5/18/11

Waiting on Wednesday--the Book Expo America Edition

A week from today, I will be at Book Expo America! So exciting! I know, from past experience at meetings of the American Library Association, that I become over-excited when surrounded by new books. So I have made a vow not to do an imitation of Scrat (from the Ice Age movies) surrounded by more acorns than he can carry home. I will be calm, cool, and collected, and I will try to take home only books I really want (although I am very opened to being convinced I want books I didn't know I wanted....)

To help myself stay Calm, I have put together a list of the books I'm absolutely certain I would be happy to have the chance to take home with me (some of them are less urgent than others, like the Demon's Surrender and Nightspell--I'll be buying these anyway. But still).

First Second
Hera, the Goddess and Her Glory: Olympians, by George O’Connor

Chicken House
Ravenwood, by Andrew Fusek Peters

Scholastic
Rip Tide: Dark Life by Kat Falls
Liar’s Moon Elizabeth Bunce
Empire of Gut and Bone (the Game of Sunken Places 3), by M.T. Anderson

Flux
The Cupid War, by Timothy Carter

Henry Holt
The Fox Inheritance, by Mary E. Pearson

Marshall Cavendish
The Centaur's Daughter, by Ellen Jensen Abbott

Declacort
City of Lies: The Keepers, by Lian Tanner

Egmont
The Fire King: The Invisible Order, by Paul Crilley

Little Brown
Daughter of Smoke and Bone, by Laini Taylor
Dark Parties by Sara Grant

Penguin
No Such Thing as Ghosts: Dragonbreath, by Ursula Vernon
The Ogre of Oglefort, by Eva Ibbotson
Luminous, by Dawn Metcalf
Spellbound (The Book of Elsewhere 2), by Jacqueline West
Dragon Castle, by Joseph Bruchac

and of course I would love books 2, 3, and 4 of the Relic Master Series by Catherine Fisher--
Book Two: The Lost Heiress, June 14
Book Three: The Hidden Coronet, July 12
Book Four: The Margrave, August 9


(I'm giving away the first book here!)

Farrar, Straus and Giroux
The Jewel of the Kalderash: the Kronos Chronicles, by Marie Rotkoski

Harper Collins
Nightspell, by Leah Cypess
Voice of the Undead: Alex Van Helsing by Jason Henderson
Shadowcry, by Jenna Burtenshaw
The Girl of Fire and Thorns, by Rae Carson
Breadcrumbs Anne Ursu
The Trap: The Magnificent Twelve by Michael Grant
Darke, by Angie Sage

Harcourt
Circus Galacticus, by Deva Fagan

Charlesbridge
The Mystic Phyles: Beasts by Stephanie Brockway, illustrated by Ralph Masiello

Macmillan
White Crow, by Marcus Sedgwick
The Fairie Ring, by Kiki Hamilton (Tor)

Bloomsbury/Walker
Tuesdays at the Castle, by Jessica Day George
Little Women and Me, by Lauren Baratz-Logsted

Simon and Shuster
The Demon’s Surrender
Torn: The Missing, by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Goliath: Leviathan, by Scott Westerfeld

Candlewick
A Year Without Autumn, by Liz Kessler
The Unforgotten Coat, by Frank Cottrell Boyce
The Midnight Zoo, by Sonya Hartnett

Hyperion
Vanished by Sheela Chari (Thank you Doret!)

Running Press
The Wikkeling, by Steve Arntson

Am I missing anything obvious that I should add to my list??????

5/17/11

The Mythopoeic Awards shortlists have been announced

The Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Children’s Literature "honors books for younger readers (from “Young Adults” to picture books for beginning readers), in the tradition of The Hobbit or The Chronicles of Narnia."

Here's this year's shortlist:
  • Catherine Fisher, Incarceron and Sapphique (Dial)
  • Terry Pratchett, I Shall Wear Midnight (HarperCollins)
  • Polly Shulman, The Grimm Legacy (Putnam Juvenile)
  • Heather Tomlinson, Toads and Diamonds (Henry Holt)
  • Megan Whalen Turner, The Queen’s Thief series, consisting of The Thief, The Queen of Attolia, The King of Attolia, and A Conspiracy of Kings (Greenwillow Books)
A truly interesting list of very different books (both from each other and from other award lists I've seen), and none of them brought either The Hobbit or Narnia to mind when I read them! If I were to recommend one of these to someone, it's unlikely I'd recommend a second one to the same person. The closest I get is Catherine Fisher and Megan Whalen Turner.

But, of course, to me (MWT fan that I am) there's an obvious winner....

And just because we all need more books on our to be read lists, here are the books in contention for the Adult Award:
  • Guy Gavriel Kay, Under Heaven (Roc)
  • Karen Lord, Redemption in Indigo (Small Beer Press)
  • Patricia A. McKillip, The Bards of Bone Plain (Ace)
  • Devon Monk, A Cup of Normal (Fairwood Press)
  • Sharon Shinn, Troubled Waters (Ace)
None of which I've read, and all of which I now want to! (I actually have the McKillip, and have been meaning to read it for ages sigh sigh)

Webster's Leap, by Eileen Dunlop, for Timeslip Tuesday

Webster's Leap, by Eileen Dunlop (Holiday House, 1995, middle grade, 168 pages, published in 1995 in the UK as Castle Gryffe)

When Jill's parents divorced, she stayed in London with her mother, and her much loved older brother, Tad, went to live with their father. At first Tad and Jill were able to stay close, but when her father took Tad to live in Scotland, he seemed not at all sorry to go. Jill took it personally, and her fondness for her brother turned cold. And so in the summers Jill and Tad swap places, and have nothing to do with each other. This particular summer, Jill finds herself in the wilds of Scotland, at Castle Gryffe, where her father is the caretaker.

Bored and resentful, Jill wanders the empty rooms of the castle, where there is little that interests her. But all that changes when she starts up Tad's computer, and clicks on one of his files about the castle--and finds herself back in the 16th century, when Mary was still Queen of Scots, and the castle was bustling with activity.

She has a place in the past, into which she slips seamlessly--she is the young protegee of the castle's lady, who is lovely, save for a birth defect that mars her face. And Tad is there too, serving the lord. There in the cold winter of Castle Gryffe the chill between brother and sister vanishes when they are confronted with a horrible plot to accuse the lady of the keep of witchcraft. Unravelling the plot will take courage and determination...and working as a team.

This is the sort of book that will delight and enthrall the 10 or 11 year-old girl who daydreams about the past, the sort who imagines slipping back into the past whenever they visit an old castle, but Dunlop manages to keep her Scotland nicely unromanticized. I felt she did an excellent job capturing what life might well have been like in a cold and not particularly wealthy castle back in the 1500s! And although the first third of the book might seem slow--it is primarily concerned with Jill sulking around in the present--once the time travel gets going, there is plenty of mystery and intrigue for those who like things to Happen, and the tension builds most satisfactorily to an exciting climax.

So although I'm not going to say that you Must go find this book at once, if it should still happen to be in your library system, and you like a nice time travel, go for it! Dunlop is an excellent writer (in fact, she wrote one of my Favorite Books Ever, A Flute on Mayferry Street (aka The House on Mayferry Street in the US, my review), and although this book isn't nearly as magical, I enjoyed reading it. I probably would have LOVED it back in the day....when I still had my collection of unicorn stickers.

(one thing that made me chuckle was how dated Tad's computer is--Jill has to insert a floppy disk).

5/16/11

The Dark City (Relic Master Book 1) by Catherine Fisher; Review and Giveaway!!

