11/8/10

Emily of Deep Valley, by Maud Hart Lovelace

Emily of Deep Valley is by far my favorite of all of Maud Hart Lovelace's books. Sure, I enjoy the Betsy-Tacy books for which she is best known, but Emily is a fictional girl after my own heart.

Emily wanted to go off to college, like the majority of the girls and boys in her high school class of 1912. She longs to learn, to see the world, to fill her mind...But it was not to be--instead she must stay home, in a little house on the outskirts of the small town of Deep Valley, looking after her old grandfather. At first she is deeply depressed, but as her first fall at home progresses, she girds her loins to the task of making a life for herself, both intellectually and socially. It is a tribute to her determination that, in spite of her natural shyness and reticence, she succeeds in both.

A large part of her new life concerns the settlement of Christian Syrians near her home--an enclave of foreign-ness, where the women speak only a few words of English, and the kids face prejudice in the local school. Emily is determined to help the Syrians assimilate--not to loose their own culture, but to become American enough to be truly part of Deep Valley. In the process, she finds love....(pleased sigh on my part).

I love this book not just for bookish, introverted, good-hearted Emily, with her social conscience, but for the lavish descriptions Lovelace pours into the book. The clothes, the customs, the old-fashioned parlor knickknacks, the dances, the ice-skating, the town's Decoration Day, when her grandfather proudly marches with the rest of the ancient veterans of the Civil War...it is a feast of description, and I eat it up.

I re-read this book yesterday, though, not because it is an old friend of mine, but because Mitali has organized a blog event she's calling Cuci Mata (which means "washing of the eyes" in Indonesian) As she describes it: "Once a month, we'll read a standalone novel written by a beloved author and tap into the power of communal vision. Let's ask ourselves:
  • When it comes to race, ethnicity, gender, and class, what stands the test of time?"
Emily as a character stands the test of time beautifully. There are girls today who still find themselves in Emily's shoes--with more ambition than easy opportunity. She is a lesson in determination to any reader who needs to be reminded that luck isn't just something that happens--it's something that can be created. And it is Emily's backbone, and the fact that she Does Something instead of just wringing her hands, that makes her a timeless heroine. Her romance is also rather nice, even from a modern perspective--it is a love that grows from shared interests and mutual respect.

Ethnicity-wise....it was very, very interesting to see Emily and her allies take on the narrow minded bigots in town who looked on the Syrian immigrants with dislike and distrust. Emily's dream of a tolerant America is a lot less cynical then mine, but that might be my loss...and her final argument for why the Syrians should be embraced, and made welcomed, is one that I could cheer for--Emily wants their differences celebrated, as something that can contribute positively to the whole of American culture. Yay Emily!

There was just one thing that has been vexing me. Early in the book, her aunt's house is described thus: "There was a fern in a brass bowl on the newel post, and an Indian head on the wall. Emily loved these bright modern touches." (page 8 of my edition). I have googled interior design of 1912 to death today, and not found anything that casts light on just what sort of Indian head is meant....and indeed, Lovelace, when she mentions Native Americans, which is seldom and in passing, shows no signs of awareness of the injustices and wrongs perpetrated by Emily's colonizing ancestors...

So that's the one thing I'd change. Otherwise, I think this is pretty much a perfect book! But it is really hard to think critically about a book one loves, and so now I shall go off and read what the other participants have to say....I wonder if I will be shown things that appall me!

The picture I show is the copy I have; however, the link takes you to the brand new edition, with an introduction by Mitali herself!

The World of Donald Evans, by Willy Eisenhart, for Non-Fiction Monday

The World of Donald Evans, by Willy Eisenhart (1994) isn't a kid's book. But it is a book, I'm pretty sure, that a certain type of kid would find magical--the sort of kid who has imaginary worlds that they bring to life through art and writing.


That's what Donald Evans (1945-1977), did, with a twist. He hand-painted postage stamps of imaginary provinces and countries--whole sheets of stamps depicting flora and fauna, buildings, and people from places that never were. The resulting miniature watercolors have a strange and wondrous charm to them, and are rather beautiful in a surreal way.


Eisenhart's book begins with a brief biography of Evans, describing an imaginative childhood in which he and his best friend filled their days with world building. The book then moves on to the stamps themselves, and features page after page of illustrations of the stamps, and even the envelopes and postcards on which Evan's "mailed" them--he made his own cancellation marks. Eisenhart provides text explaining the images, and providing background on the fictional countries.

There's Katibo, an alternate Surinam, Lichaam and Geest, twin countries in the north of Europe, Mangiare, an Italianate country whose stamps include a series of landscapes named with food puns, and many more.

The resulting book makes for magical browsing... and it also makes me want to get out my own watercolors, and try my own hand at world building on this very small but far-reaching scale....My ten year old, a budding stamp collector, found it fascinating as well.

The Non-Fiction Monday Round-up is at Shelf Employed today!

11/7/10

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

Welcome to my fifty first (!) round-up of middle grade science fiction and fantasy fun! If I missed your post, let me know--charlotteslibrary @ gmail dot com, or leave a comment.

The Reviews:

The Adventures of Nanny Piggins, by R.A. Spratt, at Booked Up.

Brains for Lunch, by K.A. Holt, at Coffee for the Brain

Celia's Robot, by Margaret Chang, at Ms. Yingling Reads and Charlotte's Library

Dragonbreath, by Ursula Vernon, at Maura Bishop

Fever Crumb, by Philip Reeve, at Booked Up

Haint Misbehavin', by Maureen Hardegree, at Bibliophile Support Group

The Hole in the Wall, by Lisa Row Fraustino, at Ms. Yingling Reads

How Mirka Got Her Sword, by Barry Deutsch, at Madigan Reads

Imaginalis, by J.M. DeMatteis, at The Musings of a Book Addict

The Lightning Thief (graphic novel), by Rick Riordan and Robert Venditti, at Manga Maniac Cafe.

The Limit, by Kristen Landon, at Ms. Yingling Reads (with bonus quick look at Haunted Houses, by Robert San Souci)

Mixed Magics, by Diana Wynne Jones, at Stella Matutina

Ninth Ward, by Jewell Parker Rhodes, at Great Kid Books

The Perilous Gard, by Elizabeth Marie Pope, at Random Musings of a Bibliophile

Power of Three, by Diana Wynne Jones, at Fantasy Literature

Raider's Ransom, by Emily Diamand, at Coffee for the Brain

Reckless, by Cornelia Funke, at Guys Lit Wire

Sabotaged, by Margaret Peterson Haddix, at Charlotte's Library

Sky Island, by L. Frank Baum, at Tor.

Small Persons with Wings, by Ellen Booraem, at Eva's Book Addiction

The Thief, by Megan Whalen Turner, at books4yourkids

Under the Green Hill, by Laura Sullivan, at Book Aunt.

Zahrah the Windseeker, by Nnedi Okorafor-Mbachu, at Charlotte's Library

A three for one at Ms. Yingling Reads-- The Grimm Legacy, by Polly Shulman, The Inside Story, by Michael Buckley, and The Wyverns' Treasure, by R.L. LaFevers.

The Edge Chronicles, by Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell, at books4yourkids

The Interview (Did I miss any? There are usually more than one)

Lisa Row Fraustino (The Hole in the Wall) at Ms. Yingling Reads; Fraustino also visits The O.W.L. to share how her book came to be.

