The 2012 Debut Author Challenge--my reading list

It seems strange to be thinking ahead to the books I'll read in 2012, when the books I must read for the Cybils (about fifty more to go) are so insistently demanding that I read them now! But over at The Story Siren, the 2012 Debut Author Challenge has come to life, and so I headed over to Goodreads to make a list of debut books I'll be looking for in 2012!

I'll probably be adding to it, as time goes on....please let me know if you know of one you'd think I'd like (time travel, shapeshifters (who aren't werewolves), fairy tale retellings, and diversity are things I especially want more of!)

Storybound by Marissa Burt "In the land of Story, children go to school to learn to be characters: a perfect Hero, a trusty Sidekick, even the most dastardly Villain. They take classes on Outdoor Experiential Questing and Backstory, while adults search for full-time character work in stories written just for them.

In our world, twelve-year-old Una Fairchild has always felt invisible. But all that changes when she stumbles upon a mysterious book buried deep in the basement of her school library, opens the cover, and suddenly finds herself transported to the magical land of Story.

But Story is not a perfect fairy tale. Una’s new friend Peter warns her about the grave danger she could face if anyone discovers her true identity. The devious Tale Keeper watches her every move. And there are whispers of a deadly secret that seems to revolve around Una herself.... "

Level Two, by Lenore Appelhans "In Level Two, the liminal place between our world (Level One) and heaven, Felicia spends her days reliving her memories from the security of her pod—until she gets broken out by Julian, a boy she met on Earth."

The Book of Wonders, by Jasmine Richards "Magic, Djinn, Ogres, and Sorcerers. Thirteen-year-old Zardi loves to hear stories about fantastical beings, long banned from the kingdom of Arribitha. But anyone caught whispering of their powers will feel the rage of the sultan—a terrifying usurper who, even with his eyes closed, can see all.
When her own beloved sister is captured by the evil ruler, Zardi knows that she must go to any lengths to rescue her. Along with her best friend, Ridhan—a silver-haired, violet-eyed boy of mysterious origins—and an unlikely crew of sailors led by the infamous Captain Sinbad, Zardi ventures forth into strange and wondrous territory with a seemingly impossible mission: to bring magic back to Arribitha and defeat the sultan once and for all."

The Vanishing Game, by Kate Kae Myers "Jocelyn's twin brother Jack was the only family she had growing up in a world of foster homes-and now he's dead, and she has nothing. Then she gets a cryptic letter from "Jason December"-the code name her brother used to use when they were children at Seale House, a terrifying foster home that they believed had dark powers. Only one other person knows about Jason December: Noah, Jocelyn's childhood crush and their only real friend among the troubled children at Seale House.

But when Jocelyn returns to Seale House and the city where she last saw Noah, she gets more than she bargained for. Turns out the house's powers weren't just a figment of a childish imagination. And someone is following Jocelyn. Is Jack still alive? And if he is, what kind of trouble is he in? The answer is revealed in a shocking twist that turns this story on its head and will send readers straight back to page 1 to read the book in a whole new light."

Keeper of the Lost Cities, by Shannon Messenger "Twelve-year-old Sophie has always been different -- she's years ahead of the other kids in school and can read minds. She's always assumed there's some kind of logical explanation for her talents, but when she meets an adorable and mysterious boy, she finds out the shocking truth. She's never felt at home because she, well, ... isn't.

There are secrets buried deep in her memory, secrets about her true identity and why she was hidden among humans, that others desperately want and would even kill for. And she must figure out why she is the key to her brand-new world, before the wrong person finds the answer first."

The Girl With Borrowed Wings, by Rinsai Rossetti "Every aspect of sixteen-year-old Frenenqer Paje’s life is controlled by her father and restricted by the desert, where each day is tediously the same. For as long as Frenenqer can remember, she’s dreamed of having wings to escape. Then a small act of rebellion explodes her world, and she meets Sangris. A boy, but not just a boy—a Free person, a winged person, a shape-shifter. He has everything Frenenqer doesn't—no family, no attachments, no troubles, no nothing. He's free. And he wants Frenenqer. When the delicate balance of their friendship threatens to rupture into something more, Frenenqer must confront her isolation, her father and her very sense of identity."

