Three time travel stories from The Wind's Twelve Quarters, by Ursula Le Guin (for Timeslip Tuesday)

When Ursula Le Guin was eleven, she submitted a time travel story to Astounding Stories.* It was rejected, but, twenty odd years later, another time travel story became her first paid acceptance. Since then, time slippage has been an inescapable fact of life in Le Guin's universe, one in which characters traveling through the vastness of space age only hours or days, while years pass by on the planets. The vagaries of time passing, and the emotional consequences of time slippage, are mentioned in her novels, but it is in her short stories that she has confronted most directly the consequences and implications of time travel.

For today's Timeslip Tuesday, I offer a quick look at three of Le Guin's early time slip stories, all from The Wind's Twelve Quarters, Le Guin's first anthology of short stories. There are spoilers (the fact that these involve time travel, right off the bat), for which I am sorry, but there it is.

"Semley's Necklace" (written in 1963) became the prologue of Le Guin's first novel, Rocannon's World. It tells of a highborn lady from a far away planet, who journeys into space to reclaim her family's valuable necklace from a museum of interplanetary exotica. But Semley, determined to bring her husband and her daughter back this long-lost treasure that will save them from poverty, doesn't know the cost that she will pay...the cost of lost years. It is a sad and romantic story--not as complex as Le Guin's writing was to become, but still packing considerable emotional punch.

"Winter's King" (first published in 1969) was Le Guin's first foray into the world of Gethen, also know as Winter, to which she would return for The Left Hand of Darkness. It is part political intrigue, part an exploration of what it means for a people to be without fixed gender, and part a time travel story. It is told from the point of view of a young king, who is forced to leave her planet, her kingship, and her baby...and who, years later, returns.

And finally, this anthology contains "April in Paris," (that first story Le Guin got paid for) which is not sad at all. It is smart, and funny, and uses time travel most delightfully to bring a disparate group of lonely people (20th century historian, medieval alchemist, Roman slave girl, and alien archaeologist from the future, plus a lost dog) together. Since it's set on earth, Le Guin gets to have a bit fun with the cultural disconnects between modern and mediaeval France, making this a lighter read than the two stories above, although it, too, is emotionally moving.

The Wind's Twelve Quarters contains many other fine stories, but these three time travel ones stuck with me most. I think one reason for this is that they share another theme that Le Guin revisits often, one that resonates with me lots--that of home coming. Le Guin's books and stories are full of characters who voyage, and return; they seek places where they will be able to live fully, and they seek people with whom they can make "homes" for themselves, regardless of place. In all three of these stories, time travel is what drives the home coming/exile, and it does so very effectively, although perhaps a tad mechanically. In her novels, with more room to maneuver, she's able to create her stories of voyage and return without needing the short cut to emotional intensity that time travel gives to these stories.

"Another Story", written by Le Guin several decades after these, shows even more clearly this Le Guinian use of time travel to pack great emotional intensity into a a short story. It has already gotten its own Timeslip Tuesday post here.

And I have to stop now, because I am writing this on my lunch break at the library and I have to go back to work....




*"An Interview with Ursula Le Guin" at Writing-World.com

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

Welcome to this week's compilation of middle grade fantasy/science fiction book reviews and news from around the blogs (at least, all that I could find).

The Reviews:

The Adventures of Nanny Piggins, by R.A. Spratt, at Becky's Book Reviews

boom! by Mark Haddon, at Charlotte's Library.

Blue Fire (Healing Wars Book 2), by Janice Hardy, at Beyond Books.

The Crowfield Curse, by Pat Walsh, at Book Aunt.

Dark Days (Skulduggery Pleasant, Book 4), by Derek Landy, at The Written World.

Frozen in Time, by Ali Sparkes, at Charlotte's Library.

Gregor the Overlander, by Suzanne Collins, at My Friend Amy

How to Grow Up and Rule the World, by Vordak the Incomprehensible, at Book Aunt.

Mortal Coil (Skulduggery Pleasant Book 5), by Derek Landy, at The Book Zone.

The Nightmarys, by Dan Poblocki, at Middle Grade Ninja.

Nightshade City, by Hilary Wagner, at Literary Rambles

Ninth Ward, by Jewell Parker Rhodes, at Books Together

No Such Thing as Dragons, by Philip Reeve, at Maltby Reads! Book Aunt, and Great Kids Books

The Owl Keeper, by Christine Brodien-Jones, at O.W.L.

Radiance, by Alyson Noel, at Mindful Musings, and at Charlotte's Library.

The Red Pyramid, by Rick Riordan, at Wicked Awesome Books.

The Runaway Princess, by Kate Coombs, at Random Musings of a Bibliophile.

Silksinger, by Laini Taylor, at Fantasy Fan.

Spaceheadz, by Jon Scieszka, at Eva's Book Addiction, and at Charlotte's Library.

Thresholds, by Nina Kiriki Hoffman, at Kidliterate

Tower of Treasure, by Scott Chantler, at Jean Little Library

The Violet Keystone, by Garth Nix, at Nayu's Reading Corner.


The Interviews/Guest Posts:

Steve Messer (Windblowne) at Cynsations

Dan Poblocki (The Stone Child and The Nightmarys) at Middle Grade Ninja.

Eric Reinhold (Ryann Watters and the King’s Sword) at Speculative Faith.

and a very moving interview with Terry Pratchett at The Gaurdian.

Misc.

It's been Grey Griffins Week at Shannon Whitney Messenger's blog--I've been meaning to start this series for ages....the link above takes you to the first post, which happens to be a giveaway, but do read on from there....

Katherine Langrish is wrapping up her discussion of Witches with a fourth post on Good Witches, at Seven Miles of Steel Thistles.

And the big news of the weekend is the announcement of the Hugo Awards--the Best Novel award was a tie between The Windup Girl, by Paolo Bacigalupi, and The City & The City, by China Mieville. Tor has the full list here.

Finally, you have till midnight tomorrow (Monday) to enter to win one of two copies of Spaceheadz here at Charlotte's Library! Or you can head over to the O.W.L. (by September 13), to enter to win Spaceheadz and more over there!

(Please let me know if I missed your post!)

New Releases of Fantasy and Science Fiction for Kids and Teenagers, the beginning of Sept. 2010 edition

It's quite a nice little assortment, this edition of new releases. My pick would be The Crowfield Curse from the middle grade titles, and Firelight from the YA....

ALIEN CONTACT: ALIEN AGENT by Pamela F. Service. Most humans know that scientists are combing outer space for evidence of intelligent life in the universe. And most aliens know that the Galactic Union has been diligently jamming those efforts until Earth is ready to join. A small group of aliens has other ideas, though. They plan on sending humans fake messages as part of a plan for world domination. Only one "human" can stop them Zack Gaither, Alien Agent. Zack will have to use all he's learned in his previous adventures to save Earth from the Gnairt. Fortunately, he's got some help this time. And she's kinda cute...

BENJAMIN FRANKLINSTEIN LIVES by Matthew McElligott. Victor Godwin's orderly life is upended when he discovers that Benjamin Franklin never actually died-he was put into suspended animation and hidden away for more than 200 years in Victor's basement! After an accident reawakens Ben, Victor must not only help him adjust to the modern world but also help him overcome a slight flaw: when Ben runs low on energy, he turns into a rampaging monster desperately hungry for electricity! All this while trying to take first place in the school science fair. With one of history's preeminent scientists helping out, what could go wrong?

