Once a Witch, by Carolyn MacCullough, for Timeslip Tuesday

I have heard that there are people out there who don't like time travel stories. A quick google search confirmed this impression--time travel books are "unreliable" "inconsistent" and "unrealistic." "I don't like time travel stories," writes one reader google found for me here, who then goes on to say, "Aside from that, no complaints."

So I feel a little awkward labeling Once a Witch, by Carolyn MacCullough (Clarion, 2009, YA, 292 pages) as such, and turning all those readers against it. To them I say, there's very little time traveling, you'll hardly notice it, the time travelling is every bit as realistic as all the other fantastical stuff that happens....but it's Tuesday, and I needed a book for Timeslip Tuesday, so here we are. And for those who really love time travel books qua time travel books, you might enjoy it too. Even though there are only 47 pages (give or take) set in the past...

Tamsin belongs to a clan of witches, and has grown up in an enclave of magic, surrounded by aunts and uncles and cousins who can all work enchantments of one kind or another. One of the most powerful of her generation is her own sister, Rowena, who can mesmerize others...but Tamsin has no talent, and feels like a fish out of water. When an absent-minded professor comes to the bookstore where she's working, and asks her to find a lost clock, in that special way members of her family can do, her frustration comes to a head and she finds herself taking the job.

Now, back at school in New York, Tamsin is stuck with a job she can't do--but fortunately, her cousin Gabriel is back in her life, and he is a Finder par excellence. Together the two travel back to the 19th century, to find the clock before it was lost...but in taking it back to the present, Tamsin has unwittingly tampered with the very magic that keeps her family safe. For the absent minded professor is not at all what he seems to be. And neither, for that matter, is Tamsin herself.

It's a very entertaining story--not too tremendously deep, and at times perhaps too self-consciously YAish with its little touches of clothing angst and the like--but a good, fast read. Tamsin's magical family provides a fun backdrop for her adventures, and her own journey of magical self discovery, and her re-discovery of Gabriel, held my interest. Danger, Romance, Magic, Family Secrets, a Big Sister who's too much to take, and a smidge of Blood. And there's the time travel bit, to add even more interest...so all in all, a fun book.

The time travel is all plot device, and not a thing of interest in itself, in the way some time travels are--the cultural disconnects and self-discovery through alien time immersion sort of thing (that make those of us who love T.T. love it) aren't here. But it is used very crisply to move the story along in an interesting way, and that's just fine.

Just because it's nice not to feel alone, I add that Leila at Bookshelves of Doom had much the same reaction (and I think it was her review, now that I read it again, that made me put this one on my list).

The Winners of the Mythopoeic Awards -- congratulations, Grace Lin!

Via the trusty Science Fiction Awards Watch blog, I learned this morning that the winners of this year's Mythopoeic Awards have been announced:

Adult Literature: Jo Walton, Lifelode (NESFA Press)

Children’s Literature: Grace Lin, Where the Mountain Meets the Moon (Little, Brown)

Inklings Studies: Dimitra Fimi, Tolkien, Race, and Cultural History: From Fairies to Hobbits (Palgrave Macmillan, 2009)

Myth & Fantasy Studies: Marek Oziewicz, One Earth, One People: The Mythopoeic Fantasy Series of Ursula K. Le Guin, Lloyd Alexander, Madeleine L’Engle and Orson Scott Card (McFarland, 2008)

Alexei Kondratiev Student Paper Award: Michael Millburn, “Art According to Romantic Theology: Charles Williams’ Analysis of Dante Reapplied to J.R.R. Tolkien’s ‘Leaf By Niggle’”

This Sunday's Middle Grade Sci fi/Fantasy round-up

A little late today, because of house guests come not just to visit but to help us repair various elements of our home and garden (it will never be finished. Never. But the house did just get listed on the National Register of Historic places, which is cool), here is today's round-up of middle grade science fiction/fantasy stuff from around the blogs. Middle grade being books for 9-12, kind of fuzzy at the top end....

Please let me know if I missed your post, or the posts of your loved ones!

The reviews:

Candleman, by Glen Dakin, at Nayu's Reading Corner.

Hunter Brown and the Consuming Fire, by Christopher and Allen Miller, at Clive Staples Award for Christian Speculative Fiction.

Ivy's Ever After, by Dawn Lairamore, at Welcome to my Tweendom.

Knights of the Sea, by Paul Marlowe, at Fantasy Literature.

Magic Below Stairs, by Caroline Stevermer, at Kids Lit.

Many Waters, by Madeline L'Engle, at Guys Lit Wire.

Middleworld, by J. and P. Voelkel, at GreenBeanTeenQueen.

Peter and the Sword of Mercy, by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, at Becky's Book Reviews.

A Swiftly Tilting Planet, by Madeline L'Engle, at Charlotte's Library.

Seven Spells to Sunday, by Andre Norton and Phyllis Miller, at Randomize ME.

Smells Like Dog, by Suzanne Selfors, at Jean Little Library.

Theodosia and the Serpents of Chaos, by R.L. LaFevres, at Becky's Book Reviews; Becky also reviews Theodosia and the Staff of Osiris here.

The things that aren't reviews:

M. T. Anderson has created a tourist guide to deepest, darkest Delaware, the setting for the third book in his Pals in Peril series, Jasper Dash and the Flame Pits of Delaware (the series begins with Whales on Stilts).

It's Steamboyz Week at vvb32 reads, and although "SteamBoyz = YA steampunk stories with YA male protagonists," there's some middle grade crossover in the books included.

Katherine Langrish continues her series on Other Worlds at her blog, Seven Miles of Steel Thistles.

And here's one I missed when it came out--an article from Daily Finance about the publishing history of the Percy Jackson books.

Alchemy and Meggy Swann, by Karen Cushman

I wondered, when I first saw the title of Alchemy and Meggy Swann (2010, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, mg, 176 pages) if this might be fantasy...it's not, but it is my favorite of all of Karen Cushman's historical fiction to date. Set in Elizabethan England, it tells of a young girl summoned by the father she's never met to join him in London. When she arrives, however, she is given a cold greeting. Her father wanted an able-bodied boy to work for him. Meggie is a girl, and needs sticks to lean on when she walks.

Neglected, angry, and uncertain, Meggie scowls at the world. But gradually, her friendship with Roger, a player's boy, grows (mainly because he is incredibly patient with her), and she finds herself on cordial terms with a few of the tradesfolk in her new London neighborhood, although there are others who still hold the the medieval beliefs that lameness like Meggie's is a sign of sin. But up on the top floor of her new house, her father is busily trying to turn base metal into gold. To do this, he needs money....and alchemy can be put to more sinister uses. Like murder and treason....

Cushman strikes just the right balance here between historical accuracy and a lively story of contemporary interest. The dialogue is particularly zesty, managing to be Elizabethan-esque while still fun to read. Here's an example, picked more or less at random:

"Of a sudden the door banged open. "Come, Meggy Swann," Roger called. "We are off to the river in search of a breeze."