Above, by Leah Bobet "Matthew has loved Ariel from the moment he found her in the tunnels, her bee's wings falling away. They live in Safe, an underground refuge for those fleeing the city Above--like Whisper, who speaks to ghosts, and Jack Flash, who can shoot lightning from his fingers.

But one terrifying night, an old enemy invades Safe with an army of shadows, and only Matthew, Ariel, and a few friends escape Above. As Matthew unravels the mystery of Safe's history and the shadows' attack, he realizes he must find a way to remake his home--not just for himself, but for Ariel, who needs him more than ever before."

Crewel, by Gennifer Albin "Incapable. Awkward. Artless. That’s what the other girls whisper behind her back. But sixteen year-old Adelice Lewys has a secret: she wants to fail.

Gifted with the ability to weave time with matter, she’s exactly what the Guild is looking for, and in the world of Arras, being chosen as a Spinster is everything a girl could want. It means privilege, eternal beauty, and being something other than a secretary. It also means the power to embroider the very fabric of life. But if controlling what people eat, where they live and how many children they have is the price of having it all, Adelice isn’t interested.

Not that her feelings matter, because she slipped and wove a moment at testing, and they’re coming for her—tonight. Now she has one hour to eat her mom’s overcooked pot roast. One hour to listen to her sister’s academy gossip and laugh at her Dad’s stupid jokes. One hour to pretend everything’s okay. And one hour to escape. Because once you become a Spinster, there’s no turning back."

Tempest, by Julie Cross "The year is 2009. Nineteen-year-old Jackson Meyer is a normal guy… he’s in college, has a girlfriend… and he can travel back through time. But it’s not like the movies – nothing changes in the present after his jumps, there’s no space-time continuum issues or broken flux capacitors – it’s just harmless fun.

That is… until the day strangers burst in on Jackson and his girlfriend, Holly, and during a struggle with Jackson, Holly is fatally shot. In his panic, Jackson jumps back two years to 2007, but this is not like his previous time jumps. Now he’s stuck in 2007 and can’t get back to the future. Desperate to somehow return to 2009 to save Holly but unable to return to his rightful year, Jackson settles into 2007 and learns what he can about his abilities.

But it’s not long before the people who shot Holly in 2009 come looking for Jackson in the past, and these “Enemies of Time” will stop at nothing to recruit this powerful young time-traveler. Recruit… or kill him. Piecing together the clues about his father, the Enemies of Time, and himself, Jackson must decide how far he’s willing to go to save Holly… and possibly the entire world."

Queen of Glass, by Sarah J. Maas "An infamous young assassin who is more than she seems must battle her way to freedom in a corrupt kingdom where magic has been outlawed."

Scarlet, by A.C. Gaughen "Many readers know the tale of Robin Hood, but they will be swept away by this new version full of action, secrets, and romance. Posing as one of Robin Hood’s thieves to avoid the wrath of the evil Thief Taker Lord Gisbourne, Scarlet has kept her identity secret from all of Nottinghamshire. Only the Hood and his band know the truth: the agile thief posing as a whip of a boy is actually a fearless young woman with a secret past. Helping the people of Nottingham outwit the corrupt Sheriff of Nottingham could cost Scarlet her life as Gisbourne closes in. It’s only her fierce loyalty to Robin—whose quick smiles and sharp temper have the rare power to unsettle her—that keeps Scarlet going and makes this fight worth dying for."