The Interesting things to read:

An article about the "portal fantasy" (a trope very relevant to mg sff) at io9

A look inside Tu Books (multicultural sff for kids and teens) at io9

An obituary for Eva Ibbotson, by Laura Amy Schlitz, at The Horn Book

Fairytale Reflections #8, featuring Sue Purkiss, at Katherine Langrish's Seven Miles of Steel Thistles.

The Holiday happenings:

Sign ups are now open for the Read in Color Holiday Book Exchange, being organized by Ari at Reading in Color and The Book Blogger Holiday Swap.

One last good thing:

And finally, for just a dollar a ticket, you can enter to win an ereader and give your support to the Carl Brandon Society's Ocatavia Butler Memorial Scholarship Fund, which sends two emerging writers of color to the Clarion writers workshops annually. Five are being given away, and "they will come pre-loaded with books, short stories, poems and essays by writers of color from the speculative fiction field. Some of the writers include N. K. Jemisin, Nisi Shawl, Alaya Dawn Johnson, Terence Taylor, Ted Chiang, Shweta Narayan, Chesya Burke, Moondancer Drake, Saladin Ahmed, Rochita Loenen-Ruiz, and there will be many more."

p.s. anyone who wants to know about the workings of my little mind viz these roundups can read all about it here

11/6/10

Sign up time for the Book Blogger Holiday Swap!!!

It's time to sign up for the Book Blogger Holiday Swap, in which each participant gives to one blogger and gets from another! It is tons of fun, both in the careful study of the giftee's blog, to pick what to send, and in the getting of a fun package!

Last year I had my socks knocked off by the gifts I received--Kristin Cashore (!!!!) was my secret santa, and not only did she send me signed copies of her books (!!!!!) but she sent me home-made cookies as well (!!!!!). They were very tasty. I thought about keeping one, to sell on ebay for a fortune in 20 years, but then I realized I would have no Proof that this particular chocolate cherry cookie was, indeed, the creation of Kristin Cashore. So instead, I ate them (although some were shared with co-workers).

The deadline for sign-ups is November 14...

11/5/10

Celia's Robot, by Margaret Chang

Celia's Robot, by Margaret Chang (Holiday House, 2009, 211 pages)

Fifth grade is proving a somewhat rocky challenge for young Celia. She's feeling self-conscious about being Chinese-American, the boy who was her childhood friend, Tim, has turned into a teasing, mean, pest, her parents are busier and more stressed than ever with their careers (robotics for dad, music for mom). They just aren't around enough to make sure she'd done her homework and has clean clothes...in short, her life is a disaster.

Fortunately, her father has a solution, and presents Celia with a gift beyond her wildest dreams for her birthday--her own personal robot. This prototype of all that is wonderful in the field of robotics not only gets Celia up and out of the door, with her schedule completely under control....but becomes someone for her to rely on.

But evil robotics competitors have their greedy eyes on Celia's robot...and one snowy day, the robot is kidnapped!!!! It's up to Celia, and (not that she planned on it) Tim to save it...regardless of the very real dangers that lie ahead of them....

I so enjoyed the detailed descriptions of Celia's life with her robot, which comprise the bulk of the book (the dangerous bit comes late, and isn't that long). The minutiae of life with an automaton are beautiful explored in the context of an ordinary, stressful, fifth grade experience. And Celia, in her extraordinary circumstances, does manage to be ordinary, in the way that great middle grade heroines often are--plucky, dense at times but with a good brain and a good heart, curious hobbies (old fashioned lock picking), often times frazzled....Somehow she just hit the spot for me (maybe because I could use a robot myself to make sure I don't forget my own lunch...).

I highly recommend this to the general middle grade audience, boy or girl, but especially to those that like robotics (or those whose closets are nightmares and whose homework is frayed). As an added bonus, Celia's experience growing up with Chinese father is described in quite a bit of detail, but it never felt in the least little bit as if Chang were forcing this part of Celia's life uncomfortably into the story.

(read for the Cybils).

disclaimer: I'm affiliated with the Book Depository, and will get a small commission on purchase made through the link above

4 and a bit more bookshelves....

I haven't had any time in the past few days to sit peacefully and write book reviews....so here are more pictures of our bookshelves.

This first picture is in the upstairs hallway, another one built by my husband. It's built against a mansard roof, which means that the wall slopes inward, but no as much as a gable. So when you stand in front of these shelves, they come right at you....here we have on the left some modern fiction (mutual), on the top mostly my old Penguin classics, moving into a bit of biography to the right (also mutual), and finally my husband's martial arts books. It will come as no surprise anyone who's met me that I have no martial arts books of own.



Moving on to a much more interesting set of books, I offer my 10 year old's room. The built-in bookcases around this sticking out chimney (not the same as my bedroom's chimney) were one of the first things we did when we bought the house (and it's just the picture that makes it look slanty. I hope). Before he was born (but after we knew he would be a boy) these shelves were pretty much filled with those of my books I thought a boy might not blush to have (I kept the L.M. Montgomery and Laura Ingalls Wilder in my own room). He is gradually colonizing these shelves with his own books; space is being freed up as younger books migrate to his little brothers room. There is clearly room for more shelves to the right of the chimney--perhaps this winter. And now the boy is taller, it seems that it might be time to move his poster up a foot or so...


This shelf too is partly a creation of us parents...although it's become mostly his own, with just a few carry-overs from us:

This, however, is all his own:


And finally, here's his bedside table. His father is reading Lord of the Rings to him on the nights that it's his turn, and I am reading him The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, abridged on the fly, when it's mine.


Of course, this only shows the books that are neatly put away....he, like the rest of us, has left a debris trail of books elsewhere in the house.

11/4/10

Pictures of the bookshelves in my bedroom

I like seeing pictures of other people's bookshelves, and so decided to start sharing my own.

The first picture is several stuck together because I couldn't back away far enough--the chimney should be wider and not end in a white strip of nothing-ness. Oh well. On either side of this sticking out chimney, my husband built shelves--this was tricky, because of the slope of the mansard roof, and because the house kind of isn't straight anymore (the top of the door frame slants; the shelf is straight). These are the books I see when I sit in bed.



To the left are English school stories and holiday adventures, WW 2, ballet and drama, D.E. Stevenson, and other miscellaneous comfort reading type books. To the right things get a bit schizophrenic. Here my husband's collection of poetry and his shelves of Mervyn Peake and Lewis Carroll fight with my L.M. Montgomery collection....We both love Ursula Le Guin, so she gets the sweet spot in the middle.
Next to my bed there is this small shelf, that speaks for itself:

And finally, on top of the dresser are these books, all but a few of which are English. Any other Elfrida Vipont fans out there? In the center of the top row is my absolutely most favorite comfort read, Sally's Family, by Gwendoline Courtney.



There are 10 more rooms/hallways with books in them still to come....eventually.

Exiting news for D.E. Stevenson fans--two novels found in attic to be published this spring!

I am a D.E. Stevenson fan--her mid 20th-century family/light romance stories are perfect comfort reading for me. She died in 1973, so when I heard this morning that TWO UNPUBLISHED BOOKS were found in a family member's attic, and will be published this spring, I was more than somewhat pleased:

From the publisher's website:

"Greyladies are extremely excited to announce the launch in May 2011 of two hitherto unpublished novels by D. E. Stevenson. Originally written in 1938, The Fair Miss Fortune is a charming light-hearted romance while Emily Dennistoun (“Truth is the Strong Thing”), also dating from the 1930s, is in the tradition of her early broader canvas family stories."

Greyladies is a small press republishing books in the following categories "Girls’ School Stories - written for adults, adult books by children’s authors, and a spot of vintage crime."