She looked up, hiding the joy she felt at seeing him, and said, "Pray sir, pardon me. For a moment I mistook you for someone I did once knew. Someone who swore he was a friend and then abandoned me to sink under my afflictions in this--"

"Nay, Meggy, be not spleeny. I was occupied with drilling the apprentices and learning a new part myself." (page 95)

Meggy is at first not the most likable of characters (she is indeed very spleeny), but she sure has reason to be more than a bit prickly. I found it a pleasure to watch her gain confidence, and realizing that she actually does have the power to change her own circumstances. The story of how she finds a place in the world is both moving and believable (well, pretty believable. In all likelihood, she would have ended up begging in the gutters, but I'm glad she didn't).

Recommended to those who like detail-rich historical fiction or books featuring characters with disabilities, and in particular to those interested in alchemy, Elizabethan theatre, and the difficulties of keeping a pet goose in 16th/17th London on a limited budget!

(nb: review copy received from the publisher, via The Picnic Basket, where you can read the thoughts of many others in the comments on this post)

Toads and Diamonds, by Heather Tomlinson

Toads and Diamonds, by Heather Tomlinson (Holt 2010, YA, 276 pages)

The story of the two step-sisters rewarded and punished by a fairy disguised as an old woman was always a favorite of mine. It was a pleasure to read it reimagined in Tomlinson's Indian-esque setting, a detailed and colorful (literally) world that added interest to the story (to me at least) by virtue of its non-European-ness. Tomlinson makes it clear in her afterword that her world is not a carbon-copy of India, and she has tweaked the geography and the main religions considerably. That being said, there is so much cultural detail about the day to day life of this place that it certainly feels, to me at least (who doesn't know all that much about it), like a convincing portrayal of 17th-century India.

In that place that never quite was, a jeweler died, leaving his widow and his two daughters to begin a gradual descent into poverty. Now Diribani, beautiful, kind and happy, and her step-sister, Tana, more practical, and less conventionally lovely, must fetch the household's water from the communal well. One fateful day, that chore brings them face to face with a goddess. And the goddess chooses to give each sister her soul's desire.

Diribani is given the beauty she craves--whenever she speaks, jewels and flowers fall from her lips. The greatest wish of Tana's heart is to protect her family...and she, too, receives a gift. When she speaks, snakes, toads, and frogs appear. In Tana's world, toads and frogs are lucky, and snakes useful and desirable in their role as rodent catchers, so it is not a terrible thing. Yet Tana is sure that the goddess has judged her unworthy of the beauty and grace bestowed on her sister.
The gifts of both girls soon come to the attention of their province's governor, and the young prince of the realm, both followers of the monotheistic religion practiced by their conquering ancestors. And this attention is not at all desirable, for either girl--Tana becomes a hunted outcast, Diribani a prisoner in the gilded cage of the prince's retinue. As they struggle to understand what the goddess intended them to do with their gifts, their hearts and their strength of will are sorely tested. Neither knows if they will be able to make a happily ever after for themselves...or if they will end up worse than before.

Toads and Diamonds is told in alternate chapters from the point of view of each sisters, and Tana's increasingly miserable circumstances provide a nice contrast with Diribani's claustrophobic life of luxury. Tomlinson succeeds in making each sister a distinct character, with whom the reader can become invested in, although Tana, probably because she is more conflicted, more introspective, and more intelligent, is by far the more interesting of the two. Although each sister's story has a rather firmly-written moral, Tomlinson allows the characters, for the most part, to convey to the reader the changes in their ways of thinking, so the morals don't stand in the way of the story.

My only substantive quibble with the book is the ending Tomlinson implies awaits the sisters. It seems to me that, despite the goddess' gifts, with their character-developing consequences, the two sisters are about to become dependent again on the world of men, with no chance of actually creating futures for themselves. The classic fairy tale ending of the handsome prince/male rescuer seems to be the best the two sisters can hope for. Sigh.

Here's Tomlinson discussing at Tor how this book came to be, and some other reviews at Bookish Blather, Reading in Color, and Bibliofile.

Throwing my hat into the Book Blogger Appreciation Week ring

Book Blogger Appreciation Week is coming up in September, and the celebration includes awards in various blog categories. One of these is "Best Speculative Fiction Blog," and so I'm putting my blog forward for that.

My blog focuses on middle grade and younger YA speculative fiction, although I do review some adult books as well.

Here are my five representative posts:

Middle grade: my review of The Shadows, by Jacqueline West
Young adult: my review of The Demon's Lexicon, by Sarah Rees Brennan
Adult: my review of Blackout, by Connie Willis (most Tuesday's I review time travel books, and this post serves as an example of that)

Every week I round-up posts from around the blogging world about middle-grade science fiction and fantasy--here's an example.

Here are my thoughts on gender and writers of middle grade and young adult science fiction/fantasy.

A Swiftly Tilting Planet, by Madeline L'Engle, for Timeslip Tuesday

I've known for over a year that the time was going to come when I would re-read A Swiftly Tilting Planet, by Madeline L'Engle (1978), for a Timeslip Tuesday post. But I've been putting it off. This is a book that I loved when I read it back the year it came out, and for the next five years of re-reading. It's also a book that I knew I would have problems reading again as a grown-up, and I was right.

In A Swiftly Tilting Planet (the third of L'Engle's series that began with A Wrinkle in Time), the mad dictator of a Latin American country is about to plunge the world into nuclear war. Fortunately, the forces of good in the greater universe don't want our world destroyed, and so a time-travelling unicorn is sent to Charles Wallace, who is now a teenager. As he travels, courtesy of the unicorn, into the past to change the might-have-been that led to the dictator's rise to power, his big sister Meg follows along telepathically, providing a narrative framework in the here and now for his adventures.

The unicorn carries Charles Wallace back to the primordial Eden that is L'Engle's vision of Native North America. There he is first inserted into the mind of a person from the past, and finds it an easy and pleasant experience. Gradually, though, as unicorn and boy come closer to the might-have-been, the evil forces of chaos work against them more strongly...and the emotional intensity, both good and ill, experienced by Charles Wallace grows...

On the plus side--it's a riveting story, with lots of emotional heft. It was the first book I read in which the consequences of nuclear war were portrayed--L'Engle's time-travellers make several unwanted detours to "projections" of possible futures, and my young self was profoundly disturbed by them, and consequently very much invested in hoping for a hopeful outcome for the story. Another section, in which L'Engle portrays a 20th century family falling apart, which includes an abusive stepfather and a brain-damaged boy, was also a powerful experience for my child-self reader.

And boy, did that self love the scene in which the baby unicorn hatched.

Fast forward to the present. The baby unicorn leaves me cold (sigh. Not L'Engle's fault). But much more importantly than that, L'Engle's version of the native people of New England leaves me infinitely colder. She clearly wanted an idyllic, fantasied people (they frolic, for instance, with fantastical creatures), and so historical/cultural accuracy, or even an approximation thereof, goes out the window. Here's her very inaccurate description of New England village life around 1500 years ago:

"Between the rock and the lake were strange huts of stone and hide, half house, half tent, forming a crescent at the lake's edge.