The Cabinet of Earths, by Anne Nesbet (on my list last year, but I guess it got pushed back) "All Maya really wants is for her mother to be well again. But when her baby brother James goes missing, 12-year-old Maya has to take on the magical underworld of Paris, in which houses have bronze salamanders for door handles, the most beautiful people are all hooked on the sweet-smelling “anbar,” and a shimmering glass Cabinet of Earths has chosen Maya to be its next keeper. With the Cabinet’s help, Maya may be able to do for her mother what doctors cannot: save her from death, once and for all. But now that the clock is ticking for James, the price the Cabinet demands may be too high."

And just for kicks, here's my list from last year. I read all but Luminous, which I still want to hunt down....

Maurissa Guibord -- Warped
Sarah Jamila Stevenson -- The Latte Rebellion
Alexandra Monir -- Timeless
Eilis O'Neal -- The False Princess
Beth Revis -- Across the Universe
Cameron Stracher -- The Water Wars
Elsbeth Edgar -- The Visconti House
Stephanie Burgis -- Kat, Incorrigible
Dawn Metcalf-- Luminous
Melanie Welsh -- Mistress of the Storm
Nick James -- The Pearl Wars (Skyship Academy)

This week's round-up of middle grade fantasy and sci fi from around the blogs

Welcome to this week's round-up of middle grade fantasy and science fiction links that I clicked on this week!

If you happen to be a new visitor-I gather links during the course of the week to reviews, interviews, etc. of mg sff, and then plop them all down here. I tend not to include posts that are very short, or that cover older, familiar books (like Harry Potter). I miss posts every week--feel free to email me links at any time (charlotteslibrary at gmail dot com).

If you'd care to mention these round-ups on your own blog, I'd appreciate it.

The Reviews:

43 Old Cemetery Road, by Kate Klise, at Geo Librarian

The Alchemyst, by Michael Scott, at Fantasy Literature

Bigger Than a Breadbox, by Laurel Snyder, at The Excelsior File and at the NY Times

Breadcrumbs, by Anne Ursu, at Bookends and My Precious

The Cheshire Cheese Cat, by Carmen Agra Deedy and Randall Wright, at Kid Lit Reviews

The Dragon's Tooth, by N.D. Wilson, at Charlotte's Library

Goliath, by Scott Westerfeld, at My Reading Frenzy

The Hidden Gallery (Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place) by Maryrose Wood, at Wandering Librarians

The Inquisitor's Apprentice, by Chris Moriarty, at Madigan Reads

Liesl and Po, by Lauren Oliver, at Bookworm1858 and the NY Times

The Midnight Zoo, by Sonya Hartnett, at books4yourkids

The Moon Coin, by Richard Due, at The Bookscape Report

Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes, by Jonathan Auxier, at Great Kid Books and Library Mama

The Secret Country, by Pamela Dean, at Tor

Son of Neptune, by Rick Riordan, at Ex Libris and at Becky's Book Reviews

Tales of a Sixth Grade Muppet, by Kirk Scroggs, at Charlotte's Library

The Thirteenth Princess, by Diane Zahler, at Library Mama

We Dine With Cannibals (an Accidental Adventure #2) by C. Alexander London, at Boys and Literacy

Wet Magic, by E. Nesbit, at Tor

Wildwood, by Colin Meloy, at Barbara Ann Watson

You Have to Stop This, by Pseudonymous Bosch, at Charlotte's Library

Two of this year's mouse books, Secrets at Sea, and The Cheshire Cheese Cat, at the NY Times

At Book Aunt, Kate looks at graphic novels, including The Last Dragon, by Jane Yolen, and The Chronicles of Harris Burdick, by Chris Van Allsburg et al.