11/2/10

New Releases of science fiction and fantasy for kids and teens--the first half of November, 2010 edition

Here are the middle grade and young adult sci fi/fantasy books that are appearing this first half of November, according to my source, Teens Read Too. The blurbs are the publishers, lifted mostly from Amazon.

Middle Grade (aka 9-12 year olds)

THE FIVE FAKIRS OF FAIZABAD: CHILDREN OF THE LAMP by P.B. Kerr. "John and Philippa Gaunt are all ready for their lives to return to normal now that their mother has given up her djinn powers. But the siblings are quickly drawn into yet another mystery when the world's luck tips wildly out of balance (to the world's detriment). The key to the world's fate lies with five fakirs who were buried alive, each of whom guards a secret that can answer a great question of the universe. But there's an evil djinn desperate to dig up the secrets. Without their mother's powerful magic, John and Philippa must face this djinn alone.
Traveling around the globe, from London, to Morocco, to Yellowstone National Park, to snowy Himalayan peaks of Shangri-La, can the twins harness their own powers to defeat a new evil?"

FOLLOWING MAGIC: 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."

GEORGE WASHINGTON'S SPY: A TIME TRAVEL ADVENTURE by Elvira Woodruff "When Katie and her twin cousins step into a mysterious rowboat, Matt and his three buddies run to their rescue. But they are too late--and soon the seven are swept back in time--to Boston in 1775. The British have occupied the city, and George Washington and his troops are planning an attack. While the boys are trying to find their way to the girls after being separated, the boys become entangled with patriot spies.
Meanwhile, the girls have been taken in by the wealthy Hewson family, whom they soon discover are "redcoats"! Now, on opposite sides of the war, they are confronted firsthand with realities that tore friends and families apart during the American Revolution."

HOW MIRKA GOT HER SWORD: HEREVILLE by Barry Deutsch. "Spunky, strong-willed eleven-year-old Mirka Herschberg isn’t interested in knitting lessons from her stepmother, or how-to-find-a-husband advice from her sister, or you-better-not warnings from her brother. There’s only one thing she does want: to fight dragons!
Granted, no dragons have been breathing fire around Hereville, the Orthodox Jewish community where Mirka lives, but that doesn’t stop the plucky girl from honing her skills. She fearlessly stands up to local bullies. She battles a very large, very menacing pig. And she boldly accepts a challenge from a mysterious witch, a challenge that could bring Mirka her heart’s desire: a dragon-slaying sword! All she has to do is find—and outwit—the giant troll who’s got it!"

HERO by Mike Lupica. "Fourteen-year-old Zach Harriman can feel the changes. The sharpening of his senses. The incredible strength. The speed, as though he can text message himself across miles. The confidence and the strange need to patrol Central Park at night. His dad had been a hero, a savior to America and a confidante of the president. Then he died, and the changes began in Zach. What Zach never knew was that his father was no ordinary man--he was a superhero, battling the world's evil. This is a battle that has been waged for generations and that knows no boundaries. And now it's Zach's turn to take on the fight. It's Zach's turn to become a hero."

THE HOLE IN THE WALL by Lisa Rowe Fraustino. "Eleven-year-old Sebby has found the perfect escape from his crummy house and bickering family: The Hole in the Wall. It’s a pristine, beautiful glen in the midst of a devastated mining area behind Sebby’s home. But not long after he finds it his world starts falling apart: his family’s chickens disappear, colors start jumping off the wall and coming to life, and after sneaking a taste of raw cookie dough he finds himself with the mother of all stomachaches. When Sebby sets out to solve these mysteries, he and his twin sister, Barbie, get caught in a wild chase through the tunnels and caverns around The Hole in the Wall — all leading them to the mining activities of one Stanley Odum, the hometown astrophysicist who’s buying up all the land behind Sebby’s home. Exactly what is Mr. Odum mining in his secret facility, and does it have anything to do with the mystery of the lost chickens and Sebby’s stomachache? The answers to these questions go much further than the twins expect."

MAKE IT FAIR!: CANADIAN FLYER ADVENTURES by Frieda Wishinsk. "Friends Emily Bing and Matt Martinez have discovered that the Canadian Flyer, an antique red sled they found in the attic of Emily’s new house, holds amazing powers. So far, their adventures to the past have brought them face to face with pirates, Vikings, and even Alexander Graham Bell. In Make It Fair!, Emily and Matt land in Premier Rodmond Roblin's office in Winnipeg in 1914 and discover Nellie McClung confronting the Manitoban politician on the issue of women's rights. Women want the right to vote and this time stuffy politicians like Premier Roblin will not stop them. Can Emily and Matt help Nellie stand up to all the people who want to stop her fight for equal rights?"

LUCY AND THE GREEN MAN by Linda Newbery. "Lucy knew Lob was there, from the way she felt inside. There was a sparking of mischief in her head, a tingle of energy in her arms and legs. She wanted to run, jump, climb, be everywhere at once. You have to be a special person to see Lob, that’s what Lucy’s Grandpa Will says. Lucy’s parents don’t believe in him. But Lucy does. And then she finally catches sight of the Green Man in Grandpa’s garden. And then she knows. Lob is here, and he is real—now and forever and ever!"

NOW YOU SEE ME... by Jane B. Mason & Sarah Hines Stephens. "Best friends Lena and Abby love searching through thrift stores for lost treasures. When they find an old Polaroid camera, they can't wait to try it out. But the photos that develop are troubling -- things that weren't really there appear in the pictures.

Creepiest of all is the image of a boy, dark and angry looking. He shows up, over and over, clearer each time. Can the girls discover what the ghost boy wants -- before it's too late?"

PRIME EVIL: CYBERIA by Chris Lynch. "Zane and his animal comrades have foiled Dr. Gristle's terrible plots twice--he can't talk to animals, and he can't get at the heart of what makes them wild. Zane can talk to them. He can understand them. He almost is one. Almost. Zane keeps getting in Dr. Gristle's way though - and he's being sent as far out of the way as Gristle can get him. In fact, he's being sent right into the middle of a new plot of the bad doctor's--and in his new, utterly foreign surroundings, he's entirely too human. Just what has Gristle done to make these new animals so angry? Can't they see that Zane is their Friend? In order to get home, Zane must figure out a way to stop Gristle's new plan and make some new friends before he becomes animal feed--or worse. It's time to defeat the evil Dr. Gristle once and for all! In the not-too-distant future, a boy must be all animals' best friend, in a final laugh-out-loud adventure sure to please middle-grade readers with all types of pets."

SARASWATI'S WAY by Monika Schroder. "If the gods wanted Akash to have an education, he is told, they would give him one. But Akash has spent his entire twelve years poor and hungry. So he decides to take control of his own life and try for a scholarship to the city school where he can pursue his beloved math. But will challenging destiny prove to be more than he has bargained for? In this raw and powerful novel, fate and self-determination come together in unexpected ways, offering an unsentimental look at the realities of India."

THE SENTINELS: STONE OF TYMORA by R.A. & Geno Salvatore. "After dueling with a dragon and a demon, Maimun knows he must destroy the stone that has kept him on the run for most of his life. The question now is how. With Joen by his side, Maimun journeys to the Tower of Twilight to beg famed wizard Malchor Harpell for answers. But Harpell's help comes at a steep price. Friends become enemies. Lost secrets come to light. And deep in the shadows, the sentinels are watching, scheming to save the stone--even if it means someone must die."