The Dark City (Book 1 of the Relic Master Series), by Catherine Fisher (Dial, May 17 2011, mg/YA, 384 pages) is an engrossing blend of science fiction and fantasy.

Rather late, the winners of the two copies are Brooke and Brandy! Thanks all of you who entered.

Anara is a world where an ancient civilization is crumbling into darkness. Member of the old Order, whose spirits are linked to the forces of nature, and who keep alive the stories of the Makers, are ruthlessly prosecuted by the inquisition of the governing Watch. To the Watch, members of the Order are nothing more than believers in dangerous superstition, to be exterminated whenever they are found (after being tortured, to convince them to betray their fellows).

Anara is a world where humans live alongside a race of others--the fur-covered Sekoi, who keep old knowledge of their own.

Anara is a world where the works of the Makers can still be found--some deadly, some with mysterious powers, and some simply sitting enigmatically in the landscape. At the center of that lost world was the great and wondrous city of Tasceron, that has now become a pit of darkness and chaos after a cataclysm of epic proportions. It is truly a dark city, where monsters hunt the unwary.

And Anara is home to young Raffi, the apprentice of a man named Galen, one of the few surviving members of the Order. Along with Galen, and a young woman named Carys (who has secrets of her own), Raffi will face terrible dangers on a quest to find the ultimate lost relic in that dark city...but if they can find the secret they are looking for (and stay alive and away from the Watch), they might just save their world.

The Dark City is a truly gripping journey quest story. It's the sort of quest whose greater point isn't immediately clear to the reader, but which becomes increasingly more apparent as the backstory of the characters and their world is slowly, almost teasingly, rolled out. The beginning is a tad confusing, and you might think that Fisher isn't covering new ground here, but as the story continues, it becomes beautifully epic, beautifully complicated, and fascinating as all get out.

The Relic Master series is already published over in the UK; the first book came out in 1999, called The Relic Master, and the series was called The Book of the Crow. Happily for us here in the US, the next three books in the series are being briskly rolled out over the course of the summer. Not only do I want to find out what happens, I want to get to know the characters better, and find out more about this mysterious sci fi meets fantasy planet on which they live! Here they all are, in their great handsomeness:


And here's when we can expect them:

Book Two: The Lost Heiress, June 14
Book Three: The Hidden Coronet, July 12
Book Four: The Margrave, August 9


Note on age: Fisher made a bit of a splash here in the US recently with Incarceron and its sequel, Sapphique, which are most definitely for teenage (and older) readers. This series is being marketed to teenagers too, but it seems to me that it reads a tad younger--The Dark City is a book I'm happy to recommend to upper middle grade readers as well, not simply because there is no romance sub-plot. This might well happen in the next three books--after all, our cast of characters includes a teenage girl and a teenage boy. But regardless of that, sixth and seventh grade kids who like dark (ie, difficult, with monsters, and no happy walks in the sunshine) adventure should eat this up.

Fisher assumes that her readers will lose themselves in her story without having to be explicitly Told things in long passages of disquisition in which nothing is happening, and I think that this approach to storytelling (brisk and respectful of the reader's ability to make sense of things in medias res) is spot on for many younger readers (and many older ones too, of course...).

And the fact that the series is being released throughout the summer makes it perfect for summer vacation reading....

Courtesy of the publisher, I have two copies of The Dark City to give away! Just leave a comment to be entered (closes at midnight on May 23, so you have a smidge more than a week).

Just to convince you that you might want to enter (and I do strongly recommend this one), here's the trailer:



disclaimer: review copy gratefully received from the publisher.

5/15/11

New Releases of Fantasy and Science Fiction for Teens and Kids--the second half of May, 2011 edition

Here are the new releases of fantasy and sci fi for kids and teens that are being released the second half of May. As ever, I get my info. from Teens Read Too, and the blurbs from Amazon/Goodreads.

My pick this time around is Nightspell, by Leah Cypess--I loved her debut novel, Mistwood, and can't wait for this one!

The Middle Grade Books (aka for 9-12 year olds)

ATTACK OF THE VAMPIRE WEENIES: AND OTHER WARPED AND CREEPY TALES by David Lubar "A boy steals a ticket to an amusement park and gets the ride of a lifetime—literally. The first day of middle school turns into a free-for-all when the gym teacher offers a “get-out-of-gym-free” card. Sick of his sister’s vampire wannabe friends, a kid decides to teach them a lesson at their next party. But the tables are turned when some surprise guests show up."

DEATH AND THE UNDERWORLD: LEGENDS by Anthony Horowitz "From the pen of master storyteller Anthony Horowitz comes a new series of myths and legends from around the world, retold in a contemporary voice, and illustrated with bold, graphic artwork. Packed with Horowitz's signature action, humor, and suspense these collections feel fresh, modern, and perfect for today's fast-moving audience.
When life is over, and the conflicted souls of the dead wend their weary way down to the underworld, what do they see? A three-headed dog with slavering jaws, a bubbling swamp and a hangman's noose, or simply darkness? From familiar stories like the Greek myth of Orpheus, to lesser known tales like the Viking legend of the poet Nornagest and his precious candle, or the story of the Indian Princess Savitri who cheated death with nothing but her smarts, this collection is full of characters who are brave enough (or foolish enough) to cheat death and tell the tale."

THE DRAGON IN THE VOLCANO: DRAGON KEEPERS by Kate Klimo "What do you do when your dragon becomes a 'tween? Worry! And that's exactly what Dragon Keepers Jesse and Daisy do when their dragon, Emmy, outgrows their garage and starts disappearing. Luckily, when she really disappears, she also leaves them a trail of socks, which leads them headlong into a . . . volcano? Yep! And it only gets crazier from there! In this fourth title, author Kate Klimo introduces readers to a whole new world—the Fiery Realm, where dragons can be felled by a squirt of water and fire fairies have started mysteriously disappearing. As always, readers get a full dose of action and imagination in this expanding tale of two kids and a dragon, growing up together. A great boy-girl adventure for readers of How to Train Your Dragon!"

DREADNOUGHT: H.I.V.E. by Mark Walden "A renegade faction of the world’s most powerful villains is intent on destroying G.L.O.V.E. (Global League Of Villainous Enterprises) and showing the world the true face of evil. The Disciples begin by hijacking Diabolus Darkdoom’s Airborne command post, then they kidnap his son and his son’s best friend. Unfortunately for them, Nigel Darkdoom (and Franz) also happen to be Otto’s friends. Heading out to America, Otto, Wing et al embark on a perilous and highly unauthorised rescue operation. Cut off from the support of H.I.V.E. and on the run from American security forces the hunt for their friends leads to one of the US military’s most secret facilities. It becomes clear that the Disciples are not all they appear and in a desperate race against time Otto must work out who his real friends are and prevent the Disciples from completing their true objective. Only Otto can save the world from domination by a sinister new world order but it might be that the price he has to pay is just too high. When it comes to the crunch will he be prepared to sacrifice himself?"

THE EMERALD CASKET: THE ARCHER LEGACY by Richard Newsome "It has only been a month since Gerald Wilkins be-came the richest kid on earth. One month since he found out his great-aunt Geraldine had left him all her fortune and, with it, a murder mystery, clues to a diamond heist, and a target on his back. One month since Sir Mason Green made off with the contents of the diamond casket, an object of unspeakable power. And you thought your school vacation was eventful.

As book two of the Archer Legacy opens, Gerald, Ruby, and Sam come upon papers, drawings, and reams of research, all indicating that Gerald's family has been protecting a secret concerning nothing less than the fate of the world. Now Gerald and his friends are off to India to try to find out the truth. Friendships will be forged and broken. A city buried under the sea will be rediscovered. A whole mess of pigeons will be involved. And Gerald is going to have to make a choice between his love for his friends and the darkest desires of his heart.