I'm including to Arabian Nights posts this week, although one skews younger than mg and one much older. Colleen at Chasing Ray looks at Ludmilla Zeman's retellings of Sinbad (beautiful picture books that are going on my present list for the boys), and The Guardian has a review of "a scholarly work that often reads like a fireside conversation" about the Arabian Nights that looks fascinating--Stranger Magic: Charmed States and the Arabian Nights, by Marina Warner. Here's the gorgeous illustration from Zeman's book Colleen used:


And there's a lovely list of dragon books here at The Mixed Up Files

Authors and Interviews:

"Take Five" with Matthew Cody (The Dead Gentleman), at Suvudu

Ian Beck (The Haunting of Charity Delafield) at The Book Zone

Katherine and John Paterson (Flintheart) visit the Shelftalker's book store

Adam Jay Epstein and Andrew Jacobson (Secrets of the Crown- Book 2 of the Familiars series) at Literary Rambles

Kathleen O'Dell (The Aviary) at Maine Living (in The Bangor Daily News)

Other Things of (possible) Interest:

Andy Mulligan (Trash) has won the Guardian children's fiction prize for an "anarchic" school story that sounds almost fantasy-esque in its oddness--Return to Ribblestrop

Alan Rickman shares his thoughts on being Snape, at Mugglenet

Finally, my husband and I have been disagreeing on the pronunciation of the dwarves names in The Hobbit--Bifer and Bofer in particular. I go with short vowels, he with long vowels (Bomber we say approximately the same way). That's them at right, from the new Hobbit movie.

I've heard that somewhere Tolkein was recorded saying the dwarves names, but wasn't able to find it--anyone ever seen or heard it? I did find this interview with Tolkein, and this recording of him reading from the Hobbit; interesting, but not what I wanted....

Tales of a Sixth-Grade Muppet, by Kirk Scroggs

All the talk of the Muppets hosting the Oscars (which would be so cool!), and the upcoming Muppet movie, has reminded me of a book I received a little while ago--Tales of a Sixth-Grade Muppet, by Kirk Scroggs (Little, Brown, elementry/middle grade, 240 pages)

Sixth-grader Danvers idolizes Gonzo (obsessively so!). When his talent show act, a death-defying hula-hooping-ninja tribute to his hero, falls to his classmates' emo boy band (Emo Shun), he is crushed. Why does no-one else appreciate the wonder that is Gonzo?

But then Danvers is given the chance of a lifetime when he wakes up as a muppet! Some aspects of having an over sized head and scrawny limbs are difficult to get used to, but having the chance to actually work with Gonzo, as his official assistant, no less, is a dream come true...

And alongside the full cast of the muppet show, complete with bad puns, and lots of meep-ing from Beaker, Danvers lives muppet life to the fullest.

The book is full of black and white notebook style drawings, mostly illustrations from the author, but some from Danvers himself (ala Diary of a Whimpy Kid). They add to the wackiness, and will probably add appeal to the book among its target audience---the seven or eight year old boy who wants something that's pure goofiness to read, and who likes his books heavy on the graphic side of things!

That's not me (surprise!)---there was t0o much muppet zaniness and not quite enough solid story for my taste (and I am also the wrong reader for this book because I never liked Gonzo at all, for a variety of reasons). But I did enjoy many of the bad puns, and it was fun to see so many of my favorite muppets! (Beaker in particular).

I think this book would work for those who haven't had much exposure to the Muppets, but I also think it's more fun if you know who all these crazy characters are. So I'd suggest watching a couple of episodes before reading the book.

Here are my two favorites.



and




And here are other reviews of Tales of a Sixth-Grade Muppet, at GreenBeanTeenQueen, and another at Booking Mama.

Edited to add: I took this over to give to my local library yesterday, and the librarian was awfully pleased to have it--a young patron had been raving about it to her just the other day!

(disclaimer: review copy received from the publisher)

The Dragon's Tooth, by N.D. Wilson

The Dragon's Tooth, by N.D. Wilson (Random House, 2011, middle grade, 482 pages)

After tragedy struck their family, The Archer Motel was home to young Cyrus, his sister Antigone, and their big brother Daniel. And their life at the seedy motel had a pattern of its own--depressing, but familiar. But when mysterious old Billy Bones arrives, gives Cyrus a set of keys, an invisible serpent, and a dragons tooth, and then dies, a cataclysmic series of events ensues.