In front of and around the dwellings was activity and laughter, men and women weaving, making clay from the lake into bowls and dishes, painting the pottery with vivid colors and intricate geometrical designs." (page 58)

(there wasn't weaving, we have no evidence that pottery was painted, and the "strange huts" are strange indeed)

Also disturbing is the arrival of a Welsh prince and his entourage into New England long before 1492. This bothers me not only because it is a set piece of peaceful, environmentally friendly native peoples vs white people with the potential for violence, but because the intrusion of Celtic romantic-ness strikes me as naive wish fulfilment (and goodness knows, in my line of work I have grown sick of people telling me, with great fervor, about all the Celtic dolmens scattered around New England).

And I was also bothered by the whole bit about blue eyes. You see, the Celtic prince brought over the gene for blue eyes...and it his descendant, via the Native American princess, who becomes the Latin American dictator, or, if Charles Wallace changes things, the Latin American peace loving democrat. Both have blue eyes. Why the heck L'Engle thought blue eyes were just the thing to make her characters special beats me; as may be the case with the Celtic Prince bit, it seems like she was trying to make her history of the Americas one comfy for (blue eyed) Europeans.

Time-travel-wise, it's rather an odd one, because the time traveller is always contained within a host body. So although Charles Wallace can reflect on what he's experience, he's not actually there himself, and the time-travel is more a tool for the plot, than the point itself. Not necessarily a bad thing (it works of the story), but it does mean that this book isn't one I'd recommend to fans of time travel stories as such.

So now I've re-read it, and I probably never will again...and I sigh, because I did love it so...

Physics: Why Matter Matters --science made fun for Non-fiction Monday

Physics: Why Matter Matters! created by Simon Basher, written by Dan Green (Kingfisher, 2008, 128 pages)

One of the highlights of my recent foray to the ALA exhibit hall was discovering a series of non-fiction books that seemed tailor-made for my boys (aged 7 and 9). In their books, Basher and Green have collaborated to bring science to life with utterly charming characterizations of scientific principles-funny little cartoon dudes--who explain, in simple terms, just what they are and what they do.

I was very happy to get a copy of Physics to bring home with me (thanks, Kingfisher!), and it was greeted enthusiastically by those waiting at home for Mama. Each dude included in this book (and there are many, ranging from the Old School friends like Gravity to the cool far out there ones like the Beta Particle) gets a page of text, with a full color picture facing it. A few introductory descriptive facts set the stage for a monologue by each physics principle, followed by a few more specifics, like the date of its discovery. There's also a helpful glossary and an index. The result is a book that can be enjoyed enthusiastically and repeatedly, and which may cause some tension as the dear children try to snatch it out of each other's hands.

I particularly enjoyed reading out loud what Entropy had to say for itself (in as much as Entropy is my nemesis)--"I always increase, and I work in one direction only--things NEVER get neater unless you put some effort in" (page 36). The seven year old liked Gamma Ray best -- "mean, lean and full of beans--I travel at the speed of light and cut right through any material as if it wasn't there" (page 74); the nine year old's favorite was Black Body Radiation--"A ninjalike shadow who swallows and slays the Light Crew" (page 40).

I'm still not entirely sure I understand really truly what a Bosun Particle is, but I am very sure that this book has both entertained and educated all of us.

Here's the list of all the books in the series. My sons want them all, and I'm pretty sure that they will indeed be getting them. Edited to add: for more fun, here is the Basher website.

Today's Non-Fiction Monday Round-Up is at 5 Great Books.

This Sunday's Middle Grade Fantasy and Science Fiction Roundup

Hello, all! Here is another week's worth of what people have been writing about middle grade science fiction and fantasy. Please let me know if I missed your post, or the posts of your loved ones!

Adventures in Cartooning Activity Book, by James Sturm, Andrew Arnold, and Alexis Frederick-Frost, at Charlotte's Library (I love this book)

Bran Hambric: The Farfield Curse, by Kaleb Nation, at The O.W.L.

The Entomological Tales of Augustus T. Percival--Petronella Saves Nearly Everyone, by at Book Aunt.

Magic Below Stairs, by Caroline Stevermer, at Fantasy Literature. (This one is a spin off of the world created by Stevermer and Patricia Wrede in a series that begins with Sorcery and Cecilia, reviewed at Book Aunt this week. That series isn't middle grade per se, but it is a perfect book for the seventh or eighth grade girl who loves both magic and Pride and Prejudice).

Middleworld (The Jaguar Stones Book 1), by J&P Voelkel, at The Reading Zone.

Moonshadow: Rise of the Ninja, by Simon Higgins, at Charlotte's Library.

The Prince of Fenway Park, by Julianna Baggot, at Book Nut.

Scumble, by Ingrid Law, at Eva's Book Addiction.

A look at Garth Nix's Keys to the Kingdom series, at Guy's Lit Wire.

Other things of interest:

Peter Dickinson is interviewed at Scribble City Central, as part of an ongoing "mythic Friday" series there.

There's a post full of mythical beast goodness over at the Enchanted Inkpot.

And for all of us who are really really curious to see what multicultural fantasies for kids and teens Tu Publishing will bring us, here's what Stacy Whitman is seeing in the submissions pile thus far...and what she hope to see.

A week of summertime fun, or why I haven't posted all that much this week

A week of happy summertime fun just ended with the arrival of a Car from Tanita's publisher, come to pick up her husband and her and whisk them on their way back to Glasgow. We had a happy time of reading and talking and laughing and playing jacks and gathering around the piano to sing and catching up on our blog reading and playing ping pong and reading some more and eating delicious cake and cinnamon rolls made by T. and D. and much more family fun in the same vein. Basically, after the excitement of the American Library Association meeting, we were all in the mood to lie low, which we did with great aplomb.

Summertime fun will continue without them, but it sure was lovely to have their company these last few days...

Adventures in Cartooning Activity Book!

Adventures in Cartooning Activity Book, by James Sturm, Andrew Arnold, and Alexis Frederick-Frost (First Second, 2010).


Adventures in Cartooning, published last year, introduced young illustrators to an un-named knight and his trusty steed, Edward. The first book didn't have much story, qua story--it was clearly a book designed to build cartooning confidence, which it did with much delightful humor. Although this sequel sounds like it should have less story, in as much as it is an "activity book," the activity sections are embedded into a coherent cartoon narrative, that tells of an adventure the young knight (and Edward) find in their own castle one rainy day (there are robots! a cookie monster! a giant!). Even once all the pages of activities are filled, this is a book that will be read again and again. It is the just the sort of fun, easy reader to give to your 1st or 2nd grader.

The tips for cartooning are both useful and clearly presented, and the knowledge gained is not only applicable to creating comics, but also to reading them (the types of speech balloons, for instance, are all explained, and neither my house guests, my children, or I knew that a dashed line balloon meant a whisper).