THE CLOUD SEARCHERS: AMULET by Kazu Kibuishi. In the third installment of the thrilling Amulet series, Emily, Navin, and their crew of resistance fighters charter an airship and set off in search of Cielis, a mythical city believed to be located on an island high above the clouds. The mysterious Leon Redbeard is their guide, and there's a surprising new addition to the crew: the Elf King's son, Trellis. But is he ally or enemy? And will Emily ever be able to trust the voice of the Amulet?

THE CROWFIELD CURSE by Pat Walsh. It's 1347 and fifteen-year-old Will, an orphan boy, lives at Crowfield Abbey. Sent into the forest to gather wood, he rescues instead, a creature from a trap - a hob, who shares with Will a terrible secret. Somewhere in the forest behind the abbey where he lives, is a grave. And buried deep in the snow is an angel. But how can an angel die? What has it to do with the monks of the Abbey? When two hooded strangers arrive at Crowfield asking questions about the angel's grave. Will is drawn into a world of dangerous Old Magic. "The Crowfield Feather" was short-listed for the "Times" Chidren's Fiction Competition in 2008. This is a stunning debut novel and the first of a two part series.

THE DEAD BOYS by Royce Buckingham. In the desert town of Richland, Washington, there stands a giant sycamore tree. Horribly mutated by nuclear waste, it feeds on the life energy of boys that it snags with its living roots. And when Teddy Matthews moves to town, the tree trains its sights on its next victim.

From the start, Teddy knows something is very wrong with Richland. Every kid he meets disappears before his eyes. A trip to the cemetery confirms that these boys are actually dead and trying to lure him to the tree. But that knowledge is no help when Teddy is swept into the tree’s world, a dark version of Richland from which there is no escape . . .

THE FAMILIARS by Adam Jay Epstein & Andrew Jacobson. After three young wizard apprentices are kidnapped by the evil queen of a distant land, it is up to their familiars, their magical animal companions -- a street smart alley cat, a precocious blue jay, and a bumbling tree frog -- to save them.

THE GHOST OF CRUTCHFIELD HALL by Mary Downing Hahn. When twelve-year-old Florence boards the crowded horse-drawn coach in London, she looks forward to a new life with her great uncle and aunt at Crutchfield Hall, an old manor house in the English countryside. Anything will be better, she thinks, than the grim London orphanage where she has lived since her parents' death.

But Florence doesn't expect the ghost of her cousin Sophia, who haunts the cavernous rooms and dimly lit hallways of Crutchfield and concocts a plan to use Florence to help her achieve her murderous goals. Will Florence be able to convince the others in the household of the imminent danger and stop Sophia before it's too late?

GHOST DOG SECRETS by Peg Kehret. Each day, Rusty feeds a dog that’s left chained in the frigid weather with no shelter and no food or water. When he realizes that the dog’s been injured, Rusty and his friend Andrew unchain the dog and take it. Are they stealing, or are they rescuing a dog in need?

With the dog living in their secret hideout, the boys face multiple challenges, including a mysterious ghost dog that tries to lead them to a startling secret, Andrew’s snoopy sister, and the escalating threats of the dog’s abusive owner. The fast-paced suspense builds to a surprising conclusion, which will leave young readers cheering for Rusty’s compassion and determination.

GHOST HUNT: CHILLING TALES OF THE SEARCH FOR THE UNSEEN
by Jason Hawes & Grant Wilson. An exciting new middle grade collection of spooky paranormal investigations based on REAL ghost hunts from stars of the TV show Ghost Hunters, the number one reality show on cable television!

In a lush, thick volume, Ghost Hunt will feature multiple stories dramatized with cliff hangers and red herrings to heighten suspense and character interaction. Through the investigations, the reader will learn the ins and outs of ghost hunting, how to spot a hoax, and how to face their fear of the paranormal.

The book will also have tips for ghost hunting at the end of the book, including guides to the technical equipment and how to set up your own traps for ghosts. Though presented as fiction, these stories are based on real cases, and the GHOSTS ARE REAL!

HALF UPON A TIME by James Riley. Life’s no fairy tale for Jack. After all, his father's been missing ever since that incident with the beanstalk and the giant, and his grandfather keeps pushing him to get out and find a princess to rescue. Who'd want to rescue a snobby, entitled princess anyway? Especially one that falls out of the sky wearing a shirt that says "Punk Princess," and still denies she's royalty. In fact, May doesn't even believe in magic. Yeah, what's that about? May does need help though--a huntsman is chasing her, her grandmother has been kidnapped, and Jack thinks it’s all because of the Wicked Queen . . . mostly because May’s grandmother might just be the long-lost Snow White.

THE LIMIT by Kristen Landon. An eighth grade girl was taken today . . .

With this first sentence, readers are immediately thrust into a fast-paced thriller that doesn't let up for a moment. In a world not too far removed from our own, kids are being taken away to special workhouses if their families exceed the monthly debt limit imposed by the government. Thirteen-year-old Matt briefly wonders if he might be next, but quickly dismisses the thought. After all, his parents are financially responsible, unlike the parents of those other kids. As long as his parents remain within their limit, the government will be satisfied and leave them alone. But all it takes is one fatal visit to the store to push Matt’s family over their limit—and to change his reality forever.

THE LOST ISLAND: RIPLEY'S BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION, and also SHOCK HORROR: 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 "Shock Horror", reports of mysterious fires, exploding trees and unexplained power cuts in a remote Rocky Mountain town reach the RBI. Is there any truth in the terrifying stories of a strange figure in the forest with sparks flying from his fingertips? Using their own powerful skills, the RBI are tested to their limits on the sizzling adventure.

M IS FOR MAMA'S BOY: N.E.R.D.S. by Michael Buckley. In this second outing for the 5th grade super spies, Duncan Dewey, codename "Gluestick", is the point of view character. This time the group must fight a very unlikely villain - he still lives with his Mum. In other words, it's the NERDS against a nerd.

NO SUCH THING AS DRAGONS by Philip Reeve. A dragon story with a brilliant twist…. Ansel's new master slays dragons for a living. He says he's hunted the monstrous worms all over Christendom and has the scars to prove it. But is Brock just a clever trickster in shining armour? Ansel is sure there are no such things as dragons. So what is the man-eating creature that makes its lair in the crags of Dragon Mountain? Ansel and Brock must climb the ice face to discover the terrifying truth.

PLAIN KATE by Erin Bow. Plain Kate lives in a world of superstitions and curses, where a song can heal a wound and a shadow can work deep magic. As the wood-carver's daughter, Kate held a carving knife before a spoon, and her wooden charms are so fine that some even call her "witch-blade" -- a dangerous nickname in a town where witches are hunted and burned in the square.

For Kate and her village have fallen on hard times. Kate's father has died, leaving her alone in the world. And a mysterious fog now covers the countryside, ruining crops and spreading fear of hunger and sickness. The townspeople are looking for someone to blame, and their eyes have fallen on Kate.

Enter Linay, a stranger with a proposition: In exchange for her shadow, he'll give Kate the means to escape the town that seems set to burn her, and what's more, he'll grant her heart's wish. It's a chance for her to start over, to find a home, a family, a place to belong. But Kate soon realizes that she can't live shadowless forever -- and that Linay's designs are darker than she ever dreamed.

SCARLETT DEDD by Cathy Brett. You're dead Scarlett...Previously a poor taste jibe from school frenemies, now a statement of fact.

