lessons in courage and tenacity (and manners). These are lessons that will stand him in good stead when he enters the Black Pyramid of Death, home of the un-dead Demon Warriors of Ixibalba (although the Demon Warriors, happily for the characters, don't actually come to zombified life).

Hmm. I'm not entirely satisfied with my plot summary--there are lots of other characters and
Mayan mythological and historical elements and two very important Howler monkeys...In a nutshell, it's a fantastically detailed and somewhat complicated/over-the-top adventure with gods and long dead Mayan royalty and lost treasure and bad guys and a tough beautiful girl and a young teenage boy who has a lot to learn. And it's funny--I chuckled out loud several times.

"Once there was the terrible sound of rock scraping on rubber as they got wedged under a particularly low overhang. Then they had to try not to scream and calmly maneuver themselves to the left or the right, to find a place where the raft could squeeze through. (By unspoken agreement, Max did the trying not to scream, while Lola did the calm maneuvering.)" (Page 135 of ARC)

I liked Lola lots and lots! And by the end of the book, Max was pretty engaging too (although he's something of a brat for the first half).

The plot is light-hearted, but with scary bits. It was taken to very wild extremes, yet the fantastical, for the most part, avoided the twin traps of jungle-treasure-adventure-stereotype and farce. That being said, although I very, very, much enjoyed the two teenagers travelling though the jungle part of the story, I didn't enjoy the Mayan magical showdown part quite as well--it was just a bit too much! (Howler monkey flatulence, for instance, played a role in the defeat of the bad guys).

I did not, however, let that minor failure of connection between me and the book spoil my enjoyment of it. It was a fun, fast read that I'd happily recommend to older middle-grade kids on up. It also gets major points from me for its matter-of-fact inclusion of Maya's cultural background. Nestled into the wild storytelling are some rather valuable educational elements, which I thought the authors did a good job including without being didactic.

This is the first of series, so there are loose ends...but even if everything had been tidied up, I'd still be glad to read another Lola and Max adventure!

(diclaimer: ARC received from the publisher)