Of all the books that I brought back from ALA, this is the one that brought most happiness home with it. For the past few days, my seven year old has spent hours (literally) absorbed by this slim yet tightly packed paperback (63 pages of the book proper, then several pages of blank comic boxes to draw in). By extension, I love it too, but even if I hadn't had a seven year old to hand it over to, I would be writing a glowing review of it for its own sake...(well, actually, in large measure for Edward's sake, because he is my favorite graphic novel horse ever).

New Releases of Science Fiction and Fantasy for Children and Teenagers--the beginning of July edition

Here are the new releases of fantasy and science fiction for kids and teenagers; my information comes from Teens Read Too, and the blurbs come from the publishers, via Amazon. The Grimm Legacy is up next on my reading list...Which one would you pick?

Middle Grade:

FREQUENCY FREAK-OUT!: IGNATIUS MACFARLAND by Paul Feig When Iggy's transporter makes a crash landing in an even weirder frequency than before, he's sure of one thing: There's no place like home. Putting up with middle-school bullies was nothing compared to battling larger-than-life-sized trees and ferocious plant creatures!Luckily, Iggy's partner-in-crime, Karen, boasts kung fu skills that are impressive even to the extraterrestrials. But when frequency feuding goes from bad to worse, the two begin to wonder if kung fu kicks and sweet talk will be enough to fuel their escape. There's only one way to find out...

GHOSTOPOLIS by Doug TenNapel. "Imagine Garth Hale's surprise when he's accidentally zapped to the spirit world by Frank Gallows, a washed-out ghost wrangler. Suddenly Garth finds he has powers the ghosts don't have, and he's stuck in a world run by the evil ruler of Ghostopolis, who would use Garth's newfound abilities to rule the ghostly kingdom. When Garth meets Cecil, his grandfather's ghost, the two search for a way to get Garth back home, and nearly lose hope until Frank Gallows shows up to fix his mistake."

THE GRIMM LEGACY by Polly Shulman. "Elizabeth has a new job at an unusual library— a lending library of objects, not books. In a secret room in the basement lies the Grimm Collection. That’s where the librarians lock away powerful items straight out of the Brothers Grimm fairy tales: seven-league boots, a table that produces a feast at the blink of an eye, Snow White’s stepmother’s sinister mirror that talks in riddles. When the magical objects start to disappear, Elizabeth embarks on a dangerous quest to catch the thief before she can be accused of the crime—or captured by the thief."

HOW TO RIDE A DRAGON'S STORM: HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON by Cressida Cowell. "Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, everyone's favorite reluctant Viking hero, has three months, five days and six hours to discover America, get back to Berk, save his father, battle Polarserpents and win the annual Inter-Tribal Friendly Swimming Race. Can he do it?"


KAYMON THE GORGON HOUND: BEAST QUEST, THE DARK REALM by Adam Blade The Good Beasts of Avantia have been taken hostage by the Evil Wizard Malvel. Each is being guarded by a new evil Beast in the Dark Realm. In order to rescue Tartok, Tom must go against Kaymon the Gorgon Hound, a Beast unlike any he has faced so far on his Quest. Kaymon prowls the ruins of a forgotten castle. Will Tom be able to defeat this menace and come one step closer to stopping Malvel forever?

SILENCE AND STONE: THE FAERIES' PROMISE by Kathleen Duey. "A continuation of National Book Award finalist Kathleen Duey's chapter book series, The Faeries' Promise, a companion to her popular Unicorn's Secret."

SUB-ZERO SURVIVAL: RIPLEY'S BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION by Robert Ripley Join the Ripley's Bureau of Investigation - a group of teen agents with special gifts - as they embark on a series of action-packed adventures, travelling the world in pursuit of extraordinary events and tales. These wonderful new stories are perfect for adventurously minded children between the ages of 7 and 11. In "Sub-Zero Survival", the culmination of the first "RBI" series, the team begin to link together the hidden clues that they have found on their last few missions and the results point them toward Antarctica and an ancient ice station. However, terrible blizzards, floating pack ice, and a creature that swims with the seals make their hunt for a lost artefact anything but easy!

WINGS OF FEAR: RIPLEY'S BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION by Robert Ripley Join the Ripley's Bureau of Investigation - a group of teen agents with special gifts - as they embark on a series of action-packed adventures, travelling the world in pursuit of extraordinary events and tales. These wonderful new stories are perfect for adventurously minded children between the ages of 7 and 11. In "Wings of Fear", sightings of something strange soaring through the skies over London send the RBI on a mission to the capital city. Soon the team find themselves caught up in high-speed car chases, gliding high above the river Thames, and tackling a gang of jewel thieves as they try to track down the mysterious flying creature.

Young Adult:

BITES: SCARY STORIES TO SINK YOUR TEETH INTO edited by Lois Metzger. "Are you ready for spine-tingling tales by some of today's best writers? Just keep in mind a few simple warnings:
-Some vampires don't want just your blood . . . they want something even more valuable.
-Werewolves, once dead, don't always stay that way.
-Some dogs and coyotes may look normal--but don't get too close.
Remember...what you don't know can bite you."

FORBIDDEN SEA by Sheila A. Nielson. "When Adrianne comes face-to-face with the mermaid of Windwaithe Island, of whom she has heard terrible stories all her life, she is convinced the mermaid means to take her younger sister. Adrianne, fierce-willed and courageous, is determined to protect her sister from the mermaid, and her family from starvation. However, the mermaid continues to haunt Adrianne in her dreams and with her song. Yet, when the islanders find out about Adrianne's encounters with the mermaid she is scorned, for this small and superstitious community believes the mermaid will bring devastation to the island if Adrianne does not give herself to the sea."

LEGACIES: SHADOW GRAIL by Mercedes Lackey & Rosemary Edghill. "Who—or what—is stalking the students at Oakhurst Academy? In the wake of the accident that killed her family, Spirit White is spirited away to Oakhurst Academy, a combination school and orphanage in the middle of Montana. There she learns she is a legacy—not only to the school, which her parents also attended, but to magic. All the students at Oakhurst have magical powers, and although Spirit’s hasn’t manifested itself yet, the administrators insist she has one. Spirit isn’t sure she cares. Devastated by the loss of her family, she finds comfort with a group of friends: Burke Hallows, Lachlann Spears, Muirin Shae, and Adelaide Lake. But something strange is going on at Oakhurst. Students start disappearing under mysterious circumstances, and the school seems to be trying to cover it up. Spirit and her friends must find out what’s happening—before one of them becomes the next victim…"

MAJIX: NOTES FROM A SERIOUS TEEN WITCH by Douglas Rees. "My name is Kestrel.
Kestrel Murphy. Never call me Susan. Who ever heard of a witch named Susan?
A year ago, I was on the white-magic side. Lately, I've been leaning toward the black. I blame the universe. What's the point in being a nice little white witch in the universe I've got? If I could choose my own universe, I'd be a white witch in it. But black makes a lot more sense in this universe. Not that I'm complaining. A witch never complains. But if I did, I'd have a lot to complain about. For instance: Richard Milhous Nixon High. What's a teen witch to do when she's stuck in the most unmagical high school in the universe? Create her own "majix." Take notes. And above all, avoid nasty classmates, heartless grown-ups and boys who may prove a little too distracting for a serious teen witch to handle…."