Scarlett is absolutely mortified (in more ways than one) to discover that she's accidentally killed herself while trying to get out of a school trip. Even worse, she's taken her entire family with her. Life as a ghost is pretty dull - if only some of her friends were dead too...

YOUNG ADULT

BEYOND THE MASK: THE GRASSLAND TRILOGY by David Ward In this dramatic conclusion to the Grasslands Trilogy, Corki, Pippa, and all their friends are reunited for a final fight to determine the future of Grassland. After escaping the mountains of Grassland, where Corki and Pippa and their friends were slaves and soldiers, the fugitives finally found a new life, and are seemingly safe at last.

But as the former slaves explore new lands to the north, they discover that cruelty and injustice are not only found in Grassland, and that the people they visit may need their help. Grassland, too, may need assistance. When an appeal from an old friend reaches Corki and Pippa in their travels, will they have the courage to do what’s right for their old land, despite its cruel history? What will it cost them to change Grassland for the better?

THE COUNSELING: GHOST HUNTRESS by Marley Gibson Kendall has just discovered who Emily really is, lost her boyfriend, and nearly died doing the thing she loves most--ghost hunting. It's time to take a break and try to reconcile all the changes she's going through. So Kendall heads to the Sierra Mountains, where there's a camp especially for young people with gifts such as hers. It's a time for reflection and self-discovery.

But when she gets to California, she once again finds restless spirits--and the boy in her last vision. It may be the end of one chapter of her life and the beginning of a new one.

CRUSADE by Nancy Holder & Debbie Viguie For the past two years, Jenn has lived and trained at Spain’s Sacred Heart Academy Against the Cursed Ones. She is among the few who have pledged to defend humanity or die trying. But the vampires are gaining power, and the battle has only just begun. Forced to return home after death takes a member of her family, Jenn discovers that San Francisco is now a vampire strong-hold. As a lone hunter apart from her team, Jenn is isolated—and at risk. She craves the company of her fighting partner, Antonio: his protection, his reassurance, his touch. But a relationship with Antonio comes with its own dangers, and the more they share of themselves, the more Jenn stands to lose. Then Jenn is betrayed by one who was once bound to protect her, causing her to doubt all she had held as true. To survive, Jenn must find the courage to trust herself—and her heart.

EXTRAORDINARY by Nancy Werlin. Phoebe finds herself drawn to Mallory, the strange and secretive new kid in school, and the two girls become as close as sisters . . . until Mallory's magnetic older brother, Ryland, shows up during their junior year. Ryland has an immediate, exciting hold on Phoebe, but a dangerous hold, for she begins to question her feelings about her best friend and, worse, about herself. Soon she'll discover the shocking truth about Ryland and Mallory: that these two are visitors from the faerie realm who have come to collect on an age-old debt. Generations ago, the faerie queen promised Pheobe's ancestor five extraordinary sons in exchange for the sacrifice of one ordinary female heir. But in hundreds of years there hasn't been a single ordinary girl in the family, and now the faeries are dying. Could Phoebe be the first ordinary one? Could she save the faeries, or is she special enough to save herself

FEAR: 13 STORIES OF SUSPENSE AND HORROR
edited by International Thriller Writers Association Turn the pages if you dare. . . .In this collection of thirteen fabulously chilling storiesÑfrom thirteen true masters of suspense, including five New York Times bestsellers and a number of Edgar Award nominees, all edited by none other than R. L. StineÑnothing is what it seems. From cannibalistic children, to an unwitting date with a vampire, to a crush on a boy who just might be a werewolf, no scary stone is left unturned. A must-have for all fans of the genre!

FIRELIGHT by Sophie Jordan. Marked as special at an early age, Jacinda knows her every move is watched. But she longs for freedom to make her own choices. When she breaks the most sacred tenet among her kind, she nearly pays with her life. Until a beautiful stranger saves her. A stranger who was sent to hunt those like her. For Jacinda is a draki—a descendant of dragons whose greatest defense is her secret ability to shift into human form.

Forced to flee into the mortal world with her family, Jacinda struggles to adapt to her new surroundings. The only bright light is Will. Gorgeous, elusive Will who stirs her inner draki to life. Although she is irresistibly drawn to him, Jacinda knows Will's dark secret: He and his family are hunters. She should avoid him at all costs. But her inner draki is slowly slipping away—if it dies she will be left as a human forever. She'll do anything to prevent that. Even if it means getting closer to her most dangerous enemy.

IMMORTAL BELOVED by Cate Tiernan. Nastasya has spent the last century living as a spoiled, drugged-out party girl. She feels nothing and cares for no one. But when she witnesses her best friend, a Dark Immortal, torture a human, she realizes something's got to change. She seeks refuge at a rehab for wayward immortals, where she meets the gorgeous, undeniably sexy Reyn, who seems inexplicably linked to her past. Nastasya finally begins to deal with life, and even feels safe--until the night she learns that someone wants her dead.

IMMORTAL REMAINS: WEIRDSVILLE by Rook Hastings Four freak accidents. Four mysterious deaths. Four signs of trouble. Welcome back to Weirdsville…

"You see, the girls that died – it wasn't by accident. They were cursed, every one of them. Cursed to meet a horrible death… And I'm going to be next."

Four girls from posh school Riverbank have been killed in seemingly random but freakish ways and it’s not long before Bethan and co. are lured into investigating the grisly case. Is it really just coincidence or is there something more sinister going on?
Meanwhile Hashim’s playing truant, Kelly’s on the warpath and Jay’s trying to avoid someone even more close to home… Himself. Scary, paranormal and supernaturally chilling experiences are everyday in a town like Weirdsville.

LURE by Deborah Kerbel. A Victorian garden, a fishing lure, and a ghost named John .Absolutely nothing is going right for Max Green. His parents have just uprooted their family from Vancouver to the bleak suburbs of Toronto, he has no friends, and everybody at his new high school is ignoring him. To make matters worse, he's in love with an older girl who's completely out of his league.

When Max discovers a local library rumored to be haunted by ghosts, he's immediately drawn to it. With the help of some cryptic messages, he begins to piece together the identity of the teenage ghost and the mysterious chain of events that have connected its spirit to the building for over a century. But just who was John, anyway? Why has he chosen to contact Max? And what does an old fishing lure have to do with solving the mystery?

MONSTER HIGH by Lisi Harrison. From Lisi Harrison, the New York Times bestselling author of The Clique and Alphas, comes a new series with a fresh twist on high school, romance, and the "horrors" of trying to fit in. The monster community has kept a low profile at the local high school, but when two new girls enroll, the town will never be the same. Created just fifteen days ago, Frankie Stein is psyched to trade her father's formaldehyde-smelling basement lab for parties and prom. But with a student body totally freaked out by rumors of monsters stalking the halls, Frankie learns that high school can be rough for a chic freak like her. She thinks she finds a friend in fellow new student Melody Carver-but can a "normie" be trusted with her big secret?

PAST MIDNIGHT by Mara Purnhagen. Let me set the record straight. My name is Charlotte Silver and I'm not one of those paranormal-obsessed freaks you see on TV…no, those would be my parents, who have their own ghost-hunting reality show. And while I'm usually roped into the behind-the-scenes work, it turns out that I haven't gone unnoticed. Something happened on my parents' research trip in Charleston—and now I'm being stalked by some truly frightening other beings. Trying to fit into a new school and keeping my parents' creepy occupation a secret from my friends—and potential boyfriends—is hard enough without having angry spirits whispering in my ear. All I ever wanted was to be normal, but with ghosts of my past and present colliding, now I just want to make it out of high school alive….