It's entirely possible that this month might be even more eventful than the last."

FIBBLE: THE FOURTH CIRCLE OF HECK by Dale E. Basye "Dale E. Basye returns to Heck for his most over-the-top (the Big Top, that is) adventure yet. When Marlo Fauster claims she has switched souls with her brother, she gets sent straight to Fibble, the circle of Heck reserved for liars. But it's true—Milton and Marlo have switched places, and Marlo finds herself trapped in Milton's gross, gangly body. She also finds herself trapped in Fibble, a three-ring media circus run by none other than P. T. Barnum, an insane ringmaster with grandiose plans and giant, flaming pants. Meanwhile Milton, as Marlo, is working at the devil's new television network, T.H.E.E.N.D. But there's something strange about these new shows. Why do they all air at the same? And are they really broadcasting to the Surface? Soon Milton and Marlo realize that they need each other to sort through the lies and possibly prevent the end of the world—if Bea "Elsa" Bubb doesn't catch them first."

FLY TRAP by Frances Hardinge "Having barely escaped the revolution they had a huge (if accidental) part in causing, sharp-eyed orphan Mosca Mye; her guard goose, Saracen; and their sometimes-loyal companion, the con man Eponymous Clent, must start anew.

All too quickly, they find themselves embroiled in fresh schemes and twisting politics as they are trapped in Toll, an odd town that changes its entire personality as day turns to night. Mosca and her friends attempt to fend off devious new foes, subvert old enemies, prevent the kidnapping of the mayor's daughter, steal the town's Luck, and somehow manage to escape with their lives—and hopefully a little money in their pockets.

In the eagerly awaited sequel to Fly by Night, acclaimed storyteller Frances Hardinge returns to a vivid world rich with humor, danger, and discovery."

A GIRL CALLED TENNYSON by Joan Givner "Anne “Tenn” Tennyson Miller’s adventure begins during an ordinary ferry trip, but reality soon melts away as Tenn is transported to the fantasy land of Greensward. When she arrives in Greensward, Tenn is elected to rescue her new friend, Una, who has been spirited away to a nearby country occupied by evil forces determined to destroy the harmony of Greensward. Before she sets out on her dangerous mission she is trained by the wise woman, Bethan, who understands the enemy’s weaknesses and offers Tenn resources and information that can help her on her mission.

Once in enemy territory she uses Bethan’s supplies and teachings, as well as her own keen memory and wealth of knowledge, to sustain her quest. She is eventually successful in finding Una but then discovers that there are many other children who must also be saved and returned to Greensward.

This classic fantasy quest from established YA author Joan Givner takes young readers on an adventure written in the British tradition, fused with a contemporary voice. Givner alludes to the work of Tennyson, as “Tenn” loves poetry, story and rhyme; in fact it will be her love of great writers that helps her in her quest and leads her to success."

THE GREAT MOGUL DIAMOND: THE DOPPLE GANGER CHRONICLES by G. P. Taylor "Everything was going so well for a change. Sadie and Saskia Dopple, those troublesome twins, had been adopted by the wealthy writer and recluse Muzz Elliott. And their friend Erik Morrissey Ganger was finally on his way to becoming a full-fledged private detective. But when an anonymous note threatens someone they love, the twins are off on an express train to danger. Suddenly they find themselves awhirl in a series of crimes—stolen right off the pages of Muzz Elliott’s own mystery novels. The twins need to figure out who’s behind this twisted plot soon, or Muzz Elliott will be framed for her own greatest literary invention . . . the theft of the Great Mogul Diamond. Meanwhile, Erik speeds through the countryside in an unbelievably cool car with private eye Dorcas Potts, racing the clock and attempting to outwit a gang of robbers. At the end of the road (if he ever gets there), he and the twins will have to get their hands on the diamond first in order to save Muzz Elliott. But not even this car is fast enough to escape the nagging doubts in Erik’s mind . . . What do you do when you aren’t sure what’s right? Sadie, Saskia, and Erik face this question head-on in the third installment of The Dopple Ganger Chronicles, by New York Times bestselling author G. P. Taylor. "

HEROES AND VILLAINS: LEGENDS by Anthony Horowitz "From the pen of master storyteller Anthony Horowitz comes a new series of myths and legends from around the world, retold in a contemporary voice, and illustrated with bold, graphic artwork. Packed with Horowitz's signature action, humor, and suspense these collections feel fresh, modern, and perfect for today's fast-moving audience.
The battle between good and evil has raged throughout time, in every corner of this world and the next. Some have fought using their superior strength, and some their wit and cunning. This collection features some epic favorites on both sides like Hercules, Theseus, and Polyphemus the Cyclops, and other less-familiar but equally fierce opponents like Polynesian trickster Maui, and Grendel of Beowolf. No matter if they fight with speed, skill, or sheer determination, they all have one thing in common: they will fight each other to the death."

SUPER CHICKEN NUGGET BOY AND THE PIZZA PLANET PEOPLE by Josh Lewis "When a mysteriously delicious-looking pizza falls from the sky into his backyard, Fern Goldberg (aka Super Chicken Nugget Boy) gets a strange feeling in his gut. No, not hunger. Well, maybe a little bit. But mostly, it's an inkling that something fishier than anchovies is about to tackle planet earth.

Sure enough, when Bert Lahr Elementary's head bully Dirk Hamstone steals and eats the space pizza, it reassembles itself and crawls out of his mouth as a fully-formed alien Pizza Person!! Soon, all the pizza ingredients in Gordonville are vanishing, and Pizza People are multiplying faster than you can say "extra large double cheese." If Super Chicken Nugget Boy doesn't act fast, the only pizza left on earth will be the kind that topples terrestrials with toppings! Virulent vittles beware! Earth's finest deep-fried superhero is back! "

A TRAVELLER IN TIME by Alison Uttley "Penelope Taberner Cameron is a solitary and a sickly child, a reader and a dreamer. Her mother, indeed, is of the opinion that the girl has grown all too attached to the products of her imagination and decides to send her away from London for a restorative dose of fresh country air. But staying at Thackers, in remote Derbyshire, Penelope is soon caught up in a new mystery, as she finds herself transported at unforeseeable intervals back and forth from modern to Elizabethan times. There she becomes part of a remarkable family that is, Penelope realizes, in terrible danger as they plot to free Mary, Queen of Scot, from the prison in which Queen Elizabeth has confined her.

Penelope knows the tragic end that awaits the Scottish queen but she can neither change the course of events nor persuade her new family of the hopelessness of their cause, which love, loyalty, and justice all compel them to embrace. Caught between present and past, Penelope is ever more torn by questions of freedom and fate. To travel in time, Penelope discovers, is to to be very much alone. And yet the slow recurrent rhythms of the natural world, beautifully captured by Alison Uttley, also speak of a greater ongoing life that transcends the passage of years. " (not technically a new release, but rather a classic being re-published by the NY Review Children's Collection).

The Young Adult Books

ANGEL BURN by L.A. Weatherly "Willow knows she’s different from other girls, and not just because she loves tinkering with cars. Willow has a gift. She can look into the future and know people’s dreams and hopes, their sorrows and regrets, just by touching them. She has no idea where this power comes from. But the assassin, Alex, does. Gorgeous, mysterious Alex knows more about Willow than Willow herself. He knows that her powers link to dark and dangerous forces, and that he’s one of the few humans left who can fight them. When Alex finds himself falling in love with his sworn enemy, he discovers that nothing is as it seems, least of all good and evil. In the first book in an action-packed, romantic trilogy, L..A. Weatherly sends readers on a thrill-ride of a road trip - and depicts the human race at the brink of a future as catastrophic as it is deceptively beautiful.