THE MOONSTONE LEGACY by Diana de Gunzburg & Tony Wild. "In a sacred cave high in the mountains of northern India, a white-haired hermit sits cross-legged, and signs his final testament: "George Abercrombie, 1874 . . . ." In present-day England, 14 year old Lizzy Abercrombie’s mother dies in a tragic accident on the full moon. But was it really an accident? Lizzy discovers that her death may be linked to a mysterious family curse. Determined to solve the mystery, her quest takes her from a doomed Anglo-Indian mansion on the Yorkshire moors to India where she uncovers the terrible truth about her ancestor and a stolen inheritance—but her discoveries put her in mortal danger from a ruthless enemy."

OTHER by Karen Kincy. "Gwen Williams is like any other modern teenager with one exception: she's a shapeshifter. Never having known her Pooka-spirit father, Gwen must struggle with the wild, wonderful magic inside of her alone—and in secret. While society may tolerate vampires, centaurs, and "Others" like Gwen, there are plenty of folks in Klikamuks, Washington, who don't care for her kind. Now there's a new werewolf pack in town, and Others are getting killed, including Gwen's dryad friend. The police are doing zilch. In the midst of terrible loss and danger, Gwen meets a cute Japanese fox spirit who's refreshingly comfortable with his Otherness. Can Gwen find the courage to embrace her true self and find the killer-before she becomes the next victim?"

VAMPIRE BEACH 1: BLOODLUST/INITIATION by Alex Duval. "Jason Freeman is the new kid in DeVere Heights, Malibu. Everyone at his posh new high school is surprisingly friendly, and pretty soon Jason's part of the in-crowd. Not to mention that he's also already fallen for the hot-but-unattainable Sienna. But not all is right in DeVere Heights. When a girl washes up on the beach with strange bite marks on her neck, Jason learns that his peers are not what they seem--vampires are real and Sienna is one of them."

WITCH BREED: HELL'S UNDERGROUND by Alan Gibbons. "When Paul arrives in 17th century London, he expects to be thrown into a life or death struggle for the three gates that imprison the ancient King Lud. But the battle doesn't come. Instead, Paul roams alone, learning how to survive in a city where all the talk is of the savage civil war that rages beyond its ramparts. Somewhere underground, Lud is waiting in his crypt, preparing to rise again. War, fear and want are his tools. But Paul too has his own weapons and is gaining strength and losing inhibitions about using it. Meanwhile, beyond the city, innocent women are being killed for it is so easy to claim that they are witches. One woman - whether innocent or guilty - possesses the only power available that can help Paul in his quest."

Moonshadow: Rise of the Ninja, by Simon Higgins

Moonshadow: Rise of the Ninja by Simon Higgins (Little Brown, 2010)

As the medieval period of Japan draws to a close, Moonshadow, a young member of the Grey Light Order, passes the final test of his ninja training. He has learned the arts of various types of combat, he's studied tactics, he can "walk" on water, and he's even been taught to link his mind to animals, so that he can see through their eyes. But is he ready to go on the mission he's been assigned--to capture secret plans from a power-hungry man who plans to destroy the whole warrior code of Japan in his bid for domination? A man who has hired a warrior known only as "The Deathless" to make sure no-one succeeds in stopping him?

Snowhawk too is a young ninja, sent on the same mission. But for her, the price of failure is even greater than shame (and the end of a way of life). If she can't bring the plans home to her own shadow clan, she will be killed.

Moonshadow and Snowhawk are rivals. But the enemies they face are too powerful for either to defeat alone...

In their adventures they demonstrate non-stop ninja fighting skills and sneaking skills and climbing skills (and more) that should prove delightfully entertaining to fans of such ninja-ish things. This is a book I would give in a second to a young fan of martial arts, with ninja dreams...

Which doesn't describe me. There are many, many pages describing violent encounters, and traps, and wall climbing, etc, and I, um, skimmed some of the fight scenes, after the second or third shuriken throw...Yet the book is not without some character development. Moonshadow's training is seen in flashbacks, making him more than just a ninja warrior machine. Not tremendously much more, but enough so that I was engaged enough in his story to keep the pages turning. I would have been even more engaged had Snowhawk gotten more page time; she never quite came alive for me.

(so one walks away from the computer and, lo! The house guest finishes it!

What Charlotte really means to say: If you have a boy reader who wants to read action scenes, give him this novel - and watch him enjoy it!

If your tastes run toward more emotionally dense ninja fiction with fewer fight scenes and more characterization, you may want to give this one a pass.

Here's another review, at The Fourth Musketeer.

(ARC received from the publisher at ALA Midwinter)

After ALA...given added interest by the YA winners

I went back to ALA on Monday...all a quiver to fill my bags with books and to meet folks. And indeed, I came home with just as many books as I could manage--one more and I would have ended up whimpering in the Metro corridors (though there were still books that I would have liked, that chance didn't send my way. And there weren't any ARCs of the new Bartimaeus book...). I didn't get a chance to meet many people (sigh), but I sure enjoyed seeing the people I did manage to hook up with (Pam, Tanita, Kelly, and Laura). And Tanita will be staying here at my mother's with us for two days, which will be lovely.

Now I just need to get reading, which is easier said than done, mainly because of the distractions of summertime fun with the boys here at grandma's house, which make for a certain lack of concentrated quiet time...

Here's the added interest part--the short lists for Canada's Sunburst Award (Canada's big juried sci fi award) have been announced, and here are the YA books in contention:

Megan Crewe, Give Up the Ghost (Henry Holt)
Maureen Garvie, Amy By Any Other Name (Key Porter)
Hiromi Goto, Half World (Penguin)
Lesley Livingston, Wondrous Strange (HarperTeen)
Arthur Slade, The Hunchback Assignment (HarperCollins)

Of which I have read just one (Wondrous Strange). And never even heard of two (Amy and Half World). Oh well.

(thanks to Science Fiction Awards Watch for the heads up)

This Sunday's round-up of middle grade fantasy and science fiction from around the blogs

Greetings, all, and welcome to this week's gleenings of posts from around the blogs that are relevant to middle grade science fiction and fantasy. If I missed you, let me know!

Just by way of a starter, check out this post-apocalyptic lego diaroma (via io9)--fun with dystopia! (it actually looks a lot like my living room floor).

Breaking News: The date for this fall's KidLit con is Saturday, October 23, 2010. More here, at the Kidlit Con 2010 blog...

Reviews:

The Celestial Globe, by Marie Rutkoski at IMCPL Kids

Chantel's Quest for the Enchanted Medallion, by Oliver Neubert’s at Alita.reads

Dark Life, by Kat Falls, at A Year of Reading and Bending Bookshelf.

The Familiars, by Adam Jay Epstein and Adam Jacobson, at Bookworming in the 21st Century.