REVAMPED by Lucienne Diver. The fanged fabulousity of Vamped, FLUX's fastest-selling new release, is back! Gina's Rules for Surviving Super Spy Club Training: 1. First, the dirt and sweat are just too horrible to contemplate. 2. Unless you enjoy cold showers, be the first one to the bathroom in the morning. 3. Cargo pants make you look hip-py. 4. Making out on missions, unless it's part of your cover, is totally grounds for extra push-ups. 5. When going goth, you've totally got to strike words like totally, awesome, and phat from your vocabulary. 6. Who's actually running the Super Spy Club, you ask? I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you.

VANISHED: WHEN LIGHTNING STRIKES/CODE NAME CASSANDRA by Meg Cabot. Jessica Mastriani has never liked attention. All she wants is to make it to high school graduation like any ordinary girl. But when Jess is struck by lightning, she becomes anything but ordinary: suddenly she has the ability to locate missing children.

Now Jess is getting noticed in all the wrong ways and by all the wrong people. The media is obsessed with her and her story. The FBI is tapping her phone. And what’s going on with sexy senior Rob? Soon Jess learns the hard way that not everyone who is lost wants to be found….

With no one to trust, it's up to Jess to decide what to do with her new power—before it’s decided for her.

Z by Michael Thomas Ford. The First Rule of Torching: Cleanse with fire.

Josh is by far the best zombie Torcher around—at least, he is in his virtual-reality zombie-hunting game. Josh has quickly risen through the player ranks, relying on the skill, cunning, and agility of a real Torcher.

The Second Rule of Torching: Save all humans.

But luckily for Josh, zombies exist only in the virtual world. The real zombie war is now more than fifteen years in the past, and the battle to defeat the deadly epidemic that devastated his family—and millions of others—is the stuff of history lessons.

The Third Rule of Torching: You can't bring them back.

Charlie is the top-ranked player in the game. Since all the players are shrouded in anonymity, Josh never expects Charlie to be a girl—and he never expects the offer she makes him: to join the underground gaming league that takes the virtual-reality game off the screen and into the streets. Josh is thrilled. But the more involved he gets, the more he realizes that not everything is what it seems. Real blood is spilling, members of the team are disappearing, and the zombies in the game are acting strange. And then there's the matter of a mysterious drug called Z. . . .

boom! by Mark Haddon

boom! (or 70,000 light years) by Mark Haddon (David Fickling Books, 2010, middle grade on up, 195 pages)

When I heard that Haddon, author of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, had written a science fiction book for kids, it went on my list. By happy chance, when my husband was laid low last week with Sickness, I was able to bring it home from the library to comfort him in his affliction. And he was comforted. (He also got Mockingjay, but he liked this one lots better).

boom! tells of two English lads, Jim, the narrator, and his buddy Charlie, who stumble into a gang of aliens with cool technology and tails. The tails they keep hidden, because tails are a dead giveaway when you are trying to pass as human...and two of the aliens are passing as teachers in Jim and Charlie's school. Soon, the boys Know Too Much, Charlie falls into their clutches, and Jim finds himself enlisting the help of his big sister, Becky (with whom relationships had been strained) for a wild motorcycle ride to Scotland, where the aliens have their secret base...Fortunately, the pluck and cunning of the kids (with help from Becky, who wields a mean club) is sufficient to squelch the alien threat, and all is well...for the moment, at least.

Good, straightforward boys vs aliens. Character development is beautifully combined with action and cool stuff, and unlike many "aliens on earth" stories, the characters actually get to journey out among the stars....In short, a most excellent science fiction for the young, the bedridden not quite so young, or any reader who wants a brisk and zesty adventure.

My only reservation is that the cover (literally) doesn't tell you a darn thing about what the book is about. Not a single helpful word. And the first paragraph, although it describes an interesting sandwich choice, doesn't do much to express "this is a cool book with aliens!" It does not help that the sandwich is Red Leicester and gooseberry jam, which most American kids would not understand, and those that would might well find repulsive. However, at least the title is no longer Gridzbi Spudvetch, which graced its first incarnation back in 1992. In short, it will probably need to be hand-sold to kids.

This is not Haddon's first venture into writing for kids--I have now added his Agent Z series to my list of things to look for. Perhaps I will be able to get 10 year old child to read them, even. Boom! did not attract his fickle gaze. Which is too bad. Maybe if I read him the first five chapters or so out loud....

other reviews at Book Aunt, Kids Lit, and The Excelsior File.

Radiance, by Alyson Noel (a middle grade ghost story)

Radiance, by Alyson Noel (Macmillan, 2010, middle grade, 192 pages)

Riley was 12 when she died and went with her parents into the afterlife. There life is not so tremendously different--she still lives with parents (and dog) in the same house (except the neighborhood is empty, what with the neighbors all being still alive). Her parents seem to be adapting just fine to a state of things that allows them to explore, and develop, and enjoy the life beyond, but for Riley, it isn't that easy. Her big sister isn't there with them. Riley's life when she was on earth, and for her first year or so in the afterlife, was defined by her fixation on her big sister Ever...and it's hard to pull away from watching Ever even now. Plus she's having a hard time accepting the fact that she'll be twelve forever (gah!), and she can't quite grasp what the Afterlife wants from her.

But finally Those In the Know summon her before the Council. She is assigned the role of a Soul Catcher, one who travels down to Earth to persuade reluctant spirits to let go and come to the afterlife. And she's also been assigned a guide named Bodhi, a boy she immediately nicknames dorky guy in her own mind (only problem is, once you're in the afterlife, your thoughts are an open book...).

Riley's first mission is to persuade one of the most famous ghosts of England, the Radiant Boy of Warmington Castle, to stop haunting and more on:

"This is where he lives," Bodhi said, his voice filled with reverence. "The Radiant Boy. He's been here for years. Centuries, really."

"Why do you call him that," I squinted, more interested in delaying than in getting the actual answer.

"Because that's his name." He shrugged, chewing on his bottom lip in this weird way that he has.

"So, you're telling me that his mom actually named him the Radiant Boy?" I shook my head and rolled my eyes, fingers drumming against my wool, plaid skirt. "No wonder he's still here, still haunting the place. He's angry. He wants a do over. A second chance with a better name. It's not his fault. The kid got a bum deal."

Bodhi peered at me from the corner of his eye, clearly not amused. "No one knows his real name, or even where he came from All that's known about him is that he's spent hundreds of years scaring people. The how and why is a mystery, and that's where you come in." (pp 72-73 of ARC)

Turns out, Bodhi has little unfinished business of his own, and the two of them are about to be put through the wringer of supernaturally induced fear, anger, and grief....

Radiance is a middle-grade companion to Noel's Evermore et seq., which are Young Adult, but it is most definitely a stand alone-- nothing depends on having read Evermore (I actually haven't read it myself...someday), and YA readers who love that series might find it disappointing that this one is not more YA. It is very middle grade--there's Riley's voice, smart alecky, 12 year old, and, much more to the point, there's the central theme of trying to make it past being 12--worrying about growing up, moving away from your family, starting to think about the choices you are making--all those big questions that make middle school so much fun.

Of course, since Rilely's dead, you might think these things are irrelevant, but that's not quite how Noel's afterlife works.