Before Cyrus and Antigone can grasp what has happened, they find themselves at the Order of Brendan, an ancient institute dedicated to persevering order in a chaotic, magic, and dangerous world. But Daniel has been kidnapped by a legendary bad guy...and getting him back is more important to his siblings than becoming cooperative members of the community of monks, explorers, and heroes into which they've been thrown.

Unfortunately, the order also includes traitors. And even many of those who are loyal aren't at all convinced that Cyrus and Antigone should be allowed to stay. Because the enemy who has their brother wants the magical items Cyrus was given...and is on his way to get them.

This is an interesting twist on "the chosen child goes to school" theme, in as much as the Order of Brendan doesn't exactly welcome Cyrus and Antigone with open arms, comfortable beds, and any sort of explanation. Instead, they are given impossible tasks (three months to learn an ancient language, how to fly planes, how to fight, and more!), accommodation of a most unsavory kind, and mystery piled on mystery. With little help from anyone in charge, they must use all their ingenuity to untangle their mysterious circumstances, and the dark secrets of the Order (although they do find some strange allies). And all the while, the bad guy's plans are coming closer to fruition.

There's a lot of fast, fierce action, a lot of world building detail, and Cyrus and Antigone are characters to cheer for. Their sibling relationship was my favorite part of the book--it makes me happy when siblings are fiercely loyal to each other! I can't remember any moments of calm, quiet respite, which meant that this wasn't quite to my personal taste, but those for whom nail biting tension and thrilling action are of paramount importance should love this one. Especially recommended to fans of Rick Riorden--the mayhem, mythological allusions, and monsters should hit the spot nicely (although I'd say it skews a tad older than The Lightning Thief--some of the things the bad guy does are really disturbing. The Lighting Thief I happily let my eight year old read; this one is really best kept till fifth grade or older).

Edited to add: Just remembered something I wanted to say. Cyrus and Antigone's mother was an indigenous person from the jungle of northern Brazil (oddly, the exact wording (page 234) is "the mountain jungles of Guiana in northern Brazil"--perhaps it was supposed to be the Guyana Highlands Cloud Forests), which, in my opinion, makes Cyrus and Antigone main characters of color, and earns the book a place on my diversity in sff list up above. Both inherited their mother's "dark skin and black hair" (page 8)--pity Cyrus as shown on the cover is so very pale of skin. Sigh.

School Library Journal, Publishers Weekly, and Booklist all gave it starred reviews. Other blog reviews can be found at Eva's Book Addiction, Adventures of a Book Wyrm, and Fantasy Book Review.

You Have to Stop This, by Pseudonymous Bosch

Avid readers of my blog might have noticed that there was no Timeslip Tuesday post yesterday. This is because at nine o'clock on Monday night, I finished You Have to Stop This, by Pseudonymous Bosch (Little, Brown, 2011), which is book five in the Secret Series, at which point I realized that it wasn't the timeslip story I had thought it was. A little investigation showed that I was thinking of the Time Travel Chocolate mentioned in the previous book, This Isn't What It Looks Like. It was too late to quickly read another book from scratch, and Tuesday rapidly became a day in which no blogging was possible (ie, busy with work and family).

And then today, instead of peacefully finishing up this post at the library during lunch break, it was off to the doctor's office with a damaged child (very fortunatly, not concussed and broken, as had been feared. Phew.). Which is why this post didn't go up around noon.

But regardless, I have now read my first Pseudonymous Bosch book, which is also the first book I've received from its publisher for Cybils review. It was fairly easy to pick up what was happening, despite not having read the earlier books. Three kids (Cass, Max-Ernest, and Yo-Yoji) are trying to solve an ancient riddle that will reveal a powerful Secret, and a bad guy who happens to be an immortal ghost type with alchemical powers is trying to stop them.

The key to the secret seems to be the mummy that's the centerpiece of a new exhibit in town....but, since Cass accidentally breaks the mummies finger off the first time she sees it, the three kids are the prime subjects when the mummy himself goes missing. And an adventurous adventure (to Las Vegas) ensues as the kids try to find the mummy again, and unlock its secret, before the bad guy does.