Maddigan's Fantasia, by Margaret Mahy, at Charlotte's Library.

Moonshadow: Rise of the Ninja, by Simon Higgins, at The Fourth Musketeer.

Nieve, by Terry Griggs at Critique de Mr. Chompchomp.

The Owl Keeper by Christine Brodien-Jones at Throwing Up Words.

The Pyramid of Souls (Magickeepers, book 2), by Erica Kirov, at Lori Calabrese.

The Queen Elizabeth Story, by Rosemary Sutcliff, at Charlotte's Library.

The Red Pyramid, by Rick Riordan, at Beyond Books.

The Secret Lives of Princesses, by Philippe Lechermeier, at A Year of Reading.

Slime Squad, by Steve Cole, at The Book Zone (for boys)

Space Crime Conspiracy, by Gareth P. Jones, at Mr. Ripley's Enchanted Books

The Water Seeker, by Kimberly Willis Holt at Kid Lit and at Becky's Book Reviews (I asked Tasha of Kid Lit if this was fantasy, and she answered thus "It does have a fantasy element, less about the dowsing and more about the continued presence of the dead mother in many people’s lives and through flocks of birds. It is subtle but there."

The Witches Guide to Cooking With Children, by Keith McGowan at Welcome to My Tweendom.
The World Above, by Carmeron Dokey, at The Compulsive Reader.

At Books4yourkids it was Doll Week! Here are the books that took part, with the links taking your to the post on that particular book: The Doll's House, by Rumer Godden, The Doll House Fairy, written and illustrated by Jane Ray, Big Susan, written and illustrated by Susan Orton Jones, Fanny, written and illustrated by Hollie Hobbie, The Doll People, by Ann M. Martin and Laura Goodwin, Hitty, Her First Hundred Years, by Rachel Field.


Interviews: Deva Fagan (The Marvelous Misadventures of Prunella Bogthistle) at The Enchanted Inkpot. Katie Hine (Guardian) at Jane's Ride.

And other fun things:

Hilary Wagner (Nightshade City) writes about writing creepy for kids at Teresa Frohock

Katherine Langrish offers more of her nice fat posts--this time a two part series on fantasy worlds. Here's Part 1 (three classics), and here's Part 2 (modern writers)


Nick James grades kid's fantasy book to movie adaptations at The Spectacle


Jenny (of Jenny's Books) will be celebrating Diana Wynne Jones Week August 1-7, and invites us to join her!

The Locus Awards--Leviathan wins best YA

The Locus Awards, for books published in the previous calendar year, have been announced-- And the best young adult novel is: LEVIATHAN, by Scott Westerfeld

The others on the short list:

The Hotel Under the Sand, Kage Baker
Going Bovine, Libba Bray
Catching Fire, Suzanne Collins
Liar, Justine Larbalestier

This award is determined by a poll of Locus Magazine's subscribers....I think that I would have picked Leviathan too, if these books were all I had to choose from. But my favorite YA sci fi/fantasy of last year (to the best of my recollection) would probably be The Demon's Lexicon, by Sarah Rees Brennan. Leviathan was very good indeed (here's my review), but didn't quite fill me with the joy of being alive and having more pages left to turn, the way one's favorite books do...

Which one of the short list would you have voted for?

In which an INFP goes to ALA

I am a rather extreme example of an INFP (according to the Myers-Briggs personality type scheme of things), and truly, my life is just one long stream of INFP-ness. Including my day yesterday, in which I left home for Washington DC and the summer meeting of the American Library Association.

I is for introvert. Introverts tend to become very tired when they spend lots of time with other people...by the time I actually got to the Exhibits at ALA, I had spent six hours travelling with my Dear Boys (we're staying at my mother's house). Six hours in which both of them essentially wanted to sit on my lap, so by the time we arrived, crawling into a corner and hiding seemed like an excellent idea. But instead, the moment we got safely to Arlington, my mother drove back into DC, to get to the last twenty minutes of the exhibits, and then I went over to the SCBWI get together. A large group of strangers is not introvert heaven, and I questioned my sanity, but happily I met some old blogging friends, and met some new ones, and so was glad I went.

N is for intuitive. As opposed to S people, who rely on facts, common sense, and past experience, N people trust vaguely that their intuition will direct them. N people tend to arrive at exhibit halls having left their lists and maps at home by accident, and trust to the fates that they will be led in the direction of the books they want. This doesn't work very well, because sometimes one forgets the name and publisher of the book one really wants (the new Baritmaeus one) and feels futile. However, I did come home with a nice little bag of arcs, including Pegasus, so that was ok.

F is for feeling vs thinking. Which is to say, I am not so very good at approaching situations with calm logic (see above). More crazed, emotional squirrel than calm, thoughtful book reviewer. I tried to hide this--because what publisher wants to give ARCs to crazed squirrels? But I don't know if it worked.

P is for perception. The main distinction in this fourth category is whether a person values closure, or open-endness; the realization, or the expectation. I have spent the past week in just a giddiness of happy anticipation, and so, even if I hadn't gone last night, and hadn't gotten any books or met new people, I would have gotten my money's worth just from how much I looked forward to it.

I don't know when I'll make it back into town...My mother has a full weekend of bird banding, and although I'm very proud that my mom is an ace bird bander, it does mean that she isn't home to keep an eye on the kids. And, trying hard to think logically, based on past experience, it probably would be Very Stressful to take the boys into town with me today....so I'll probably just spend the day anticipating tomorrow afternoon, when I'll be able (d.v.) to go back....maybe even with a list (ha ha--sarcasm laugh).

Neil Gaiman has just become the 1st author to win the Carnegie, the Newbery, and the Cybils

The little Graveyard Book that could has done it again, winning Britian's prestigious Carnegie Medal -- read more about it here in the Guardian.

The longer it becomes since I've read it, the less sure I am just why it is so hugely awarded (it also picked up a Hugo for best novel, which was a pretty tremendous nod to a book written for children). I remember clearly not liking the bad vulture-type spirit things with presidents' names (what did they add?) ; I remember liking very much the bit where the ghosts go out to dance, and I remember liking Bod, and the "boy growing up in graveyard" part of the book, but I don't quite remember it as being so very, very good as all that....Oh well. Maybe it's time for a re-read...

Great grim and gritty YA fantasy--Now with suggestions

Here's a question I was asked in a comment on yesterday's post: "do you think it's possible to do grim and gritty YA fantasy (on a Joe Abercrombie level)?"

I'm not the best person to ask--I've never read Joe Abercrombie, I'm don't much care for grim and gritty (I read almost no "urban fantasy"), and I'm not entirely sure what constitutes "gritty" anyway. I looked it up--Merriam Webster says"having strong qualities of tough uncompromising realism." But since I'm not sure what "realism" means, exactly, when you are talking about fantasy and science fiction, I don't feel all that much more secure...

But regardless, here are some books that I think are rather outstanding examples of grim and gritty YA science fiction/fantasy, books in which there is little comfort to be found, and no easy answers:

The Maze Runner, by James Dashner.