They’re out for your soul . . . and they don’t have heaven in mind. "

AWAKEN by Katie Kacvinsky "Maddie lives in a world where everything is done on the computer. Whether it’s to go to school or on a date, people don’t venture out of their home. There’s really no need. For the most part, Maddie’s okay with the solitary, digital life—until she meets Justin. Justin likes being with people. He enjoys the physical closeness of face-to-face interactions. People aren’t meant to be alone, he tells her. Suddenly, Maddie feels something awakening inside her—a feeling that maybe there is a different, better way to live. But with society and her parents telling her otherwise, Maddie is going to have to learn to stand up for herself if she wants to change the path her life is taking. In this not-so-brave new world, two young people struggle to carve out their own space."

BLOOD MAGIC: THE BLOOD JOURNALS by Tessa Gratton "This page-turning debut novel will entice fans who like their paranormal romances dark and disturbing. It's a natural next-read for fans of Stephanie Meyer, Carrie Jones, and Becca Fitzpatrick. But instead of mythical creatures, blood magic has everything to do with primal human desires like power, wealth, and immortality. Everywhere Silla Kennicott turns she sees blood. She can't stop thinking about her parents alleged murder-suicide. She is consumed by a book filled with spells that arrives mysteriously in the mail. The spells share one common ingredient: blood, and Silla is more than willing to cast a few. What's a little spilled blood if she can uncover the truth? And then there's Nick—the new guy at school who makes her pulse race. He has a few secrets of his own and is all too familiar with the lure of blood magic. Drawn together by a combination of fate and chemistry, Silla and Nick must find out who else in their small Missouri town knows their secret and will do anything to take the book and magic from Silla."

CRYPTIC CRAVINGS: VAMPIRE KISSES by Ellen Schreiber "The morbidly monotonous Dullsville has finally become the most exciting place on earth now that Raven is madly in love with her hot vampire boyfriend, Alexander, and a crew of vampires has taken residence in Dullsville's old mill. Raven discovers Jagger's plan to open a new club, the Crypt, right here in Dullsville. But is it her dream come true or her worst nightmare? Raven and Alexander have to figure out what the nefarious vampire has in store for Dullsville's teen and vampire population. Can Raven convince Jagger to listen to her plans to make the Crypt the morbidly magnificent dance club it could be? Will it be safe for mortals and vampires alike?

And as Sebastian and Luna's relationship heats up, Raven wonders about her own amorous fate: Will Alexander ever turn her? Does he crave her and does he want to spend eternity together? And what does she really want?

With cryptic secrets and cravings, this eighth installment in the Vampire Kisses series is a romantic and mysterious thrill ride."

CURSEBUSTERS by Julie Smith "Budding-psychic Reeno is the most accomplished teenage burglar in California, but one tiny screw-up and poof!—she's sentenced to Bad Girl School. And that isn’t even her worst problem. Her sister Haley’s dying of an illness no one can diagnose, and now she can’t even help. But wait, maybe she can! The school psychics have found each other and formed their own club. With the help of her gay friend Carlos and the other Ozone Rangers, Reeno finds out Haley’s disease is the result of an ancient Mayan curse. And A.B., the group's sinister non-faculty adviser, claims he knows how to break it.

All Reeno has to do is time-travel to an ancient Mayan city and steal a little item A.B. needs to save the world. Since she’s an ace thief, he has complete confidence she can execute the task before the outraged Mayans can execute her. But can she trust A.B.? Despite his cuddly appearance, she knows he’s a merciless predator and ruthless assassin. And he's not even human."

THE DARK CITY: RELIC MASTER by Catherine Fisher "Welcome to Anara, a world mysteriously crumbling to devastation, where nothing is what it seems: Ancient relics emit technologically advanced powers, members of the old Order are hunted by the governing Watch yet revered by the people, and the great energy that connects all seems to also be destroying all. The only hope for the world lies in Galen, a man of the old Order and a Keeper of relics, and his sixteen-year-old apprentice, Raffi. They know of a secret relic with great power that has been hidden for centuries. As they search for it, they will be tested beyond their limits. For there are monsters-some human, some not-that also want the relic's power and will stop at nothing to get it. "

DESIRE by Kailin Gow "A Dystopian world where everyone's future is planned out for them at age 18...whether it is what a person desires or not. Kama is about to turn 18 and she thinks her Life s Plan will turn out like her boyfriend's and friend's as they desired. But when she glimpse a young man who can communicate with her with his thoughts and knows her name...a young man with burning blue eyes and raven hair, who is dressed like no other in her world, she is left to question her Life's Plan and her destiny. Knowing the truth can destroy everyone... Within the book itself, find out how you can win a SIGNED Kindle! "

THE FIRES BENEATH THE SEA by Lydia Millet "Cara's mother has disappeared. Her father isn't talking about it. Her big brother Max is hiding behind his iPod, and her genius little brother Jackson is busy studying the creatures he collects from the beach. But when a watery specter begins to haunt the family's Cape Cod home, Cara and her brothers realize that their scientist mother may not be who they thought she was—and that the world has much stranger, much older inhabitants than they had imagined.

With help from Cara's best friend Hayley, the three embark on a quest that will lead them from the Cape's hidden, ancient places to a shipwreck at the bottom of the sea. They're soon on the front lines of an ancient battle between good and evil, with the terrifying "pouring man" close on their heels.

Packed with memorable characters and thrilling imagery, Lydia Millet weaves a page-turning adventure even as she brings the seaside world of Cape Cod to magical life. The first in a series of books about the Sykes children, The Fires Beneath the Sea is a rip-cracking middle-grade novel that will make perfect beach reading—for readers of any age!"


THE GIRL IN THE STEEL CORSET: THE STEAMPUNK CHRONICLES by Kady Cross "In 1897 England, sixteen-year-old Finley Jayne has no one…except the "thing" inside her. When a young lord tries to take advantage of Finley, she fights back. And wins. But no normal Victorian girl has a darker side that makes her capable of knocking out a full-grown man with one punch….

Only Griffin King sees the magical darkness inside her that says she's special, says she's one of them. The orphaned duke takes her in from the gaslit streets against the wishes of his band of misfits: Emily, who has her own special abilities and an unrequited love for Sam, who is part robot; and Jasper, an American cowboy with a shadowy secret.

Griffin's investigating a criminal called The Machinist, the mastermind behind several recent crimes by automatons. Finley thinks she can help—and finally be a part of something, finally fit in. But The Machinist wants to tear Griff's little company of strays apart, and it isn't long before trust is tested on all sides. At least Finley knows whose side she's on—even if it seems no one believes her."

LARK by Tracey Porter "When sixteen-year-old Lark Austin is kidnapped from her Virginia hometown and left to die in a snowy forest, she leaves behind two friends who are stunned by the loss. As Lark's former best friend, Eve can't shake the guilt that this tragedy was somehow her fault. Meanwhile, Nyetta is haunted each night by Lark's ghost, who comes through the bedroom window and begs Nyetta to set her soul free. Eve and Nyetta realize that Lark is trapped in limbo, and only by coming together to heal themselves will they discover why.

Tracey Porter's stunning narrative about love and loss demonstrates that forgiveness can never come too late."

MERCY by Rebecca Lim "A fallen angel haunted by her past. Yearning for her immortal beloved. Forever searching for answers. Who will show her Mercy?