THE SOCIETY OF DREAD: CANDLE MAN by Glenn Dakin. "Dr. Saint is no more, Lord Dove has disappeared, and the Dodo has slipped back into seclusion. But for Theo Wickland, descendent of the Victorian crime fighter of legend, The Candle Man, the adventure is just beginning. Now head of the Society of Good Works, Theo is determined to turn the activities of the order toward the betterment of humanity, starting with bringing the Network, the fascinating, secret underground maze of tunnels, back to its former glory. But dark forces still lurk below the London streets - mysterious creatures, and enemies of the Candle Man, long thought dead - who continue to plot the downfall of the world. Old enemies become new allies as Theo cobbles together a group to stop the sinister plans of these evil beings before they prove deadly. It is up to the new Candle Man and his Society of Dread to snuff out these nefarious plans, before it's too late."

WORLD'S END: DORMIA by Jake Halpern & Peter Kujawinski. "Ever since returning from Dormia, Alfonso has enjoyed sleeping in a bed like a normal person. No more waking up at the top of a tree or the edge of a cliff. In fact, no sleepwalking at all. But then, while visiting France on a class trip, Alfonso feels that strange and familiar pull of sleep. Upon waking, he finds himself in the belly of a ship headed to Egypt. In his backpack are a few old books and a vial of medicine he stole while asleep. Something is calling Alfonso back to Dormia. Perhaps it’s the Founding Tree? Or perhaps it's the man he sees in his dreams—the one who looks just like his deceased father? Whatever it is, Alfonso is powerless to resist."

Young Adult

BLAZE OF GLORY: THE LAWS OF MAGIC by Michael Pryor. "Best friends Aubrey and George begin their magical high jinks in this first book of the Laws of Magic series. At a weekend shooting party at Prince Albert's country estate, Aubrey and George find themselves in a hotbed of intrigue and politics. Together they discover a golem, a magical creature built to perform one task—to kill Prince Albert. Aubrey and George are hailed as heroes for foiling the attempt on the prince's life—but who sent the golem, and why? Aubrey is far too curious to let the authorities handle this one, and he and George start an investigation of their own to get to the bottom of the royal assassination attempt."

THE BOY FROM ILYSIES: LIBYRINTH by Pearl North. "On a world light-years away, Earth is long forgotten, except for the knowledge protected in the vast libyrinth. But that knowledge was threatened by the Singers, who for generations beyond remembering have relied on oral storytelling. They sought to destroy the books in the libyrinth, which they thought would—if read—kill the words they sing, and the knowledge in their songs.

Now a Song has created peace between the Singers and the Libyrarians who work in the libyrinth. However, the libyrinth is quickly running out of food, and the survival of the ancient edifice and those who serve it may depend on Po, a young Ilysian who has had trouble adjusting to life at the libyrinth. Caught between his longings for acceptance and the Machiavellian tactics of his queen, Po is tricked into a crime that causes him to be cast out. He may return only if he retrieves a legendary artifact that may be the answer to all of the libyrinth’s problems…or could turn the world into a barren, lifeless ruin. For Po, life has finally become exciting…but the cost may be his life, and the lives of those he loves."

THE CASSINI CODE: A GALAHAD BOOK by Dom Testa. "Dom Testa's Galahad series has already claimed multiple awards, including a Writer's Digest Grand Prize, selected from over 1500 international titles. Now, in this thrilling third volume, the teenage explorers confront their biggest challenge yet, as they plunge through the edge of the solar system. The Council must face a hostile crew, a medical crisis, and a treacherous storm of space debris. Their only hope for survival might come from the most unlikely - and frightening - source."

THE DARK by Marianne Curley. "Isabel and Ethan are joined by Isabel's brother Matt, who is still getting accustomed to life in the Guard. This time, they must find Arkarian, their ageless mentor, who has been kidnapped and sent to the underworld. Although Isabel and Ethan have been forbidden to rescue him, an ever-increasing connection to Arkarian drives Isabel to convince Ethan and Matt that they must risk everything to find him despite the potential consequences."

THE DISAPPEARANCE OF HARUHI SUZUMIYA by Nagaru Tanigawa. "It's one week before Christmas Eve, and Haruhi and the S.O.S. Brigade (a club for her high school's strangest and most extraordinary students) are gearing up for holiday festivities. But just before the fun kicks off, Kyon, the only "normal" member, wakes up in a weird alternate dimension, one where Haruhi attends another school entirely, Nagato the time traveling robot is just an ordinary human, and Mikuru (the cute girl of Kyon's dreams) doesn't even recognize him-in other words, S.O.S. Brigade never existed.

The only clue Kyon can find is a bookmark left by the robot version of Nagato, which leads him on a quest back in time, where he interacts with the storyline from "Bamboo Leaf Rhapsody", a short story from the previous Haruhi book, The Boredom of Haruhi Suzumiya."

FACTOTUM: THE FOUNDLING'S TALE by D. M. Cornish. "Rossamund Bookchild stands accused of not truly being a human at all, but of being a monster. Even the protection of Europe, the Branden Rose--the most feared and renowned monster-hunter in all the Half-Continent--might not be enough to save him. Powerful forces move against them both, intent on capturing Rossamund--whose existence some believe may hold the secret to perpetual youth."

HOUSE OF THE STAR by Caitlin Brennan. "Elen is a princess of the kingdom of Ymbria. Her greatest wish is to become a rider of worldrunners: the magical horses that are the only safe way to travel the roads through the worlds of Faerie. Now Elen has the chance to fulfill her dream at last, but the price is much too high.

To become a worldrider, Elen must journey to the House of the Star on Earth, the Arizona ranch where the worldrunners live and breed. There, she must try to forge a peace with her people’s worst enemy—a traitor from the world of Caledon—and end the war that has been tearing their worlds apart for centuries. If Elen doesn’t succeed, the Master of the House of the Star will close both Ymbria and Caledon off from the worldroads forever. Can the wisdom of a worldrunner named Blanca help Elen in her quest to save her world?"

KIND: THE GOOD NEIGHBORS by Holly Black. "The faerie world has been unleashed on Rue's city. The big question is: Will she stop it and save the world she's always known? Or will she take her place as the rightful faerie heir?

Another fantastic concoction of fantasy and suspense from Eisner-award nominees Holly Black and Ted Naifeh."

THE MARBURY LENS by Andrew Smith. "Sixteen-year-old Jack gets drunk and is in the wrong place at the wrong time. He is kidnapped. He escapes, narrowly. The only person he tells is his best friend, Conner. When they arrive in London as planned for summer break, a stranger hands Jack a pair of glasses. Through the lenses, he sees another world called Marbury. There is war in Marbury. It is a desolate and murderous place where Jack is responsible for the survival of two younger boys. Conner is there, too. But he’s trying to kill them. Meanwhile, Jack is falling in love with an English girl, and afraid he’s losing his mind. Conner tells Jack it’s going to be okay. But it’s not."

ONE HUNDRED PERCENT LUNAR BOY by Stephen Tunney. "Two thousand years in the future, the Moon has become a run-down experiment in terraforming and colonization with a dusty patina and a bright red sky. To sixteen-year-old Hieronymus Rexaphin, it is the only world he has ever known until he meets a girl from Earth called Windows Falling on Sparrows, who is inexplicably drawn to him because of his special--some say dangerous--condition. Hieronymus is a One Hundred Percent Lunar Boy who can see the fourth primary color, which gives him the ability to see the future path of time and matter. To look into his eyes will cause madness or even death, authorities say, so he is forced to wear goggles at all times. The color of his eyes is against Lunar law, and some say against nature. After breaking the Moon s most serious law and exposing his eyes to the curious young Earth girl, Hieronymus embarks on a tremendous misadventure to protect his friends and save his family, and to escape exile and imprisonment on the far side of the moon."