I was uncertain about Noel's afterlife, into which the reader is plunged at the beginning of the book--I shared Riley's doubts and confusions about just how things were working. But once we headed down to earth on page 65, the book became essentially a fun ghost story, and I began to enjoy it quite a bit. It's not a book I personally loved (mainly because of my doubts during the first 64 pages of afterlife), but it's one I'd happily recommend to fans of the Suddenly Supernatural series by Elizabeth Cody Kimmel, or Chris Eboch's Haunted series, who are looking for something more Tween-wards. And I myself am looking forward to the sequel--more ghostly fun with Riley and Bodhi (who turns out not to be dorky at all....).

Other reviews: Mindful Musings, Pure Imagination, The Bibliophilic Book Blog, and Alison's Book Marks.
(disclaimer: arc received at ALA this summer)

Frozen in Time, by Ali Sparkes, for Timeslip Tuesday

Frozen in Time, by Ali Sparkes (Egmont/Random House, 2009 in UK, 2010 in US, middle grade, 312 pages).

Rain has kept Ben and Rachel trapped inside their old house on the far outskirts of a small English town. It has also washed away a secret--when it finally clears up, the kids find the sealed hatchway to an underground vault. Despite their (perfectly natural) misgivings, they climb down and begin to explore the hidden rooms, finding a time capsule of 1950s life. Literally-as well as tins of vintage spam, there are two kids down there. Rachel unwittingly sets in motion the mechanism to bring them back from their frozen un-life....and then the fun begins.

Polly and Freddy were sealed in their cyronic chambers by their scientist dad, back in 1956. Then he disappeared, before he could wake them again. It seemed as though he had murdered them, and perhaps defected to Russia...but Polly and Freddy are proof he didn't do the former, and they refuse to believe he would have done the later.

Now the two modern kids have to instruct the two 1950s kids in all the niceties (or not) of 21st life...and all four must use their wits to find out what really happened to the lost scientist. Because Polly and Freddy's reappearance is sending out ripples in the hush hush world of government agencies...and the ripples are attracting sharks.

In large part this is a straightforward, fun adventure, in which considerable time is spent on the fun and games of time culture shock. Imagine the kids from The Famous Five (Polly was reading them, back in the past, as fast as they were published) showing up in your own kitchen, with their outdated attitudes toward gender, and their understandable confusion at linguistic and technological changes. Imagine Polly and Richard's confusion, as they were asked to share the very bedrooms that had been theirs the day before...over fifty years ago....

And then imagine Russian spies, and the like, closing in. While over the heads of the four children hangs the mental image of what happened to the father's other experiments--the rats who had died, bleeding and blinded, after long experimental spells of cyronic sleep. The parents aren't around to save the day (Ben and Rachel's old uncle has gone off to pull strings in London) and the school bullies must be out witted! Will it be a jolly good show, or something...else.

Time travel wise--lots of points for good time culture shock, nicely balanced with the progression of the story. The time travelling kids were allowed genuine moments of emotion, before their stiff upper lips kicked in, and they were allowed to adapt at what I thought was an acceptable pace--neither blind acceptance of everything, or too stubborn a refusal to grasp what had happened.

In short, a fun, fast read, good for light, rainy day escapism. That's the English cover at right--I like it better. It looks less cheesy; the US cover has a very dated look, to my eyes.

New Releases of Science Fiction and Fantasy for kids and teens--the end of August edition

Here are the new releases of fantasy and science fiction books for kids and teens from the end of August. The one I want most is The White Horse Trick, by Kate Thompson...but lots of them sound good!

Middle Grade:

AMONG THE GHOSTS by Amber Benson
"A classic ghost story gets a fresh twist in The New Newbridge Academy from author/actress/director Amber Benson."

THE BIG STINK: NATHAN ABERCROMBIE, ACCIDENTAL ZOMBIE by David Lubar
"It’s a stinky situation when Nathan’s school, Belgosi Upper Elementary, develops a mold problem and his class is forced to share space with the first graders. Soon the eighth graders show up too, including Rodney the bully’s older and meaner brother, Ridley. Could he be the reason for the stinky, putrid, rotten smell that seems to be following Nathan around? It’s up to Nathan, Abigail, and Mookie to solve the mystery of the big stink before it pollutes the entire town.
Fans of David Lubar’s popular Weenies short story collections, which have sold more than one and a half million copies, are sure to enjoy this fourth hilarious installment of the adventures of Nathan Abercrombie, Accidental Zombie."

THE CALL: THE MAGNIFICENT TWELVE by Michael Grant
"Twelve-year-old Mack MacAvoy suffers from a serious case of mediumness. Medium looks. Medium grades. Medium parents who barely notice him. With a list of phobias that could make anyone crazy, Mack never would have guessed that he is destined for a more-than-medium life.
And then, one day, something incredibly strange happens to Mack. A three-thousand-year-old man named Grimluk appears in the boys’ bathroom to deliver some startling news: Mack is one of the Magnificent Twelve, called the Magnifica in ancient times, whatever that means. An evil force is on its way, and it’s up to Mack to track down eleven other twelve-year-olds in order to stop it. He must travel across the world to battle the wicked Pale Queen’s dangerous daughter, Ereskigal—also known as Risky. But Risky sounds a little scary, and Mack doesn’t want to be a hero. Will he answer the call?"

A CRACK IN THE SKY: THE GREENHOUSE CHRONICLES by Mark Peter Hughes
"Thirteen-year-old Eli Papadopoulos is worried. Even though he’s a member of the most powerful family in the world. Even though his grandfather founded InfiniCorp, the massive corporation that runs everything in the bustling dome-cities. Even though InfiniCorp ads and billboards are plastered everywhere, proclaiming: DON'T WORRY! INFINICORP IS TAKING CARE OF EVERYTHING! Recently, Eli noticed that there’s something wrong with the artificial sky. It keeps shorting out, displaying strange colors and random images. And though the Department of Cool and Comfortable Air is working overtime, the dome-city is hotter than it’s ever been. Eli has been raised to believe that the dome-cities are safe, that the important thing is to keep working and consuming, and that everyone is secure and comfortable in InfiniCorp’s capable hands. But now he begins asking questions. All of a sudden, operatives from a dangerous band of terrorists keep contacting him. The Friends of Gustavo—or Foggers—want to tear down everything InfiniCorp has created. They promise Eli that they have the truth he seeks—if he’s brave enough to handle it. Eli isn’t convinced. And he’s about to find out that in the dome-cities, being a Papadopoulos isn’t enough to save a rule-breaker like him from being sent far away to learn right-thinking. In his new home, the Tower, Eli meets Tabitha, once at the top of her Internship class, now a forgotten slave. Together, and with help from Eli’s beloved pet mongoose, Marilyn, they just might be able to escape . . . and try to make a life for themselves in the scorched wilderness outside the domes."

THE CURSE OF DEADMAN'S FOREST: ORACLES OF DELPHI KEEPby Victoria Laurie
"Since Ian Wigby and his sister, Theodosia, found the silver treasure box and the prophecy within it, their world has changed. There's no denying what they discovered in Morocco: a powerful evil is budding, and to defeat it, and save the world from darkness, six uniquely gifted children must be gathered.According to prophecy, a trip through the magical portal near the castle will bring them to the third Oracle--a child with extraordinary powers to heal. But the very same prophecy foretells Ian's death should he venture through the portal again.Everyone agrees: to risk Ian's life is too great a gamble. But when a terrible curse enters the keep, it becomes clear that there is no other choice.If Ian and Theo stay in Dover, all will surely be lost, but to follow the prophecy, they will risk their lives and everything they have ever held dear."