Mercy has lost herself. She can’t count how many times she’s “woken up” in a new body, and assumed a new life, only to move on again and again. During the day she survives in the human world on instinct and at night her dreams are haunted by him. Mercy’s heart would know him anywhere. But her memory refuses to cooperate.

But this time is different. When Mercy wakes up she meets Ryan, an eighteen year old reeling from the loss of his twin sister who was kidnapped two years ago. Everyone else has given up hope, but Ryan believes his sister is still alive. Using a power she doesn’t fully comprehend, Mercy realizes that Ryan is right. His sister is alive and together they can find her. For the first time since she can remember, Mercy has a purpose; she can help. So she doesn’t understand why the man in her dreams cautions her not to interfere. But as Ryan and Mercy come closer to solving the dark mystery of his sister’s disappearance, danger looms just one step behind. Will Mercy be able to harness her true self and extraordinary power in time?"

THE MIDNIGHT PALACE by Carlos Ruiz Zafon "Set in Calcutta in the 1930s, The Midnight Palace begins on a dark night when an English lieutenant fights to save newborn twins Ben and Sheere from an unthinkable threat. Despite monsoon-force rains and terrible danger lurking around every street corner, the young lieutenant manages to get them to safety, but not without losing his own life. . . .

Years later, on the eve of Ben and Sheere's sixteenth birthday, the mysterious threat reenters their lives. This time, it may be impossible to escape. With the help of their brave friends, the twins will have to take a stand against the terror that watches them in the shadows of the night--and face the most frightening creature in the history of the City of Palaces. "

THE MORNITH WAR: THE WINNITOK TALES by Patrick Doud "Though The Mornith War picks up three years and many adventures after the events in The Hunt for the Eye of Ogin, Patrick Doud's latest book stands alone as a gripping epic fantasy novel. Elwood Pitch and his companions are charged with a task just beyond Winnitok’s northern edge. The land’s immortal protector Granashon the Nohar has joined them in the company of a charismatic prophet, who has been trying desperately to establish a truce between the prophet’s followers and a proud clan of wolf truans. No sooner have the scouts learned of this threat to peace than it is overshadowed by one even more ominous—a scourge of spirits burning the prophet’s fields with a ghostly, seemingly unstoppable green fire.

While Granashon leads the band of adventurers to battle the source of the spirits in an ancient mountain fortress, Elwood's companion Drallah stays behind to help protect the besieged prophet and her followers—including a girl with whom Elwood has begun a relationship that the prophet has expressly forbidden. With the spirits threatening to spread to Winnitok and beyond, catastrophe looms. Can Elwood and his friends stop it?"

NIGHTSPELL by Leah Cypess "Here be ghosts, the maps said, and that was all.

In this haunted kingdom, ghosts linger—not just in the deepest forests or the darkest caverns, but alongside the living, as part of a twisted palace court that revels all night and sleeps through the daylight hours.

Darri's sister was trapped in this place of fear and shadows as a child. And now Darri has a chance to save her sister . . . if she agrees to a betrothal with the prince of the dead. But nothing is simple in this eerie kingdom—not her sister, who has changed beyond recognition; not her plan, which will be thrown off track almost at once; and not the undead prince, who seems more alive than anyone else.

In a court seething with the desire for vengeance, Darri holds the key to the balance between life and death. Can her warrior heart withstand the most wrenching choice of all?"

QUEEN OF THE DEAD: THE GHOST AND THE GOTH by Stacey Kade "After being sent back from the light, Alona Dare - former homecoming queen, current Queen of the Dead - finds herself doing something she never expected: working. Instead of spending days perfecting her tan by the pool (her typical summer routine when she was, you know, alive), Alona must now cater to the needs of other lost spirits. By her side for all of this - ugh - “helping of others” is Will Killian: social outcast, seer of the dead, and someone Alona cares about more than she’d like.

Before Alona can make a final ruling on Will’s “friend” or “more” status, though, she discovers trouble at home. Her mom is tossing out Alona’s most valuable possessions, and her dad is expecting a new daughter with his wicked wife. Is it possible her family is already moving on? Hello! She’s only been dead for two months! Thankfully, Alona knows just the guy who can put a stop to this mess.

Unfortunately for Alona, Will has other stuff on his mind, and Mina, a young (and beautiful) seer, is at the top of the list. She’s the first ghost-talker Will’s ever met—aside from his father—and she may hold answers to Will’s troubled past. But can she be trusted? Alona immediately puts a check mark in the “clearly not” column. But Will is - ahem - willing to find out, even if it means leaving a hurt and angry Alona to her own devices, which is never a good idea."

SOMETHING DEADLY THIS WAY COMES: MADISON AVERY by Kim Harrison "When Madison died the night of her prom, she knew her life would never be the same. Now she has a powerful amulet, a team of rogue angels by her side, and the ability to flash forward into the future to see the shape of destiny. And of course, now she's finally with Josh—a perfect boyfriend who doesn't even mind that she's dead.

But being dead has its disadvantages, too. Madison feels caught between the light and the dark, and between her real life and her timekeeper status. When Madison has the opportunity to get her body back—to be alive again—she faces her most difficult decision yet. If she claims it, she could return to being a normal girl—and have a chance at a real relationship with Josh. But would having the one thing she wants most in the world also mean giving up everything she's worked so hard for?"

SPINNING OUT by David Stahler, Jr. "High school senior Frenchy has little ambition beyond hanging out at the smoking rock until his best friend, the ever-witty and conniving Stewart, gets him to try out for Man of la Mancha. To everyone's surprise, the guys are a hit. But when Stewart's antics begin to grow more obsessive he wears his costume 24/7, freaks out about little details, and displays an incessant hatred of the high-tech windmills outside of town Frenchy worries that there's something deeper going on. Is Stewart spiraling into madness, just like Don Quixote? And can Frenchy battle through his own demons in time to save his friend from self-destruction before it's too late? " (quite possibly not fantasy....but maybe it is....)

STARCROSSED by Josephine Angelini "How do you defy destiny? Helen Hamilton has spent her entire sixteen years trying to hide how different she is—no easy task on an island as small and sheltered as Nantucket. And it's getting harder. Nightmares of a desperate desert journey have Helen waking parched, only to find her sheets damaged by dirt and dust. At school she's haunted by hallucinations of three women weeping tears of blood . . . and when Helen first crosses paths with Lucas Delos, she has no way of knowing they're destined to play the leading roles in a tragedy the Fates insist on repeating throughout history.

As Helen unlocks the secrets of her ancestry, she realizes that some myths are more than just legend. But even demigod powers might not be enough to defy the forces that are both drawing her and Lucas together—and trying to tear them apart."

THE WARLOCK: THE SECRETS OF THE IMMORTAL NICHOLAS FLAMEL by Michael Scott "In the fifth installment of this bestselling series, the twins of prophesy have been divided, and the end is finally beginning.

With Scatty, Joan of Arc, Saint Germain, Palamedes, and Shakespeare all in Danu Talis, Sophie is on her own with the ever-weakening Nicholas and Perenelle Flamel. She must depend on Niten to help her find an immortal to teach her Earth Magic. The surprise is that she will find her teacher in the most ordinary of places. "

WATCHED by Sharde Richardson
"Mikayla doesn't want much: just to rock out to her favorite band, become the next Kwiki Stop video gaming champion, and keep her Q-tip habit under control. What she does want is the sight of the sudden inexplicable dark auras around everyone to stop. Problem is, those auras are demons and Mikayla is the last trait holder with the power to ban them. Which is a total buzz kill.