THE PAINTED BOY by Charles de Lint. "Jay Li should be in Chicago, finishing high school and working at his family's restaurant. Instead, as a born member of the Yellow Dragon Clan--part human, part dragon, like his grandmother--he is on a quest even he does not understand. His journey takes him to Santo del Vado Viejo in the Arizona desert, a town overrun by gangs, haunted by members of other animal clans, perfumed by delicious food, and set to the beat of Malo Malo, a barrio rock band whose female lead guitarist captures Jay's heart. He must face a series of dangerous, otherworldly--and very human--challenges to become the man, and dragon, he is meant to be."

PEGASUS by Robin McKinley. "Because of a thousand-year-old alliance between humans and pagasi, Princess Sylviianel is ceremonially bound to Ebon, her own Pegasus, on her twelfth birthday. The two species coexist peacefully, despite the language barriers separating them. Humans and pegasi both rely on specially-trained Speaker magicians as the only means of real communication.

But its different for Sylvi and Ebon. They can understand each other. They quickly grow close-so close that their bond becomes a threat to the status quo-and possibly to the future safety of their two nations."

THE RING OF SOLOMON: A BARTIMAEUS NOVEL by Jonathan Stroud. "Bartimaeus, everyone’s favorite (wise-cracking) djinni, is back in book four of this best-selling series. As alluded to in the footnotes throughout the series, Bartimaeus has served hundreds of magicians during his 5,010 year career. Now, for the first time, fans will go back in time with the djinni, to Jerusalem and the court of King Solomon in 950s BC. Only in this adventure, it seems the great Bartimaeus has finally met his match. He’ll have to contend with an unpleasant master and his sinister servant, and runs into just a “spot” of trouble with King Solomon’s magic ring...."

THROUGH THE WARDROBE: YOUR FAVORITE AUTHORS ON C.S. LEWIS' CHRONICLES OF NARNIA
edited by Herbie Brennan. "Step through the wardrobe and into the imaginations of these friends of Aslan as they explore Narnia—from The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe to The Last Battle, from the heart of Caspian’s kingdom to the Eastern Seas. Find out:

• Why Edmund Pevensie is totally crush-worthy
• What tea and Turkish Delight have to do with World War II
• Why The Voyage of the Dawn Treader will be the best movie of the series
• What Susan really did to get herself booted out of Narnia (it wasn’t the pantyhose or the lipstick)

The series’ roots in C.S. Lewis’ Christianity are important, but there’s more to Narnia than just the religious symbolism. Through the Wardrobe, edited by internationally bestselling British fantasy author Herbie Brennan, reveals new levels of richness and delight the other Narnia books overlook."

TYGER TYGER: A GOBLIN WARS BOOK
by Kersten Hamilton. "Teagan Wylltson's best friend, Abby, dreams that horrifying creatures--goblins, shape-shifters, and beings of unearthly beauty but terrible cruelty--are hunting Teagan. Abby is always coming up with crazy stuff, though, so Teagan isn't worried. Her life isn't in danger. In fact, it's perfect. She's on track for a college scholarship. She has a great job. She's focused on school, work, and her future. No boys, no heartaches, no problems.
Until Finn Mac Cumhaill arrives. Finn's a bit on the unearthly beautiful side himself. He has a killer accent and a knee-weakening smile. And either he's crazy or he's been haunting Abby's dreams, because he's talking about goblins, too . . . and about being The Mac Cumhaill, born to fight all goblin-kind. Finn knows a thing or two about fighting. Which is a very good thing, because this time, Abby's right. The goblins are coming."

VIRALS by Kathy Reichs. "Tory Brennan, niece of acclaimed forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan (of the Bones novels and hit TV show), is the leader of a ragtag band of teenage "sci-philes" who live on a secluded island off the coast of South Carolina. When the group rescues a dog caged for medical testing on a nearby island, they are exposed to an experimental strain of canine parvovirus that changes their lives forever.

As the friends discover their heightened senses and animal-quick reflexes, they must combine their scientific curiosity with their newfound physical gifts to solve a cold-case murder that has suddenly become very hot if they can stay alive long enough to catch the killer's scent.

Fortunately, they are now more than friends they're a pack. They are Virals.

WHISPER OF VENOM: BROTHERHOOD OF THE GRIFFON by Richard Lee Byers. "The Mad King Returns! Aoth and the Brotherhood of the Griffon succeeded in rescuing Tchazzar, the lost king of Chessenta and a formidable red dragon. Upon his return Tchazzar rewards them greatly, sends them back to the frontlines--and names himself a god. Increasingly erratic in the war against the powerful dracolich, Tchazzar begins to move in ways that make Aoth suspicious that the Brotherhood may be just a pawn in a cutthroat draconic game that puts whole kingdoms at risk--a game played for a stakes of gold and blood."

Sabotaged, by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Sabotaged, by Margaret Peterson Haddix (Simon and Schuster, 2010, middle grade, 360 pages)

It's impossible to say much about this book, the third of a series, without spoiling the first book, Found (my review), and the second, Sent (my review). So if you haven't read those yet, you might want to...

That being said, Sabotaged continues the efforts of time travel oversight personnel to clean up a nasty mess. Famous children in danger of dying had been plucked from their original times, to be sold off as collectors items in the future. That plan ended with a plane load of infants landing in the late 20th century, and now efforts are underway to return these kids, grown up a bit, to their own times.

One of the kids, Jonah, and his modern adopted sister, Katherine, have been tapped to serve as guides back to the past during these return missions. In Sabotaged, they are accompanying a girl named Andrea back into her past as Virginia Dare, the first known English child born in America. But on the way back into the late 16th century, things go terribly wrong, and the helpful device that would tell them what to do is lost.

All is mystery and confusion as the three kids try to figure out where they are and what they are supposed to be doing, in a place and time overshadowed by the ghosts of failed Roanoke colony, and the disastrous impact those colonists had on the native people of the region. Things are complicated by the arrival of a shipwrecked old man, who turns out to be John White, Virginia Dare's grandfather, returning to try to find out the fate of his family. And when two other kids kidnapped from the future appear as well, boys who had been cast away back in time and adopted by the local people (before being kidnapped by the folks plucking kids from the past), things become even more complicated. What, Jonah and Katherine wonder, are they supposed to be doing? (The reader wonders this as well).

And then there is the master puppeteer--the one who instigated the loss of the mechanical device, the one who drops enigmatic notes to the kids. Is this person, who goes by the name "Second," trying to change time for unknown, possible sinister, reasons??!?

It's a fascinating account of what might have happened to the failed Roanoke colony. Haddix does well, I thought, at presenting a balanced view of the encounter between the Algonquins and the English. She manages to convey something of the Algonquian perspective, through the world view of the two boys adopted by local people, ancestors of the Lumbee, without making blanket generalizations about "the Indian side of things." And her lengthy author's note further expands and explains the history embedded in her story.

The snarls of time are rather complicated in this book, and I'm not sure I successfully unraveled them. It doesn't help that the book ends without actually resolving the situation--some things are made clear, but many are not. My confusion, which mirrored that of the characters, kept me from loosing myself in the story.

So, in short, the book as a whole didn't quite work for me. I think I would have felt more tolerant of the confusion of time twisted plot if I had connected more to the characters. The story is told from Jonah's perspective, and I found him unsympathetic (for most of the book, he's busy being confused and put out in a not tremendously intelligent way). And the other characters never quite became sufficiently alive to me to compensate for the deficits I found in Jonah's character.