EMPIRE OF NIGHT: VAMPIRATES by Justin Somper
"After the surprising revelation of the Tempest family history, twins Connor and Grace face a newly-defined future marked by their Vampirate roots. Meanwhile, Sidorio's evil Vampirate Empire continues its expansion, making it tragically apparent that no ship is safe. As for the pirates, they have a new mission: wipe out the vampirates.There's a bloody battle brewing in the seas, and each crew will need all hands on deck. And, this time, Grace and Connor may find themselves fighting for their lives-or against each other."

HOW TO GROW UP AND RULE THE WORLD by Vordak T. Incomprehensible
"Slip on your acid-free gloves, make sure you have a duplicate copy of How to Grow Up and Rule the World (just in case something should happen to this one) and try to follow along as the incomparable, superior-in-all-ways Vordak the Incomprehensible teaches you a thing or two about villainy. Now you, too, can try (and fail) to attain Vordak's level of infamy.From selecting the most dastardly name, to choosing the ideal henchmen, to engaging in witty repartee with disgustingly chipper superheroes, experienced supervillain Vordak the Incomprehensible guides readers step-by-step toward the ultimate goal of world domination (from his parents' basement in Trenton, New Jersey). With chapter titles like "Bringing Out the Evil" and "Building a Top-Notch Evil Organization," numerous bold illustrations, and detailed quizzes to assess your level of dastardliness, this book provides everything necessary to rise above the masses, and then rub your ascent in their faces.In return for this wealth of knowledge, Vordak requests nothing more than an honored place in the evil regime of he who achieves control of the world. (And, of course, the opportunity to assume command, should things not work out.)"

THE MULTIPLYING MENACE: A MAGIC REPAIR SHOP BOOK by Amanda Marrone
From Publisher's Weekly, because I couldn't find a publicity blurb: "Maggie's magical powers--whatever she wishes for comes true--render a classmate bald and get Maggie expelled at the start of Marrone's (Devoured) Magic Repair Shop series. Since Maggie's entomologist parents are leaving for a year in the Amazon, the soon to be sixth grader reluctantly goes to live with her grandmother in Connecticut, where she discovers that her late grandfather used to work at a "magic repair shop." After she follows magician Milo the Magnificent (whose rabbits are multiplying out of control) to the store, she is hired to help solve Milo's problem, catapulting her into a convoluted mystery involving the magician's ill-fated spell to duplicate himself."

THE NIGHTMARYS by Dan Poblocki
"Timothy July has been having nightmares. About his brother, who is in a coma after being wounded in Iraq; about his best friend, Stuart, who is behaving like a jerk; about the old biology specimens in jars lining the walls of his classroom; and about Abigail, the new girl who seems to be a magnet for trouble. Or perhaps she is the cause.Suddenly Timothy’s nightmares are coming true. His brother, his face decaying, approaches Timothy on the street. Stuart ends up in the hospital, terrified that monsters are stalking him. And the specimen jars are tormenting not only Timothy but his teacher as well. What is the secret in Abigail’s past that is the key to these horrors? And can Timothy figure it out before his nightmares become a deadly reality?"

NOTES FROM A TOTALLY LAME VAMPIRE by Tim Collins
"Diary of a Wimpy Kid" meets "Twilight" in this hilarious and sweet story."

RADIANCE by Alyson Noel
"Riley has crossed the bridge into the afterlife—a place called Here, where time is always Now. She has picked up life where she left off when she was alive, living with her parents and dog in a nice house in a nice neighborhood. When she’s summoned before The Council, she learns that the afterlife isn’t just an eternity of leisure. She’s been assigned a job, Soul Catcher, and a teacher, Bodhi, a possibly cute, seemingly nerdy boy who’s definitely hiding something. They return to earth together for Riley’s first assignment, a Radiant Boy who’s been haunting a castle in England for centuries. Many Soul Catchers have tried to get him to cross the bridge and failed. But all of that was before he met Riley . . ."

SABOTAGED: MISSING by Margaret Peterson Haddix
After helping Chip and Alex survive 15th century London, Jonah and Katherine are summoned to help another missing child, Andrea, face her fate. Andrea is really Virginia Dare, from the Lost Colony of Roanoke. Jonah and Katherine are confident in their ability to help Andrea fix history, but when their journey goes dangerously awry, they realize that they may be in over their head. They've landed in the wrong time period. Andrea doesn't seem that interested in leaving the past. And even worse, it appears that someone has deliberately sabotaged their mission...

SAVING SKY by Diane Stanley
"The country is at war, terrorists strike at random, widespread rationing is in effect, and the power grid is down. But thirteen-year-old Sky Brightman is remarkably untouched by it all. She lives off the grid on sixty acres of rural New Mexico ranch land with chores to do and horses to ride and no television or internet to bring disturbing news into her family's adobe house. Sky's schoolmates think she's a little weird.

Then a string of mysterious arrests begins, and her new friend, Kareem, becomes a target. Sky is finally forced to confront the world in all its complexity. Summoning her considerable courage and ingenuity, she takes a stand against injustice. With humor, hope, and fierce determination, she proves that even a child can change the world"

THE SMOKY CORRIDOR by Chris Grabenstein Zack is about to start at his new school, and his dad, who went there years before, tells Zack the stories of the haunted janitor’s closet, the specter of a dead crossing guard, and the Donnelly brothers, who perished in a suspicious fire. Dad doesn’t know that Zack has already met the Donnellys’ ghosts, who have warned Zack that there is an evil zombie under the school. Zack also learns that while zombies are usually content eating corpses, if they happen to bite someone who isn’t dead, that person also becomes a zombie.Before midterms, Zack is dealing with two zombies, while trying to protect a friend whose curiosity has put him on the zombies’ menu.

THE WOLF TREE: THE CLOCKWORK DARK by John Claude Bemis "Can you imagine eternal Darkness, sir?"So asks the sickly stranger who staggers into Peg Leg Nel's birthday party. Before the man dies, he tells Ray and his friends of a Darkness spreading like wildfire across Kansas, turning good people bad and poisoning anyone who tries to escape. It's clear that though the evil Gog is dead, his devilish machine has survived and is growing stronger.Now a full-fledged Rambler, Ray leads his friends on a mission into the heart of darkness. Vital to their success is tracking down the legendary Wolf Tree, rumored to be a pathway to the spirit world. Only with one of the tree's limbs can the Nine Pound Hammer be repaired and the Gog's terrible machine finally destroyed. The search for the Wolf Tree grows desperate as the Darkness spreads, threatening Ray, his friends, and all of humanity.

ZALLY'S BOOK: THE FAIRY GODMOTHER ACADEMY by Jan Bozarth Zally Guevara always knows where she's going. She has a passion for maps of all kinds and can't wait to pack her suitcase and explore the world. But Zally doesn't have to wait to get her wish. With the help of a cup of magical cocoa from her grandmother, she travels to a place that only girls training to become fairy godmothers can get to—the enchanted dreamland of Aventurine, a place that has no map.In Aventurine, Zally is given her quest: to save a fairy queen who has lost her will to live. Zally's companions are a young fairy with a broken wing, and a stallion prince. The trio's journey proves to be even more challenging than they could have imagined as they meet monsters and get lost in a ruined fairy city. All the while, Zally is making a map of Aventurine and discovering that she has a talent, passed down from generations of women in her family: understanding the thoughts of animals. But will this be enough to save the fairy queen and ensure that Zally can continue her fairy-godmother training?