It's a light, fun read--I turned the pages rapidly. Bosch is an intrusive narrator, but politely keeps his intrusions in discrete sections, so that his arch asides and over-the-top interjections do not unduly disturb the flow of the story. Cass and Yo-Yoji never quite became three dimensional to me (probably if I'd read books 1-4 my feelings would have been different), but I found Max-Ernest (a quintessentially socially awkward geek type) very engaging.

Likewise, because I haven't read the first books, I have no idea if this is a satisfying conclusion to the series as a whole. The story seemed fairly self-contained, though, so I didn't feel as though I were lost at sea.

Some of the many puns were funny; others not so much.

Basically, I'm going to have to conclude that this is a great book for its intended audience of pun and adventure loving kids....and go back and read the first four! Especially the fourth, which really does seem to be about time travel...maybe...I hope!

Thank you very much, Little, Brown, for supporting the Cybils by sending review copies!

Welcome to Non-fiction Monday!

Welcome to this week's Nonfiction Monday! Please leave your link in the comments, and I'll update periodically.
My own contribution is a book that would make the perfect gift for the young math aficionado on your list--Algebra & Geometry: Anything but Square!, a Basher Science book written by Dan Green, and illustrated in true Basher style (Kingfisher, 2011).

This, like all the Basher books, is a small but solid, square paperback--which I mention because I find it a very appealing size and shape! And like all Basher books, the concepts are illustrated by very cute, manga-esqe personifications of what is being described.

In Algebra and Geometry, a gang of enthusiastic math concepts--ranging from the simple Zero (a happy bubble of a fellow) to the more esoteric imaginary numbers (represented by a pirate) explain themselves to the reader. I have to confess this is the first time anyone has ever bothered to explain binary to me (or perhaps the first time I paid attention!). I especially liked the little angles doing their exercises, and the coordinates rocketing around the graph!

This isn't one for the kid just beginning math--some concept of negative numbers, graphing, and basic geometry helps one appreciate the zany characters and their role in math. But for the 11 year old (or so) math geek--great fun!

And now, the round-up!

Ms. Yingling looks at In the Bag! Margaret Knight Wraps it Up! by Monica Kulling--a biography of a 19th century inventor.

Zoe at Playing by the Book has The Fabulous Flying Machines of Alberto Santos-Dumont, by Victoria Griffith.

At NC Teacher Stuff, you will find Earthquake in Haiti, by Miriam Aronin.

And at Shelf-employed, you can find Franklin and Winston: A Christmas That Changed the World, by Douglas Wood.

The Nonfiction Detectives offer If You Lived Here: Houses of the World
by Giles Laroche.

Balloons Over Broadway: the True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy's Parade, by Melissa Sweet is reviewed at Jama's Alphabet Soup, and Melissa Sweet stops by to chat (there's also a giveaway)

I was so taken with this picture of the Nantucket Sea Monster balloon included in Jama's post that I had to share it:


Amanda, at A Patchwork of Books, also loved Balloons over Broadway!

And so did Lynn and Cindy at Bookends! (I am now determined to get a hold of a copy myself.....)

Abby, at Abby the Librarian, has America is Under Attack: September 11, 2001: The Day the Towers Fell, by Don Brown

The Notorious Benedict Arnold: A True Story of Adventure, Heroism & Treachery, by Steve Sheinkin, can be found at Wrapped in Foil

And Jean Little Library is host to On Parade: the Hidden World of Animals in Entertainment, by Rob Laidlaw.

At Check it Out, there's Pablo Neruda: Poet of the People by Monica Brown

And at A Curious Thing you can find two short and simple ones-- Gator or Croc? by Allan Fowler and Koala by Edana Eckar

Flesh and Blood So Cheap, by Albert Marrin, is today's non-fiction pick at Reads for Keeps, and you can also find it here at Chicken Spaghetti.