The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins.

The Knife of Never Letting Go, and its sequels, by Patrick Ness.

Finnikin of the Rock, by Melina Marchetta.

The Forest of Hands and Teeth and its sequel, by Carrie Ryan.

I note, however, that the questioner wanted fantasy specifically, so the first three mightn't count, and I think I fail. And even though there are lots of YA dystopian books out there, they really aren't all that grim and gritty (and they are mostly sci fi). Like Birthmarked, for instance, which I reviewed yesterday. It was rather a pleasant read, as dystopias go, and not without hope and likable characters for whom one could (just about) imagine happy ever afters...

Here are the suggestions from commentors (thanks, mb, Kate, Angie, Penthe, Chachic and Michelle)

House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer

Magic or Madness and sequels by Justine Larbalestier

The Devil in the Road by Robert Westall.

Holly Black's Modern Faerie Tales trilogy, particularly Valiant.

White Cat, by Holly Black

Margo Lanagan's books.

The Boneshaker, by Kate Milford

Charlie Fletcher's Stoneheart trilogy

The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman

Waiting on Wednesday to get on the plane to ALA on Friday--the books I want most badly of all

I am almost dizzy with anticipation about going to the American Library Association in D.C.--so excited and happy, and squee-ful I can hardly stand it! I will be seeing friends I've already met! I will be meeting friends I've never seen! One of the later is even going to come to a sleep-over at my (mother's) house! And that will be very nice, and I'm looking forward to that part of things considerably.

But really, what is filling my mind is the exhibit hall-- a goblin market of booths with all the tempting book wares displayed... I am practicing Being Strong. I will not give in to greed. I will only ask for/accept books that I really want. Or possibly, just want. But no books that I think maybe I might want next month because they look interesting. There is such a thing as too large a to be read pile, and I have enough guilt in my life....


That being said, there are more than a few books I really want. But of those books, here are the two that I want most. The two books that if I don't get them, will make all other happy things taste of dust and ashes...

Pegasus, by Robin McKinley (enough said)

The Ring of Solomon, by Johnathan Stroud. (Bartimaeus = best demonic being ever. Except maybe Nick (of The Demon's Lexicon et seq.)

My only anxiety is that I won't get to the exhibits hall before 6:30 on Friday (if I'm lucky) and all the arcs of these will be gone...and I will go to the kidlit drink night empty handed, trying to smile bravely...trying to be friendly, despite it all.

Life is so much more interesting when you exaggerate, and make small things into matters of huge importance...

(Waiting on Wednesday is the brainchild of Jill at Breaking the Spine)

Birthmaked, by Caragh M. O'Brien

Birthmaked, by Caragh M. O'Brien (2010, Roaring Brook Press, YA, 361 pages)

Far in the future, there is an enclave of civilization in the middle of an arid wilderness. Behind its walls, the citizens of the Enclave, as it's called, enjoy all the trappings of pleasant life...running water, luxury goods, and the like. For the folk living outside the walls, drawn generations ago from the outside world to the Enclave, life is less easy, but still tenable--and the Enclave offers enough "bread and circuses" to keep folks more or less content. Because the Enclave needs these people; in particular, their children. For the people outside, there's only one way to become an insider--to be "advanced" as a baby. Every month, a set number of babies are taken from their birth mothers, and delivered to the gates, never to be seen again.

Sixteen-year old Gaia is one of the midwifes outside. She was never eligible for Advancement because of the burn scar on her face, and her life has been spent trying to hide behind her hair in a society that has little respect for the imperfect. She doesn't question her responsibility to follow the rules of the Enclave; her own parents had two older children advanced, and she knows that they are now living a much easier life than her own. But when her mother and father are taken away by Enclave guards, and Gaia herself is interrogated, she finds out that there are secrets about the system of child advancement that she had never guessed existed. Apparently her parents knew a lot more than they told her...

Desperate to see her parents again, and desperate for answers, Gaia sneaks into the Enclave. There she finds that all is not as perfect as it seems--the foundation of the Enclave is shaking, and Gaia might hold the knowledge that is a vital piece of the solution planned by those in power. The Enclave wishes to make use of her, and will not stop at cruelty enforce its will. But even among the privileged citizens, there are people who have begun to question the status quo...and outside the walls, the bread and circuses will not keep the people quite forever, as the number of children taken from them continues to rise....

A fascinating story of institutionalized oppression, one that raises ethical issues even as it entertains the reader. O'Brien's world building is compelling, and I found the pacing of Gaia's story first rate. It's the sort of book that keeps the reader briskly turning the pages, trying to solve the mystery right alongside the central character, with no tricksy slight of hand by the author. Action and introspection are nicely mixed--the strong characterization and the circumstances of the particular plot complement each other, rather than competing for the reader's attention. And there's a nice thread of romance, which, even though it stretches credulity a tad, provides a pleasant diversion.

The ending cries out for a sequel, and happily O'Brien is writing one even as I type.

Chalk, by Bill Thomson, a fantasy picture book

And now for something completely different-- a wordless picture book that beautifully tells a fantastical story.

Chalk, by Bill Thomson (2010, Marshall Cavendish).

Three kids, on a rainy day, walk through a playground. There they find a ride-on bouncy T-rex holding a shopping bag in its jaws, and inside are sticks of sidewalk chalk. A girl draws the sun, and the sun comes out, dazzling in the brightness reflected by the puddles. A girl draws the outlines of butterflies, and monarchs take flight around her. And what does the boy draw? A T-rex! (typical).

Panic ensues when the chalk works its magic again. But fortunately the boy keeps his head, and draws the one thing that will save them from the T-rex's ravenous jaws....

This one just tickled me to pieces. For a wordless picture book, it sure tells a good story...the sort of imaginative story that makes the reader (looker?) launch into daydreams of their own. It could almost really happen... and the fantasy of the story is given even more magic by its contrast with the realism of the illustrations, which are beautifully detailed. My own boys, at the ripe old ages of 9 and 7, weren't that interested, but for a four year old, or thereabouts, I bet this would be pure enchantment. I liked it lots myself.

Added bonus: the three kids are a diverse bunch-- black, Asian, and white. Drawback (tongue in cheek): Might suggest to girls that boys have poor impulse control and don't always think things through the same way they themselves do.

Other thoughts at Muddy Puddle Musings, My Book Retreat, and The Children's Book Compass.

(Disclaimer: review copy received from the publisher)

Gender and the writing of sff for the young continued

Last Sunday, I talked about the way in which women writers dominate fantasy and science fiction for children and young adults, and I indulged in some speculation about why this might be the case. The discussion that ensued (thank you all who commented!) has in turn led me to this post. I originally left it as a comment myself, but didn't want it to be buried there. I'm very curious to know what other people think (I'm know how I feel, but I'm not entirely sure what I think).

It's a great time for girls in fantasy, both as readers and fictional characters, and, for women, as writers. I myself couldn't be happier as a reader. But I can't celebrate this wholeheartedly, because I'm bothered by thought that great women writers might be being dissuaded (actively by others, or unconsciously, by subtle societal expectations and assumptions) from writing adult sff, leaving that a male-dominated field.