Young Adult

BLACK HOLE SUN by David Macinnis Gill
"Durango is playing the cards he was dealt. And it’s not a good hand. He’s lost his family. He’s lost his crew. And he’s got the scars to prove it. You don’t want to mess with Durango."

THE CANDIDATES: DELCROIX ACADEMY by Inara Scott
"Dancia Lewis is far from popular. And that's not just because of her average grades or her less-than-glamorous wardrobe. In fact, Dancia's mediocrity is a welcome cover for her secret: whenever she sees a person threatening someone she cares about, things just...happen. Cars skid. Structures collapse. Usually someone gets hurt. So Dancia does everything possible to avoid getting close to anyone, belieiving this way she can supress her powers and keep them hidden.

But when recruiters from the prestigious Delcroix Academy show up in her living room to offer her a full scholarship, Dancia's days of living under the radar may be over. Only, Delcroix is a school for diplomats' kids and child geniuses--not B students with uncontrollable telekinetic tendencies. So why are they treating Dancia like she's special? Even the hottest guy on campus seems to be going out of his way to make Dancia feel welcome.

And then there's her mysterious new friend Jack, who can't stay out of trouble. He suspects something dangerous is going on at the Academy and wants Dancia to help him figure out what. But Dancia isn't convinced. She hopes that maybe the recruiters know more about her "gift" than they're letting on. Maybe they can help her understand how to use it...But not even Dancia could have imagined what awaits her behind the gates of Delcroix Academy."

THE CLOCKWORK ANGEL: THE INFERNAL DEVICES by Cassandra Clare
"Magic is dangerous--but love is more dangerous still.
When sixteen-year-old Tessa Gray crosses the ocean to find her brother, her destination is England, the time is the reign of Queen Victoria, and something terrifying is waiting for her in London's Downworld, where vampires, warlocks and other supernatural folk stalk the gaslit streets. Only the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the world of demons, keep order amidst the chaos.
Kidnapped by the mysterious Dark Sisters, members of a secret organization called The Pandemonium Club, Tessa soon learns that she herself is a Downworlder with a rare ability: the power to transform, at will, into another person. What's more, the Magister, the shadowy figure who runs the Club, will stop at nothing to claim Tessa's power for his own.
Friendless and hunted, Tessa takes refuge with the Shadowhunters of the London Institute, who swear to find her brother if she will use her power to help them. She soon finds herself fascinated by--and torn between--two best friends: James, whose fragile beauty hides a deadly secret, and blue-eyed Will, whose caustic wit and volatile moods keep everyone in his life at arm's length...everyone, that is, but Tessa. As their search draws them deep into the heart of an arcane plot that threatens to destroy the Shadowhunters, Tessa realizes that she may need to choose between saving her brother and helping her new friends save the world...and that love may be the most dangerous magic of all."

DAUGHTERS OF DRACULA: THE STOKER SISTERS by Kailin Gow
"Two sisters... Born during the time of Jane Austen... Set to marry for advancement, but escaped their fates by becoming vampires. Now vampires in the 21st century, hunted by a sect of rogue hunters and governed by an ancient Romanian and Bulgarian vampire myth, the sisters live in a small beach town of California where they meet Keegan Knowles, a mysterious boy. For hundreds of years they've shared clothes, books, and their home, but will they share the same boy or is it there going to be war?HALO by Alexandra Adornetto Three angels are sent down to bring good to the world: Gabriel, the warrior; Ivy, the healer; and Bethany, a teenage girl who is the least experienced of the trio. But she is the most human, and when she is romantically drawn to a mortal boy, the angels fear she will not be strong enough to save anyone—especially herself—from the Dark Forces.
Is love a great enough power against evil?"

DEVASTATION by Gloria Skurzynski

"Earth's population has been decimated by disease, and fourteen-year-old Corgan, genetically engineered to be the perfect warrior, plays an important part in the impending virtual war alongside his partner, the beautiful Sharla.'

THE HAUNTED: THE HOLLOW by Jessica Verday
"After a summer spent reclaiming her sanity and trying to forget the boy she fell in love with--the boy who must not exist, cannot exist, because she knows that he is dead--Abbey returns to Sleepy Hollow, ready to leave the ghosts of her past behind. She throws herself into her schoolwork, her perfume-making, and her friendship with Ben, her cute and funny lab partner, who just might be her ticket to getting over Caspian once and for all.

But Abbey can never get over Caspian, and Caspian has no choice but to return to her side, for Caspian is a Shade, and Abbey is his destiny. They are tied not only to each other, but also to the town of Sleepy Hollow, and to the famous legend that binds their fates--a legend whose dark truths they are only beginning to guess...."

KISSES FROM HELLby Kristin Cast, Richelle Mead, Kelley Armstrong, Alyson Noel, & Francesca Lia Block This irresistible collection features stories of love amid vampires by five of today's hottest authors—Kristin Cast (Tempted), Richelle Mead (Vampire Academy), Alyson NoËl (Evermore), Kelley Armstrong (The Summoning), and Francesca Lia Block (Pretty Dead).
From a fugitive vampire forced to trust a boy who might work for the group bent on destroying her to the legendary romance of two immortals whose love compels them to risk everything, this heart-pounding collection brings new meaning to the words "love you forever." Whether you're into romances that are dark and moody or light and fun, these stories will quench that insatiable thirst for enchanting tales of the beautiful undead.

MOCKINGJAY: THE HUNGER GAMES by Suzanne Collins
"Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has survived the Hunger Games twice. But now that she’s made it out of the bloody arena alive, she’s still not safe. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge. Who do they think should pay for the unrest? Katniss. And what’s worse, President Snow has made it clear that no one else is safe either. Not Katniss’s family, not her friends, not the people of District 12."

NEVERMORE by Kelly Creagh
"Cheerleader Isobel Lanley is horrified when she is paired with Varen Nethers for an English project, which is due—so unfair—on the day of the rival game. Cold and aloof, sardonic and sharp-tongued, Varen makes it clear he’d rather not have anything to do with her either. But when Isobel discovers strange writing in his journal, she can’t help but give this enigmatic boy with the piercing eyes another look.
Soon, Isobel finds herself making excuses to be with Varen. Steadily pulled away from her friends and her possessive boyfriend, Isobel ventures deeper and deeper into the dream world Varen has created through the pages of his notebook, a realm where the terrifying stories of Edgar Allan Poe come to life.
As her world begins to unravel around her, Isobel discovers that dreams, like words, hold more power than she ever imagined, and that the most frightening realities are those of the mind. Now she must find a way to reach Varen before he is consumed by the shadows of his own nightmares.
His life depends on it."

PARANORMALCY by Kiersten White Evie’s always thought of herself as a normal teenager, even though she works for the International Paranormal Containment Agency, her ex-boyfriend is a faerie, she’s falling for a shape-shifter, and she’s the only person who can see through paranormals’ glamours.
But Evie’s about to realize that she may very well be at the center of a dark faerie prophecy promising destruction to all paranormal creatures.
So much for normal.

PULSE by Kailin Gow
“17 year-old Kalina didn t know her boyfriend was a vampire until the night he died of a freak accident. She didn t know he came from a long line of vampires until the night she was visited by his half-brothers Jaegar and Stuart Greystone. There were a lot of secrets her boyfriend didn t tell her. Now she must discover them in order to keep alive. But having two half-brothers vampires around had just gotten interesting.”