11/1/10

A thing that tickled me immensly

I recently realized (doubtless long after most other people) that one could read Ansible (a magazine of sf news and gossip from across the pond) on line.

Here is November's edition.

Here is my favorite bit, from a section entitled "Thog's Masterclass"

"Long Patient Vigil Dept. 'From the depths of the grotto came the sound of water, a single drop blepping into a pool. A week later, another blep. Then a month passed before three drops fell in as many seconds.' (Troy Denning, Star Wars Fate of the Jedi: Abyss, 2009) [AR]"

I am incredibly tickled by the word "blep."

(you can read more examples of fine writing at the Ansible site by following the link above).

Zahrah the Windseeker, by Nnedi Ocorafor-Mbachu

Zahrah the Windseeker, by Nnedi Okorafor-Mbachu (Houghton Mifflin, 2005, middle grade, 320 pages)

Here's how the book begins:



Zahrah's dada hair has always set her apart from the other children...that, and her her quiet, contemplative nature. But when she is thirteen, her difference manifests itself in a new form--she discovers that she can fly. Unfortunately, she’s afraid of heights, unsure how to control her new found ability, and afraid of being thought even stranger…so she only levitates just a bit, in her room, where no-one can see her.

The one person she tells is her best friend Dari, a boy who’s always accepted her for who she is. Dari is fascinated by the forbidden jungle that surrounds their town, and when he decides to begin exploring it, Zahrah reluctantly goes with him. And when their exploration goes horrible wrong, and Dari lies at death’s door, Zahrah goes back alone, to find the one thing that will save him.

Inside the forbidden jungle, each day brings Zahrah new challenges and terrors. Gradually, thanks in large part to a stay in the utopia of a sentient gorillas community, Zahrah learns to trust her gifts and herself, and is able to save her friend….and truly fly.

By far the most compelling part of the book is Zahrah’s world. It is a magical jungle planet, with mysterious ties to earth-- a fascinatingly West African inspired place. There are many tantalizing hints that the author knows much more backstory than she tells, giving depth to her world building…I wanted more! And, especially in the beginning, there was something of an info-dump approach to world building, that I found a bit disappointing.

At times, Okorafor-Mbachu’s descriptions of people and places enchanted me—her Dark Market, for instance, is a wonderfully rich place. The plant-based technology of her planet, however, never quite convinced me (it never felt essential to the story, but more like an added bonus feature), and Zahrah’s jungle journey was a straightforward series of encounters with strange creatures, whose strangeness never quite became magical for me. (I wasn’t able to suspend my disbelief enough to allow for the gorilla utopia. I found that part of the book very odd, but that might be just me).

Zahrah’s story is a fine example of “the girl becoming a hero” genre. Her character arc, from somewhat diffident outsider to intrepid confronter of the worst the jungle has to offer, was easy for me to accept – she is brave and likable, without being exaggerated. Unfortunately for me, however, I never connected with Zahrah’s first person narrative voice. The author uses exclamation marks which great frequency, and this gave Zahrah a breathless, over-excited tone in my mind that I didn’t much care for. It’s possible that this choice is meant to evoke oral story telling traditions, and to make Zahrah come alive as a narrator—but it didn’t work for me.

Obviously, I have mixed feelings about this one. I wanted to like it lots more than I did. It’s not at all a bad choice for any middle grade reader looking for fantasy about brave girls, and certainly a fine book to give the reader looking for a brave girl of color. But it was not quite a book for me.

10/31/10

This Sunday's Round-Up of Middle Grade Fantasy and Science Fiction

Happy Halloween, and welcome to another Sunday of what I found around the blogs that pertains to middle grade science fiction and fantasy. For those who might wonder just how these posts work, I wrote up a Full Disclosure statement yesterday. But in short, I find posts while browsing, and assemble them here! Please let me know if I missed yours.

The Boneshaker, by Kate Milford, at Never Jam Today.

Brains for Lunch: a Zombie Novel in Haiku, by K.A. Holt, at Green Bean Teen Queen.

The Brimstone Key, by Derek Benz and J.S. Lewis, at Ms. Yingling Reads.

Come Fall, by A.C.E. Bauer, at TheHappyNappyBookseller

The Coming of the Dragon, by Rebecca Barnhouse, at Manga Maniac Cafe.

Curse of the Were Wiener (Dragonbreath), by Ursula Vernon, at Charlotte's Library and Coffee for the Brain.

Dark Life, by Kat Falls, at Bart's Bookshelf.

The Fairy's Mistake, by Gail Carson Levine, at Manga Maniac Cafe.

The Familiars, by Adam Jay Epstein & Andrew Jacobson, at The Slowest Bookworm and The Lost Entwife.

Flight of the Outcast, by Brad Strickland, at Ms. Yingling Reads.

Frozen in Time, by Ali Sparks, at Ms. Yingling Reads.

The Handcuff Kid, by Laura Quimby, at I Capture the Rowhouse.

Hereville: How Mirka Got Her Sword, by Barry Deutsch, at TheHappyNappyBookseller.

The Homeward Bounders, by Diana Wynne Jones, at Stella Matutina.

Jack Blank and the Imagine Nation, by Matt Myklusch, at Coffee for the Brain.

Knightly Academy, by Violet Haberdasher, at Random Musings of a Bibliophile.

The Lost Conspiracy, by Frances Hardinge, at Chachic's Book Nook.

The Lost Hero, by Rick Riordan, at Books Are Like People, For the Love of Reading, Books in the Spotlight, and Fairrosa Cyber Library.

Magic Trixie, by at Great Kid Books.

The Magnificent 12: The Call, by Michael Grant, at Booked Up.

The Memory Bank, by Carolyn Coman, at Becky's Book Reviews.

Mythil's Secret, by Prashani Rambukwella, at Sri Lankan Books (I would love to read this, but can't find a way to order a copy...any help gladly appreciated! edited to add--Kate Coombs found out how --here's the link. Thanks Kate!)

Ninth Ward, by Jewell Parker Rhodes, at Booked Up.

The Phantom of Blood Alley, by Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell, at Ms. Yingling Reads.

Reckless, by Cornelia Funke, at Charlotte's Library.

Rise of the Darklings (Invisible Order Book 1) by Paul Crilley, at Book Aunt.

Saraswati's Way, by Monika Schroder, at Words World and Wings. (I'm not sure if this is really fantasy qua fantasy, but there seems to be a godess involved--and it sounds great!)

Scarlett Dead, by Cathy Brett, at Nayu's Reading Corner.

The Search for WondLa, by Tony DiTerlizzi, at Books4yourkids

The Shadows, by Jacqueline West, at Ms. Yingling Reads.

The Sisters Grimm: The Inside Story, by Michael Buckley, at Booked Up.

The Steps Across the Water, by Adam Gopnik, at Mr. Ripley's Enchanted Books.

Tamsin, by Peter S. Beagle, at Books & Other Thoughts (technically YA, but good for older mg readers. But it's been a long time since I read it...)

Thomas and the Dragon Queen, by Shutta Crum, at Ms. Yingling Reads (with bonus dragon book list)

The Witches, by Roald Dahl, at Middle Grade Ninja.


There's a three for one post (The Dead Boys, by Royce Buckingham, The Snowbird, by Mette Ivie Harrison, and The Search for WondLa, by Tony DiTerlizzi) at Ms. Yingling Reads.