At Laini Taylor's blog, Grow Wings, where she was sharing the news of her upcoming YA fantasy (which sounds wonderful!) I was struck by this quote from the Publishers Weekly's announcement "[Little Brown Books for Young Readers] is promising a significant marketing push for the title, which it believes will have crossover appeal to adults." If she were a guy, would her book have been marketed straight to grown-ups?

Aside from redressing gender imbalances in adult sff on behalf of women everywhere, is there any reason to want to be shelved in the adult section??? The book would be more likely to win the Hugo or Nebula, and more likely to be read by men. But are there other advantages to the author? Do books by women in fact find a larger readership of both genders when they are marketed as adult books? And these questions add up to the big question I'm asking myself, and anyone else who cares to answer--does it matter if great women authors of sff are being published as YA and not as adult? Will the great books have staying power, no matter where they are shelved?

I have a second, subsidiary question--If a woman starts writing children's and YA sff, and develops a significant reputation in that sub-genre, is it hard, if not impossible, to be published as adult later on? Harder than for a man in the same circumstances? (Eoin Colfer seems to be doing it without a problem).

Edited to add:

And here are the finalists of this year's John W. Campbell Award (a very prestigious award, chosen by committee, honoring "the best science-fiction novel of the year"):

• The Year of the Flood, Margaret Atwood (Talese)
• The Windup Girl, Paolo Bacigalupi (Night Shade)
• Transition, Iain M. Banks (Orbit)
• Makers, Cory Doctorow (Tor)
• Steal Across the Sky, Nancy Kress (Tor)
• Gardens of the Sun, Paul McAuley (Pyr)
• The City & The City, China Miéville (Del Rey)
• Yellow Blue Tibia, Adam Roberts (Gollancz)
• Galileo’s Dream, Kim Stanley Robinson (Ballantine Spectra)
• WWW: Wake, Robert J. Sawyer (Ace; Gollancz)
• The Caryatids, Bruce Sterling (Del Rey)
• Julian Comstock: A Story of 22nd-Century America, Robert Charles Wilson (Tor)

There a two women on this list, and one of them (Atwood) denies writing science fiction...

(thanks to Science Fiction Awards Watch for the heads up)

Maddigan's Fantasia, by Margaret Mahy, for Timeslip Tuesday

Maddigan's Fantasia, by Margaret Mahy (Simon and Schuster, 2007, mg, 512 pages)

All her life 12-year old Garland has traveled with her family's carnival, Maddigan's Fantasia, through a post-apocalyptic world. It's pleasant enough to perform on the tightrope in scattered settlements, secure in her place in her family and in the world. But then Garland watches in horror as a band of marauders attacks the Fantasia's caravans, killing her father. That same afternoon, two mysterious brothers and their baby sister appear from nowhere. They claim to have come from the future, on a mission to change the dark turn that their history is about to take.

They are accepted on sufferance into the Fantasia, and the carnival moves on, driven by its own promise to bring back to the city of Solis, a bastion of civilization, the solar converter it needs to survive. But two darkly powerful figures have followed the family from the future, determined to stop them before things can be changed. The loyalties and skills of the members of Maddigan's Fantasia, and those of Garland in particular, are put to the test as they meet with constant opposition in their quest to bring light back to Solis, and ensure a better future for their world.

Maddigan's Fantasia is a long book, and one that takes some time to find a tight focus. For the first 280 pages or so, there is a very episodic feel to the story as the settlement travels from settlement to settlement, finding a different thing wrong in each one. These encounters, although not unenjoyable reading in themselves, felt like discrete short stories that didn't contribute much to the larger story arc, which kept me from being deeply involved in the book.

Fortunately for me, Mahy then changes pace, and the tension mounts as the Fantasia races to get the converter home, while fending off the bad guys from the future and their sinister overlord's attempts to manipulate events and people in the present. The journey becomes a more coherent and exciting story, and Garland comes into her own as a strong and plucky heroine, dealing simultaneously with the loss of her father and the external dangers that beset the Fantasia.

Time-travel-wise, though, Maddigan's Fantasia doesn't deliver. It would not be hard to eliminate the time travel element completely, and still have much the same story. The future world characters--bad guy who wants absolute power and the two henchmen he's sent back in time, good guys trying to stop him--could easily be people in Garland's present. The cultural disconnect that adds interest to so many time travel books is barely mentioned. One time-travel episode, in which Garland is taken to her own past, is interesting enough, but is not immediately relevant to the larger story (although it is a chance for Garland's character to develop). It didn't have to be there, and it felt a bit forced.

Although this book never worked for me as a time travel story, the Fantasia itself, weaving the post-apocalyptic world together with the wonders it offers, is a lovely creation, and the reader with the patience to accept that the story takes time to really gather momentum might well enjoy Garland's adventures very much.

The Queen Elizabeth Story, by Rosemary Sutcliff, for the summer solstice

Rosemary Sutcliff is the premire 20th-century author of historical fiction for children. Her books about Roman Britain, in particular, are absolutely must reading. The Queen Elizabeth Story (1950), which I'm talking about today because it starts at Midsummer, is one of Sutcliff's youngest books, and one of her first. It's the only one, as far as I know, in which there is an element of real magic (her one picture book aside).

"...Perdita was born just as the brass-faced clock in the Rector's study struck half-past eleven on Midsummer's Eve; and as everyone knows--or if they do not, they ought to--anyone born on Midsummer's Eve, especially towards midnight, will be sure to see fairies..." (page 12) And so, near midnight on Perdita's eighth birthday, the fairies summon her to receive a birthday wish. Whisking her off to the Broomhill they tell her to wish on the Grey Maiden, the tall grey stone standing at its crest. "I wish to see Queen Elizabeth," she asks. "I wish to see her so close I could put out my hand and touch her." (page 32).

From then on, the fairies fade into the background...but Perdita's story still is magical. It tells how she and her older brother Robin, and Robin's friend Adam, the young heir to the manor, meet the Queen one glorious day. But before that happens, the small doings of life in Elizabethan England are brought to lovely life, made into large happenings through the enthusiasm of young Perdita. And at last her wish comes true...a large happening by any standard!

What really made this book for me, when I was young, was Adam. He was my first book love ( I was nine), and I am awfully fond of him still. He is lame, but so gallant and kind that Perdita doesn't notice it...and in a scene I especially love, he invites a sad and lonely Perdita to a private banquet at the manor, where he makes the lords and ladies of a tapestry come alive for her in a glorious magical wonderful-ness.

There are a couple of stories within the story, that, as a grown-up reader, I find break the flow of the book as a whole. But despite that flaw, it is a lovely book, full of thick description and vivid character and history made real. And its magic is aided and abetted by the wonderful drawings of C. Walter Hodges, my favorite children's book illustrator.

(sorry for the slightly wonky cover image--my own copy doesn't have a dust jacket, or I would have scanned it to make a better image available on line...)