To make matters worse, the town folk of Sulphur Springs don't look the same, and her classmates are a little dark in the eyes. There are murders, suicides, reckless skinny-dipping, gratuitous use of Q-tips, and newfound powers that Mikayla must learn to control.

Her past becomes present when a shape-shifter tells her what her true identity is, and how to keep the demons of Hell from nipping at her Converse. Through him she'll discover who to trust, who to kiss, and how valuable her abilities are to the right beings. Because the evils of Hell aren't staying down without a fight..."

WELCOME TO BORDERTOWN edited by Holly Black & Ellen Kushner "Bordertown: a city on the border between our human world and the elfin realm. Runaway teens come from both sides of the border to find adventure, to find themselves. Elves play in rock bands and race down the street on spell-powered motorbikes. Human kids recreate themselves in the squats and clubs and artists' studios of Soho. Terri Windling's original Bordertown series was the forerunner of today's urban fantasy, introducing authors that included Charles de Lint, Will Shetterly, Emma Bull, and Ellen Kushner. In this volume of all-new work (including a 15-page graphic story), the original writers are now joined by the generation that grew up dreaming of Bordertown, including acclaimed authors Holly Black, Cassandra Clare, Cory Doctorow, Neil Gaiman, Catherynne M. Valente, and many more. They all meet here on the streets of Bordertown in more than twenty new interconnected songs, poems, and stories. "

X RESTORED: EXORSISTAH by Claudia Mair Burney "After three years and more creepy demons than she’d care to recall, Emme Vaughn has finally found her mama. Only the reunion doesn’t go as X expected. It’s not easy adapting to a new life in New Orleans, with a mother who was possessed by the devil until recently and a stepfather she didn’t know existed. Especially when a mysterious stranger, her stepfather’s charming and handsome protégé Jean-Paul, drives a wedge between Emme and Francis. Is the enigmatic outsider trying to replace her man? Or does he have a more sinister plan— one she couldn’t have imagined?

Haunted by a mysterious ghost and threatened by a demon in her mama’s house, X gets ready to rumble. She dons God’s armor to face the evil force that has hunted her all her life, but first she must cast aside the little girl act and draw strength from all the celestial and worldly friends who have guided her this far. Once and for all, the devil has it coming . . . Exorsistah style."

This Sunday's Middle Grade Sci Fi/fantasy round-up

Welcome to this weeks MF SFF Round-up! Please let me know if I missed your post. And indeed (edited to add) I missed a whole slew of links I'd emailed myself, that got buried by subsequent mail....

The Reviews:

Aliens on Vacation, by Clete Barrett Smith, at the excelsior file and Reading Vacation

Dragonbreath: Lair of the Bat Monster, by Ursula Vernon, at Great Kid Books

Drizzle, by Kathleen Van Cleeve, at books4yourkids

Empire of Ruins: The Hunchback Assignments III by Arthur Slade, at The Written World

The Fires Beneath the Sea, by Lydia Millet, at Ms. Martin Teaches Media

The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making, by Catherynne Valente, at The Book Smugglers

Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane, by Suzanne Collins, at Just Booking Around

Jacob Wonderbar and the Cosmic Space Kapow, by Nathan Bransford, at Holes in My Brain, KidsRead, Sneak Peek Preview, and Charlotte's Library

Juniper Berry, by M.P. Kozlowsky, at Book Yurt and the Book Smugglers

Keeper, by Kathi Appelt, at One Librarian's Book Reviews

The Memory Bank, by Carolyn Coman, at Elizabeth Varadan's Fourth Wish

Scumble, by Ingrid Law, at Shelf Elf

Seven Sorcerers, by Caro King, at I <:3 Reading

Tall Story, by Candy Gourlay, at Charlotte's Library (although you could argue this isn't fantasy....)

The Throne of Fire, by Rick Riordan, at Book Nut, Roof Beam Reader, and The Spotted Mushroom

TIM: Defender of the Earth, by Sam Enthoven, at Fantasy Book Reviews

The Time Traveling Fashionista, by Bianca Turetsky, at Dreaming in Books

Time Witch, by Jacqueline Corcoran, at The Tales Compendium

Under the Green Hill, by Laura Sullivan, at Lucy Was Robbed

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, by Grace Lin, a video review at Bookie Woogie

Authors and Interviews:

Nathan Bransford (Jacob Wonderbar and the Cosmic Space Kapow) at Grab a Pen, and The Other Side of the Story

M.P. Kozlowsky (Juiper Berry) at Book Yurt, The Book Maven's Haven, and Kid Lit Frenzy

Megan Whalen Turner (The Thief et seq.) at Book Yurt

Brandon Mull (Beyonders) at Chersti Nieveen

Catherynne Valente (The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making) at Whatever

Diana Greenwood (Insight) at From the Mixed Up Files

Other Good Stuff:

The short lists for the Locus Awards have been announced; here are the "ya" contenders:
  • Ship Breaker, Paolo Bacigalupi (Little, Brown)
  • Mockingjay, Suzanne Collins (Scholastic)
  • Enchanted Glass, Diana Wynne Jones (HarperCollins UK; Greenwillow)
  • I Shall Wear Midnight, Terry Pratchett (Gollancz; HarperCollins)
  • Behemoth, Scott Westerfeld (Simon Pulse; Simon & Schuster UK)

5/13/11

Why I try to blog about books with diverse characters--Jacob Wonderbar revisited

When I posted my review of Jacob Wonderbar and the Cosmic Space Kapow (a book I enjoyed), I sweated blood. I was, although I avoided the word, suggesting that the publisher had whitewashed the kid on the cover. Here's what I said:

"As an added bonus, Jacob is a kid of color. Here's how he is described:

"He stared at his hands, a soft brown color that was lighter than his mom's dark skin and darker than his dad's light skin. It was proof that he was half of his mom and half of his dad, but since he didn't look like either of them, it also made him something else entirely" (page 22).

And you can see that in the internal illustrations, like the example above, Jacob's skin is indeed darker than that of his friends.

But would you know this from the cover? No. The boy on the cover is clearly less pink than the girl, but he looks pretty much like a white kid to me. I had no idea that he was a kid of color until I'd reached page 22. I've stared and stared at his skin tone as shown, hoping that its biscuit-like beige would become "soft brown," but it didn't, in my eyes at least."

So I wrote this, and very nervously wondered what people's reactions would be. And I waited, and waited...and there has been no reaction.

Here is the cover in question. Now, maybe a lot of people didn't read my review--I know a lot of you are readers looking for books for yourselves, so this would be a bit young. Or maybe people didn't think it was that egregious an example of whitewashing--the boy on the cover is, indeed, less pink than the girl (or the boy in the top right), and it's not as obvious as other cases of whitewashing from the past few years (ie, Liar, Magic Under Glass, and Sticky from The Mysterious Benedict Society). But heck. I still think there is no way this cover shows an accurate depiction of the kid of color described in the book.

I care rather a lot about this, perhaps more passionately in a middle-grade book like this than in Young Adult books. The reason why I care is the same reason why, back in May of 2009, I set myself on a long term mission of finding and reviewing middle grade fantasy and science fiction books featuring kids of color. And a pretty large part of this reason is that I have two children of my own.

My boys are blond and blue-eyed (more or less). They are going to have it pretty darn easy throughout their lives in terms of other people making judgements about them (other people might well judge their mother harshly for the state of their clothes and fingernails, but that's not their fault). I want to do my darnedest to raise them so that when they meet someone who is not like them--someone in a wheelchair, someone who doesn't look like them, someone who's gay--they see a person first and foremost.* And I think that giving them books that show people who are not like them is a tremendously important way to achieve such an innate, non-judgemental, acceptance of difference.