Spooky Stuff:

And this being Halloween, here are some posts containing spooky favorites, at Vulpes Libris, The Book Zone (for boys),

And in a similarly festive vein, visit "how to make a monster," a post in which various Enchanted Inkpot authors share their most monstrous thoughts.

But if you really want something scary, go to Comics Alliance for "The Terrifying Children's Illustrations of Stephen Gammel" from Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark.


Interviews:

Laura Sullivan (Under the Green Hill) at The Spectacle.

Julie Berry (Second Hand Charm, which sounds like a good YA for upper mg readers, and a more specifically mg series- The Splurch Academy for Disruptive Boys) at Gamila's Book Review.

Clare Dunkle (House of Dead Maids--another YA older mg readers might like) at Cynsations.

Michael Spradlin (The Youngest Templar) at The Enchanted Inkpot.

Rick Riordan at Oh No They Didn't

And another lovely post in Katherine Langrish's Fairytale Reflections series--this week the featured guest is Lucy Coats, author of Hootcat Hill...which I am seriously wanting to read....

Other things of interest:

At The Gaurdian, Naomi Alderman and Frank Cottrell Boyce depate a question of great interest--Should J.K. Rowling write another Harry Potter book?

Two museum exhibits of interest:

If you've read The Red Pyramid, head on over to the British Museum's new exhibit centering on the Book of the Dead.

If you live anywhere near Worcester, MA, you should make a point of visiting the Higgins Armory Museum. Not only do they have an absolutly fascinating collection of arms and armor, and a gift shop that is a perfect place to shop for a young fantasy lover, but, through 2011, they have a gem of an exhibit that should delight any fan of fantastical creatures: Beyond Belief: The Curious Collection of Professor Rufus Excalibur Bell. It's a Victorian Cabinet of Curiousities, with mythological creatures in place of zoological specimens. Here's the gargoyle skeleton:


10/30/10

In which I disclose all regarding my middle grade fantasy and science fiction roundup posts

In the interests of transparency I've decided to explain how I construct my weekly Sunday roundups of middle grade fantasy and science fiction (mg sff) posts from around the blogging world.

I started these roundups of blog posts because I wanted them to exist! I wanted to read reviews of the sub-genre I enjoy most, and mg sff reviews tend to be scattered all over the place--every week it seems I find them at blogs I'd never heard of before. And I wanted to help shine a spotlight on mg sff in general--YA and adult sci fi/fantasy get much more blog coverage, and my hope is to balance things a bit. I'm awfully pleased that people are enjoying the roundups; I enjoy doing them.

I want to make it clear that this isn't a list of reviews I think are the best, or a list of the books that I think are the best. It's simply what I've found. Initially I had envisioned people sending links to me that I would list à la Poetry Friday or Nonfiction Monday, and I thought someday I would send the meme on its way to other hosts. But this didn't happen (although one person does send me links regularly--thanks). Maybe it will someday.

What has happened instead is that I compile every mg sff related post I find during my daily blog reading, and on Sunday morning I also do google blog searches on "middle grade fantasy," "middle grade science fiction," and "children fantasy book" or a variant of the same. If you put one of the first two in your post, I should find it. If I'm feeling ambitious, I might blog search titles of new releases that I haven't seen reviews for yet. Every week I miss things, and I'm happy (in a very rueful way) to be told that I have, so that I can put them in. I post these roundups in the morning...so Sunday afternoon posts will (mostly) appear in next week's version.

I don't include every blog post I find. I don't, for instance, include short posts that are simply mentions, reiterations of the publisher's blurb, and/or two sentence reactions--I want the links I include to have some substance. This is, of course, a judgement call. I also chose not to link to posts that seem to me to be essentially advertisements for a book, other products, or particular websites.

I also find myself making judgement calls every week about what constitutes "middle grade," (which is technically ages 9-12). Sometimes I include reviews of books that are labeled YA that seem to me, or to the reviewer, or to some other reviewer altogether, the sort of thing an eleven or twelve year old might really enjoy. Some weeks, I seem to adhere to stricter parameters. The fact that I haven't read every book myself adds randomness to what I include, which can't be helped.

Sometimes I link to graphic novels that are mg fantasy, and sometimes I don't. I've never made an effort to find them, but if I do come across them, I might put them in...

Whether I agree or not with the worldviews of other bloggers isn't a factor when I decide to link to them. A variety of perspectives adds interest; that being said, the blogs I tend to read are the ones I tend to like, so I'm more likely to find their posts. I do most emphatically reserve the right not to link to any post that I find abhorrent.

And finally, I won't, in general, link to reviews of Harry Potter or Percy Jackson, or, indeed, early books of other popular series...unless they say something new and special (there are only so many reviews of the same book that one wants to read).

Please free to contact me with suggestions as to how to make the round-ups better, or if you'd like to try your own hand at a week's worth of rounding up! Please let me know if I've misspelled a name or a title! And please feel free to send me links at any time, if you've written a post, read a post, had your book written about in a post, or done an interview -- charlotteslibrary at gmail dot com.

And thank you, all you nice people who have mentioned these roundups on your own blogs! It is much appreciated.

(question--which do you prefer, round-up or roundup? I've just been told the latter is more correct (and took all the hyphens out), but the former looks nicer to me...)

Dragonbreath: Curse of the Were-Wiener!

This afternoon the boys and I walked up the steep flank of Wolf Hill, kicking acorns and rustling leaves with our feet, and climbed the treacherous granite ledge that lets one sneak through a fence into the back parking lot of our local Barnes and Noble. Anticlimax, perhaps, but we left with the book we wanted--the exquisitely seasonally-appropriate Curse of the Were-Wiener, by Ursula Vernon (2010, Dial, upper elementary/younger middle grade, 208 pages, although there are lots of pictures).

This is the third of Vernon's books about a young dragon, Danny Dragonbreath, and his best friend, an iguana named Wendell. And this adventure is perhaps their darkest yet. The titular were-wiener is a Dark Creature of Horror, and it bites poor Wendell, setting in motion a hideous transformation. The two young reptiles have little hope of defeating the evil alpha wurst. Unless...they can find the living potato salad that we last saw, in book 1, disappearing down a storm drain.

But forget my summary--just watch the book trailer (and I almost never ever (this is only the second time) put up book trailers, but I love this one. And it shows you what the artwork looks like. And it's Spooky....).




Me and my boys love Dragonbreath. With dry humor coupled with whatever the opposite of dry humor is*, oodles of charm in the drawings of the reptile lads, just the right amount of grossness (that is, enough to amuse them while not disgusting me), and an exciting story (will the potato salad remember them, or will it attack???), this is a lovely book to put into the hands of the young reader, and to enjoy oneself.

*here's an example--Wendell's mother buys him Periodic Table of Elements bandaids. "We put the pain back in learning!" says the box. Hee hee hee. I would totally buy them.

10/28/10

Reckless, by Cornelia Funke

Reckless, by Cornelia Funke (2010, Little Brown, upper middle grade onwards, 394 pages, illustrated by the author)

"Once upon a time, there was boy who set out to learn the meaning of fear..."

After his father's disappearance, Jacob Reckless made a habit of creeping into his study, searching for answers. One night, when he was twelve, he found a piece of paper: "The mirror will open only for he who cannot see himself." And with that cryptic clue to guide him, Jacob passes through his father's mirror into another realm. A place where fairy tales are real.