ROMEO & JULIET & VAMPIRES by William Shakespeare & Claudia Gabel
"You are deluded, Romeo. Vampires do not have the capability to love. They are heartless."
The Capulets and the Montagues have some deep and essential differences. Blood differences. Of course, the Capulets can escape their vampire fate, and the Montagues can try not to kill their undead enemies. But at the end of the day, their blood feud is unstoppable. So it's really quite a problem when Juliet, a vampire-to-be, and Romeo, the human who should be hunting her, fall desperately in love. What they don't realize is how deadly their love will turn out to be—or what it will mean for their afterlives. . . .
This riotous twist on the ultimate tale of forbidden romance is simply to die for.”

TIMERIDERS by Alex Scarrow
“Maddy should have died in a plane crash. Liam should have died at sea when the Titanic sank. Sal should have died in a tragic fire. But a mysterious man whisked them away to safety.Maddy, Liam, and Sal quickly learn that time travel is no longer just a hope for the future; it is a dangerous reality. And they weren't just rescued from their terrible fates. . . they were recruited for the agency of TimeRiders created to protect the world from those seeking to alter the course of history for personal gain. By reliving the highly documented events in New York City on 9/11, they can closely monitor history for any deviations—large or small. When just such a change is detected, they are alerted that a threat is at hand unleashing the evil of the Nazis to wreak havoc with Earth's present and future. Can Maddy, Liam, and Sal fulfill their destinies as keepers of time to save the world from utter destruction?An exhilarating adventure that shifts readers back in time to Nazi Germany and then forward into an ever-changing present.”

UNRAVELED: AN INTERTWINED NOVEL by Gena Showalter
"Since coming to Crossroads, Oklahoma, former outcast Aden Stone has been living the good life. Never mind that one of his best friends is a werewolf, his girlfriend is a vampire princess who hungers for his blood, and he's supposed to be crowned Vampire King—while still a human! Well, kind of.
With four—oops, three now—human souls living inside his head, Aden has always been "different" himself. These souls can time-travel, raise the dead, possess another's mind and, his least favorite these days, tell the future.
The forecast for Aden? A knife through the heart.
Because a war is brewing between the creatures of the dark, and Aden is somehow at the center of it all. But he isn't about to lie down and accept his destiny without a fight. Not when his new friends have his back, not when Victoria has risked her own future to be with him, and not when he has a reason to live for the first time in his life….”

THE WEE FREE MEN: THE BEGINNING by Terry Pratchett
"When Tiffany Aching sets out to become a witch, she faces ominous foes and gains unexpected allies. As she confronts the Queen of Fairies and battles an ancient, bodiless evil, she is aided (and most ably abetted) by the six-inch-high, fightin', stealin', drinkin' Wee Free Men!"


THE WHITE HORSE TRICK by Kate Thompson
"The world is drowning.
Freak storms and devastating hurricanes sweep across the countryside. No one has enough food or firewood—electricity is an option only for the tyrannical Commander—and then the Commander begins stealing young children away. Pup's little brother is one of the missing.
Determined to save his brother, Pup confronts the Commander and finds himself “volunteered” for a special force. One that will slip through the barriers of time into a land where the sun never sets . . . just as another boy from Kinvara did long ago. With the future of both realms at stake, the fairies and humans must take drastic measures to stop the destruction. But not everyone wants the human race to survive. . . .
The thrilling conclusion to the story that began in the acclaimed The New Policeman."

Review and Giveway of Spaceheadz, by Jon Scieszka and Francesco Sedita

Thanks, everyone who entered the giveaway! The winners were Parker and Rosemary--congratulations!

Spaceheadz, by Jon Scieszka and Francesco Sedita, illustrated by Shane Prigmore (Simon and Schuster, 2010, middle grade, 161 pages, but since several are written in Hamster, etc., it's a slightly shorter book in actual fact)

Poor Michael. It's his first day of fifth grade at a new school, and he's been stuck (horribly, irrefutably stuck in the way that only bad classroom luck can stick you) with the other two new kids, Jennifer and Bob. And Jennifer and Bob are more than just your standard playground albatrosses of social misfortune. They claim to be aliens on a mission to save Earth by signing up 3.14 million and 1 kids to be SPHDZ (whatever that means). And to add to the sense of overwhelmingly insane incomprehension Michael is experiencing, their leader is a hamster (see above).

Poor Anti-Alien Agent Umber, one of an elite force whose mission is to protect the Earth from extra-terrestrials. His desire to serve is great, his luck abysmal. The embarrassing "Fried Santa Incident" still haunts him, and he's mortified that he, of all the agents, got stuck with a pickle phone. But when he receives news that aliens have been detected in his territory, he's determined to bring them down....

Jennifer and Bob, whom Michael can't seem to shake, lead him on a nightmarishly dance of commercial-driven consumerism--for some reason, they are obsessed by the advertisements of particular products. Michael, observing their alien behavior, begins to wonder if their story is true, and that tv waves beamed from Earth have become entangled with life on another planet. Once he starts thinking along those lines, it's only a short step to believing the rest of their story--that Earth will turned off, like a boring tv program, unless the 3.14 (and one) SPHDZ can be recruited....

Copious illustrations, full page breaks from the story to explain relevant bits of science in humours diagrams, and a friendly hand-written font give this the feel less of a "straight chapter book" and more the feel of a "straight chapter book meets a graphic novel for kids." In short, it's a very kid friendly book, with a very kid friendly story, and lots of laughs (and as an added bonus (?) there is no potty humor).

My one reservation about this book is that it relies heavily on the audience being media savvy, and I think that to appreciate it fully, the reader needs to have watched lots of commercials. My ten year old test read hasn't (just a few, at grandma's house, which is a good thing, because that one commercial about athlete's foot he saw came up in conversation for the next three months), and so he didn't quite get the point of this book.

That being said, he still enjoyed it, as did I. And we both enjoyed visiting the websites of Bonus Material:

At sphdz.com, you can sign up to be a SPHDZ and help stop the Earth from being turned off.

At antialienagency.com, you can see what the government is doing to protect the Earth from the alien menace.

At mrshalleyscomets.com, you can see Michael K.'s fifth-grade class website.

(and, according to Madigan Reads, with sufficient poking, you can apparently find more information about the Fried Santa Incident. I must go back and poke further!)

GIVEAWAY!

Thanks to the publisher, I have two copies of Spaceheadz to give away! The lucky winners will also each receive a neon Spaceheadz pencil! Please leave a comment (making sure there's a way to get back to you) by midnight (EST) on Monday, September 6th! (US only).

Once you have read book 1, you will want to find out what happens next. Happily, Spaceheadz book 2 is on it's way this December; here's the blurb:

"The campaign is going well. The SPHDZ word is getting out. 1000's of kids have signed up to say they are SPHDZ. But things haven't gotten any easier for Michael K. The SPHDZ are still trying to blend in to our Earth culture, but not very successfully. They're still mixing up Thanksgiving, cartoon plots, holidays, and commercials. This makes it especially hard for Michael K. to both hide the SPHDZ from Agent Umber and accomplish the SPHDZ Mission. He's forced to enlist the help of fellow fifth graders, Venus and TJ.
When they (Michael K. and the SPHDZ) are given the assignment to write and perform the school play, Umber thinks he's closing in on the aliens...the kindergartners playing the turkeys."