At the Diversity in YA panel I was at last night, the question of why we should advocate for diversity was posed. The answer most often put forward, both last night and in general was the importance of giving kids fictional mirrors. I agree wholeheartedly that this is an important reason to promote diverse books, and this is the main reason I keep my list--as a resource primarily for those buying the books.

But I think that my own personal reason is valid too--the importance of making "the other" not other, but friend.

For an eloquent discussion of this topic, please visit this conversation from last March between Tanita Davis, of Fiction Instead of Lies and Finding Wonderland; Hannah Ehrlich of Lee & Low Books; and Mitali Perkins, who writes at Mitali’s Fire Escape, hosted by Terry at Scrub-a-dub-Tub. As Tanita said then, "Somewhere away on the other side of the sleeping globe are people whose language and culture and stories we haven’t yet discovered, and yet books can transcend that gap, and speak a language creates a bridge." Somewhere down the street, across the town...

And so that's why I think it sucks that Jacob isn't a few shades more brown. And why it sucks that Jacob in the next book in the series is also pretty pale, although, again, still browner than the other kids.

So is this, do you think, a case of whitewashing? Do you think the publisher should add just a tad more brown? Or am I over-reacting?????

Thanks for reading; please let me know what you think!



*viz childrearing--I also want to raise them to be keenly and critically aware of descrimination and social injustice, of course. This is why for several weeks last year my oldest, who takes comfort in reiteration, kept saying at bedtime when we were snuggling "Mama, tell me again about book cover whitewashing." Sigh. At least it was better than, "Mama, tell me again about why you don't like Sarah Palin."

5/12/11

Divesity in YA

Here's where I'll be tonight, for the Diversity in YA tour:

Cambridge Public Library (Main Library)
Lecture Hall
449 Broadway
Cambridge, MA 02138

Here's who else will be there (Fan Girl SQUEE!)

Holly Black, Sarah Rees Brennan, Deva Fagan, Malinda Lo, Cindy Pon, and Francisco X. Stork.

Here's the point of it--to celebrate diversity in fiction! By happy chance, all the books I've reviewed thus far this week feature diverse casts of characters (which surprised me a bit; I had no idea, for instance, based on how he's shown on the cover, that Jacob Wonderbar was a kid of color in space).

My list of "multicultural" science fiction and fantasy for kids and teens now has 67 books on it...here's to many more! (Cindy Pon's books aren't on there yet, which I feel rather awful about; when Silver Phoenix came out, I was a bit late the party, and felt that so many reviews had already been written that mine would be redundant. But Fury of the Phoenix is number 1 on my list of books to buy tonight!)

Tall Story, by Candy Gourlay

Tall Story, by Candy Gourlay (David Fickling Books, 2010 in the UK, 2011 in the US, middle grade/young adult, 304 pages)

Andi’s 16 year-old brother has finally gotten his visa to leave the Philippines and join his mother and stepfather in London. It’s been several years since her mom last made it over to visit him, and everyone is tremendously excited to see him. Andi’s expectations for her new big brother are high…she’s looking forward to being a little sister. And maybe Bernardo will love basketball as much as she does.

But when Bernardo arrives at the airport, he is a much bigger brother than she could ever have imagined. He is around eight feet tall.

Back in the Philippines, the people of his village believed his gigantic height made him the embodiment of a legendary giant who kept his people safe from earthquakes; they knew that if he left, the village was probably doomed. And although Bernardo knows he’s just a horribly tall kid (perhaps because he was cursed by a vindictive witch), sometimes he has felt as though he carried the crushing weight of the earth. Bernardo has another secret—a wishing stone that came to him in rather horrible circumstances. He wished on the stone to grow tall, and he did…

In London, Andi’s wishes are going wrong. Her brother is a giant who has no clue about how to live life in London, and, due to an unfortunate ceiling collapse, she has to share her room with him! She’s angry and miserable that her new school has no girls’ basketball team, even though she’s better than the boys. When Bernardo is hailed as the answer to the boys’ team’s prayers, it’s a bitter pill to swallow.

But Bernardo wants badly to be a good brother. And so he shares the wishing stone with Andi….

It’s a warm, magical story, rich in detail and rich with honest, believable emotion. It’s told in the alternating voices of Bernardo and Andi, and this allows the author to share Bernardo’s story of growing up too tall in the Philippines, as well as the two kids’ reactions to each other and their new life together. The two different voices and settings emphasize the cross-cultural divide between the two siblings, a divide that I was pretty sure would eventually be crossed, and which, very happily, was.

Tall Story is a lovely example of a book in which the message of acceptance becomes simply part of the journey the characters and the reader take together. And it’s a lovely example of magical realism at its best—if you want to believe that curses and wishes are efficacious, you can, but it isn’t required.

(Edited to add: This was, in fact, nominated for the 2010 Cybils in the science fiction/fantasy category; it was one of the few books I didn't manage to get a hold of. I would probably have suggested moving it to straight middle grade--I lean more toward folklore and coincidence at work, rather than magic....but I put it on my multicultural sci fi/fantasy list anyway. Because maybe it is magic).

Note on age: there is no stereotypically "young adult" content--ie sex, drugs, and bad language-- in this book. But it is about "young adults" and it is so rich thematically, and such a good book, that I think it has appeal for both middle school and high school kids.

Tall Story has picked up three starred reviews (Kirkus, School Library Journal, and Booklist), and it deserves them. A whole slew of reviews can be found nicely cached here.

Ps: For those of us who might feel Doubtful about sports, the basketball side-story doesn’t dominate the book, but nicely enhances the tension.

5/11/11

Jacob Wonderbar and the Cosmic Space Kapow, by Nathan Bransford

Jacob Wonderbar and the Cosmic Space Kapow, by Nathan Bransford (Dail, 2011, mg, 288 pages) is a vastly entertaining space adventure for young readers. Jacob (bane of substitute teachers and mischief maker extraordinaire) and fellow sixth-grader pals, Sarah and Dexter, are somewhat taken aback when a traveller from outer space offers to swap his space craft for a corn dog. But they make the trade, and climb on board. Although Dexter (the cautious one of the trio) has his doubts, Jacob turns the key in the ignition. And they're off on a wild ride past our galaxy into the unknown.

Unfortunately, the unknown includes a large planet, suddenly looming right in front of them. But there's a handy button labeled "huge missile launcher" on the console, and it seems to Jacob like a reasonable thing to press. The titular cosmic space kapow results, as the initial planetary explosion leads to chain reaction of epic destruction.

Now the friends are cut off from earth by a hugely massive debris field, and their adventures really get going. Before they make it home again, they'll meet a young interstellar bandit, explore odd planets of various kinds (including a planet populated by substitute teachers!), and test the limits of their loyalty to each other.

Jacob Wonderbar is a sterling example of wacky sci-fi fun for young readers. Often this particular category of book is hard for cynical adults (such as me) to swallow, but Bransford, with his three-dimensional characters and fast-paced plotting, kept me entertained. And I think the intended audience (in particular, the eight or nine-year-old boy) should just eat this up in a whirlwind of rapid page turning. Kids at the upper end of the middle-grade spectrum (ie, the 11 or 12 year old boy), who may be becoming more cynical than even hardened adults, might find it too goofy, however (but that's their loss).

Here's a particular thing that pleased me very much indeed (although this will go over the heads of young readers):

"Sarah sat straight up in bed. She was actually daydreaming about a boy saving her? Sarah shook her head violently....Her hero Betty Friedan would be so ashamed" (page 97). And that tells you a lot about young Sarah!