Fast forward twelve years, during which Jacob has explored the mirror world obsessively, neglecting his mother and little brother, Will. The mirror world has become enmired in a war between humans and the Goyl, stone-skinned subterranean people who are bent on claiming the upper lands as their dominion. For the first time, Will has followed Jacob through the mirror, and disaster has struck. Will has been injured by a Goyl, and is slowly turning into one of them himself, the stone spreading through his skin.

Now Jacob must desperately quest through all the dangers of the twisted tales of the mirror world, looking for a way to save his little brother. Accompanying the two brothers are Fox, a shapeshifting girl who has been Jacob's companion for years (who is waiting for him to notice that she is more than just his friend, the fox, but also a girl who loves him), and Will's girlfriend Clara, who made her way through the mirror to find him. Together they face a frightening panoply of magic and mayhem in a world where death is no fairy tale at all.

"I know why you're here." Clara's voice sounded distant, as though she were speaking not about him but about herself. "This world doesn't frighten you half as much as the other one. You have nothing and nobody to lose here. Except Fox, and she clearly worries more about you than you do about her. You've left all that could frighten you in the other world. But then Will came here and brought it all with him." (page 208).

Despite the ostensibly already grown-up age of the central characters, this is a book about growing-up, about how the relationships of brothers and friends, and perceptions of oneself, change in terrifying ways as adulthood is entered. Jacob might be 24 on paper, but the young man in the mirror world is more an avatar of oldness exploring a fantasy world than a convincing adult--his character is still very much that of the reckless adolescent, confused by his emotional responses to the questions posed by growing up. Although sex lurks in the background (it's never explicitly or centrally part of the story), for Jacob it is still the hormonally charged lust of the adolescent--he has yet to learn love (oh poor Fox. I felt for her so very much).

And the lands behind the mirror, built of fractured fairy tales, are full of metaphors that reflect this. The younger brother, turning into unloving stone, who his older brother can no longer protect. The tomboy girl (Fox), who now wants to be seen as someone else. The fairy tales share this theme--there was no instant true love that could save the sleeping beauty here in this place, and the gingerbread houses lie empty. The way to the Red Fairy, with all her magically irresistible sex appeal, lies through the lands of the unicorns, who gore and trample anyone who looks at them. The mirror world itself is rushing away from its own childhood--new inventions and technology (many of them introduced by Jacob's father) are changing things rapidly.

This reliance on metaphor is fascinating, and had a profound effect on the way I read the book. Mostly I gallop through books I'm enjoying, hardly aware that there is an author at all. When reading this book, however, I was always conscious of the Funke's presence, deliberately introducing scenes and set pieces to further the creation of the edifice of the story. This feeling was heightened by the occasional insertion of explicit fairy tale references, like the quote I used to begin this review (which comes right at the end of the book, on page 389--I hope it's not too much of a spoiler). She is a lot like a dungeon master, putting challenges in the way of her characters, rolling her narrative dice to determine if they will live or not.

And indeed I think the most perfect audience for this book would be the roll playing 12 or 13 year old boy, caught (metaphorically) in the same place as Jacob...So although this is one that will be enjoyed very much by many adults, this is a middle grade book (I had wondered). But it's not a middle grade book for younger kids--there are terrifying things here. The cover is rather brilliant in this regard--it is fierce and scary and magical, just like the mirror world, but it is disturbing enough to deter those looking for happy endings who won't be comfortable inside this world (it's another one I had to keep face down so my seven year old didn't have to look at it).

I'm not quite the right reader for this one--I enjoyed it lots intellectually, but the flip side of that is that I never lost myself in the world of the story, which happens with the books I love best. That being said, my only real complaint is with the ending; as the jacket flap says: "If you've come for happily ever after, you've come to the wrong place." But I wouldn't have minded just a bit more reason to think that Jacob is finally going to grow up....(oh, Fox, I feel for you so), and I think the story needed that hope.

Other thoughts at Squeaky Books, IMCPL Kids, and A Chair, A Fireplace, and a Tea Cozy.

10/27/10

Help wanted (but not actually expected) with deciphering a title on my t.b.r. list....(sigh)

It is time again for me to transcribe my main to be read list, shown here:



As you can see, it is getting messy.

But I have hit a problem. There is a title that I cannot decipher:

It looks like The Cumlity to me, but that can't be right, and it's driving me nuts.

There's a chance it could be C....dity. But the "ity" part I'm pretty sure of. Unless--could this be the breakthrough I need? it' s C....lits. The Cromlits? The Cronelits?

This particular list is mostly books mentioned on other blogs, so if you by any chance reviewed a book beginning with C and ending (possibly) with -lity, could you let me know? Thanks.

10/26/10

Changing Times, by Tim Kennemore, for Timeslip Tuesday

Changing Times, by Tim Kennemore (1984, YA, 144 pages, but the type was smaller and denser back then). It isn't much of an autobiographical link, but Kennemore doesn't seem to have her own website, or wikipedia entry. And vexingly, I wasn't able to find a picture online--I'll have to scan the cover at some point.

It is Victoria's fifteenth birthday, and her parents have bestowed lavish presents upon her. Presents that she barely acknowledges--why give them any emotional response, when they have neglected her emotionally for years? Caught up in their own bitter relationship, and in their obsessive bridge playing, neither has any time or real interest in their daughter. One present she does appreciate is the chance to pick anything she wants from her uncle's antique store. And the thing that appeals most is a strange and seemingly non-functional clock....

Turns out the clock can take its owner back, or forward, to any part of their life. Victoria is about to find out what happened in her childhood that made her parents the miserable people they became...and she'll find out what might happen to herself and her boyfriend, Daniel, as well.

Victoria's travels through her own life form the bulk of the book, as she relives days from her past--days that flit away again, once she sleeps, so that there are no consequences. Unfortunately, there wasn't as much depth to Victoria's journey as I had hoped for, in large part because Victoria is a prickly character. She's been warped, rather, by her unloving parents, and in consequence has become unlovably cold and distant. Although she learns about her life in a rational way, she doesn't grow that much emotionally, and so the book, while interesting and well-written (nice and crisp prose-wise, although a tad archaic--I haven't come across "clad" for years), isn't one I took to my heart.

Changing Times is a British book, and I've found the same very smart but emotionally distant feel to quite a few of the (admittedly small number) of 1960s to 1980s UK YA books that I've read. And it's a funny thing in general, reading a YA book from way back in the early eighties. The marital relationships of the various grown-ups seem dated in their somewhat sordid unhappiness, or, in the case of Daniel's parents, old-fashioned ideas about the woman's role in the family. It's strange, too, to read a YA book in which girl friend and boy friend don't even kiss (although partly this is because Daniel has been so warped by his domineering father).

However, at the time of its publication it was lavished with praise--- "Quite extraordinary skill and originality," said the Guardian. "A powerful exposition of family relationships marred and scarred," The Junior Bookshelf opined. "A distinctive sharp witty style...refreshing and exhilarating," commented British Book News.

So maybe it's just me. And indeed, this one might well appeal to fans of Honor Arundal and Jane Gardam (two other UK authors writing YA in the 196os and 1970s), although it doesn't come close to the utter brilliance of Gardam's Bilgewater. In looking up these three authors just now, I was rather interested to see that although Jane Gardam began writing books for adults, Tim Kennemore moved from this type of somewhat acerbic YA drama to lighter stories for younger children (like Circle of Doom, from 2006, which sounds like a lovely fun book).

Timeslip-wise--the clock is never explained, the consequences of time travel negligible (except for the effect on Victoria's understanding of her life). It's much more a family dynamics/growing up story than an adventure through time.

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