As an added bonus, Jacob is a kid of color. Here's how he is described:

"He stared at his hands, a soft brown color that was lighter than his mom's dark skin and darker than his dad's light skin. It was proof that he was half of his mom and half of his dad, but since he didn't look like either of them, it also made him something else entirely" (page 22).

And you can see that in the internal illustrations, like the example above, Jacob's skin is indeed darker than that of his friends.

But would you know this from the cover? No. The boy on the cover is clearly less pink than the girl, but he looks pretty much like a white kid to me. I had no idea that he was a kid of color until I'd reached page 22. I've stared and stared at his skin tone as shown, hoping that its biscuit-like beige would become "soft brown," but it didn't, in my eyes at least.

So I won't be alerting Elizabeth over at Shelftalker to this one, to include in her list of (non-race-driven) multicultural titles, for which she just issued a call. She states that "kids of color must be featured on the book covers," and Jacob Wonderbar doesn't seem eligible to me. Kid of color though he might be, I don't think the book cover shows him as such.

(Edited to add: I was confused viz Sarah's ethnicity, as her parents speak to her in Mandarin at the end of the book, but this confusion was not justified! Someone has pointed out that she is described in the first chapter as blond and blue-eyed, just as she is pictured (I wasn't paying attention to descriptions at that point--sorry for spreading my confusion!). The Mandarin seems to be just another example of her parents determination to fill every minute with Improvement, which makes a whole lot more sense! Thanks very much to the commentator who clarified that.)

Here are other thoughts, at Sneak Peek Preview and Ms. Yingling Reads.

(quotations and internal illustrations taken from an ARC received from the publisher, and might not be exactly as they appear in the final version).

Here's a follow-up post I wrote a few days later...."Why I try to blog about books with diverse characters--Jacob Wonderbar revisited."

Waiting on Wednesday -- Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

My pick for this week's Waiting on Wednesday (a meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine) is a YA title coming out June 7-- Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, by Ransom Riggs (Quirk Books).

Here's the description:

"A mysterious island.

An abandoned orphanage.

A strange collection of very curious photographs.

It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow—impossible though it seems—they may still be alive.

A spine-tingling fantasy illustrated with haunting vintage photography, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children will delight adults, teens, and anyone who relishes an adventure in the shadows."

Doesn't that sound utterly delectable?

Edited to add: since writing this post, I've read and reviewed this here.

5/10/11

The Secret Box, by Barbara Lehman, for Timeslip Tuesday

The Secret Box, by Barbara Lehman (2011), is a very rare type of book indeed-- a wordless picture book about magical journeys through time and space.

"What if a child's treasure box from the past could provide...a connection between people, places, and time?" wondered Lehman. And from that idea came a wordless picture book that is either hauntingly mysterious and wonderful, or confusing. Or both, which is fine--if there's enough of a hook (which I'd argue there is here) confusion leads to slower re-reading, savouring the details, and engaging with the illustrations to make the story one's own.

A long time ago, a boy hides a box beneath the floorboards in the attic of his school. Time passes, and around the school a city grows...and one day, up in the same attic room where their beds are, three boys find that same box. They open it, and inside they find clues--pictures, maps, and an old postcard--that lead them to a magical place outside of normal time, Seahorse Pier.

There at Seahorse Pier they are welcomed by a crowd of boys from ages past. And then the book ends with two more boys, finding the same box, and reading on the postcard, "Greetings from Seahorse Pier." It's easy to bet that they will soon be off on the journey themselves....

I think this a lovely springboard for the imagination. We never know who these boys are...and so their stories become ones for readers to muse about on their own. Although I see no reason why a five or six year old wouldn't enjoy it, I think it is rather perfect for the older reader of picture books, kids like my own ten year old who still enjoy (and why not?) the quick flights of fancy they provide. In this case, the crossover to older kids is rather effective because it's very much like a short graphic novel, requiring much the same concentration from the reader to meld the visual with the story. At any event, he's read this about five time since we've had it.

You can find more pictures from the book at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast, and here's another review at Waking Brain Cells.

added bonus: I get to put a "reading in color" label on this one, thanks to the kid shown in the picture above, who's one of the main characters. This bring me up to two fantasy picture books in my multicultural sci fi/fantasy list (above). (The other is the lovely Chalk, by Bill Thompson). I've never actively looked for these, but do leave me any recommendations you may have for others.

5/9/11

The Dark Zone, by Dom Testa

The Dark Zone (Galahad Book #4), by Dom Testa (Tor, 2011, YA, 268 pages)

200 years from now, a comet has brought a deadly illness to earth, one that is killing every adult on the planet. On board the space ship Galahad, 251 teenagers are taking the future of humanity to a distant world. They are the best and brightest that earth can offer...and they are having a rather rough time out in space. Bad luck for them, but it makes for diverting reading!

In the fourth book of the series, The Dark Zone, which takes place 2 years after the mission began, it might seem as thought the Galahad's crew can anticipate a boring period of peaceful travel. With the help of an alien race, the Kuiper Belt has been navigated, and empty space lies ahead. But the book opens Alexa, a crew member whose dreams are prophetic, seeing a funeral on board the ship--so we know, from the beginning, that one of the crew won't make it. And the empty space beyond the Kuiper Belt turns out to be not so empty. Triana, the young leader of the Galahad, finds herself faced with a pack of space "vultures," who have attached themselves to the outside of her ship.

And in the meantime, all 251 teenagers are growing up...teenage love is tricky, no matter where you are, but in the claustrophobic hormonal hothouse of the Galahad, it's an emotional minefield with nowhere to hide.

These two stories, almost different genres, run side by side--the adventure, and possible threat, of the space vultures, and the soap-opera of young love. As has been his wont throughout this series, but perhaps more so here, Testa bounces the reader between these two facets of the story, and from viewpoint to viewpoint as well.

This approach didn't feel quite successful here. The action part of the story was slow to build, and felt more like a preface for more to come than a central, engaging plot specific to this book. The emotional part was interesting primarily because I am invested in the characters at this point, but if felt a bit drawn out, and struck me as over-wrought in places:

"It also created a firestorm in his mind, a battle between his emotions and his rational side. As much as his heart wanted to fall back again, his head screamed over and over again to resist, to stay distant and safe.

It was so hard to do. Those green eyes were powerful, a whirlpool that threatened to pull him under no matter how valiantly he fought." (page 150)

So it's not my favorite book of the series. It felt like a place-filler, in which neither the characters nor the plot were developed quite far enough. But that lack of resolution means that I am most definitely going to be looking out for book 5--this one ended on a humongous cliff-hanger, and I am all agog to find out what happens to Triana and company next!

There aren't that many long series of space adventures cum soap operas for teens (until the sequel to Beth Revis' Across the Universe is published, this is, in fact, the only sci fi saga of teens travelling through space I can think of. Am I missing something obvious?). The Galahad Series is doing a fine job filling this niche. The diverse cast of characters*, and all the busy-ness of their emotional lives, combined with the intriguing trials and tribulations they face from external events, results in a series that younger teenagers, in particular, should enjoy lots.

Which leads to a note on age appropriateness-- there's lots of interpersonal relationship stuff, but it's a clean read (mainly because none of the main characters is actually getting anywhere! After two years this is a bit hard to believe....) I think in this regard the series might work better for younger YA readers (or even upper middle grade) because it's a lot more about the tensions of getting into a relationships than it is about being in them!

(disclaimer: review copy received from the publisher)

*diverse enough so that this one is going on my list of multicultural sci fi/fantasy. One of the main characters in this book is Channy, and here's her charcter picture from Dom Testa's website:



Gap Lee is another central character; here he is:

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