The Fourth Musketeer features Brother Sun, Sister Moon: Saint Francis of Assisi's Canticle of the Creatures, by Katherine Paterson

Gathering Books has Harlem, a poem written by Walter Dean Myers.

Doret, aka TheHappyNappyBookseller, has Black & White, by Larry Dane Brimner.

At Books Beside My Bed you'll find Elephant Talk, by Ann Downer

And Stuff that Scares the Pants Off You, by Glenn Murphy, can be found at Geo Librarian

Wild About Nature features African Animal Alphabet, by Beverly and Dereck Joubert.

Two books by Hugh Brewster --Dieppe: Canada's Darkest Day of World War II, and Prisoner of Dieppe: World War II, Alistair Morrison, Occupied France, 1942 are featured today at Apples With Many Seeds.

Shirley at Simply Science looked at 3-D Theater Rainforest, and 3-D Theater Ocean.

At Biblio File you can take a look at The Many Faces of George Washington, by Carla Killough McClafferty

At Picture Book of the Day is Arlington: The Story of Our Nation's Cemetery, and at Chapter Book of the Day is Secret American Places: From UFO Crash Sites to Government Hideouts.

Do I Need It? Or Do I Want It? : Making Budget Choices, is the featured book at All About the Books With Janet Squires.

My Chronicle Books Happy Haul-idays list!

I have just done my Christmas shopping--in a manner of speaking!

Chronicle Books has just announced that Happy Haul-idays is here again, and that means I just spent 500 imaginary dollars, filling my shopping cart. Such fun! And maybe I will be the lucky blogger who wins....and I'd get to pick a lucky commenter to win them too!

But wait, there's more! If I win, a charity of my choice gets $500 worth of books too! That's a hard one, almost as hard as picking the books...so many good ones. But I think I would have to go with the E*** S**** Public Library, right down the street from me (name cleverly disguised so stalkers (such as there are) can't find me). I am, after all, the president of the Friends, and work hard for every $500 we raise (three more book sales till solar panel planning starts!)

Here's my list. Only four of the books are for me, because I am beautifully unselfish, even when spending money that isn't real! :)

	A Butterfly Is Patient
	Animal Rummy
	Blinkybugs!
	Animals Marco Polo Saw
	Animals Charles Darwin Saw
	The Truth about Dangerous Sea Creatures
	Paleo Sharks
	MoMA My Museum
	Dan Eldon: Safari As a Way of Life
	Show and Tell
	Vincent's Colors
	Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site
	Somewhat Stationary Cats: A Cat Stationery Collection
	Le Japon Artistique
	Everything Flowers
	Drawing Nature: A Journal
	Sis Boom Flexi Journal
	Moleskine® Classic Hard Cover Plain Extra Small
	Moleskine® Sketchbook Large
	This Is NPR
	Farm Together Now
	The Beatles Anthology
	Handheld Pies
	Dawn of the Bunny Suicides
	The Conductor
	Little Owl
	Snow Baby

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

Some of us (ie, me) have been distracted this week by all the necessary tasks that must be accomplished ere winter arrives to stay (windows with glass in them make a house so much more cozy). Happily, others have been busily posting away, and here are the middle grade sci fi/fantasy posts that I found in my blog reading this week! Please let me know if I missed yours; please feel free to let me know during the week when you've posted something!

The Reviews:

The Aviary, by Kathleen O'Dell, at Good Books and Good Wine

Breadcrumbs, by Anne Ursu, at Libri Dilectio

Celia's Robot, by Margaret Chang, at Library Chicken

The Chronicles of Harris Burdick, by Chris Van Allsberg et al., at 100 Scope Notes

The Death of Yorik Mortwell, by Stephen Messer, at Project Mayhem (also a giveaway)

Ghosthunters and the Incredibly Revolting Ghost, by Cornelia Funke, at Just Deb

Goliath, by Scott Westerfeld, at Fantasy Literature

Guys Read: Thriller, edited by Jon Scieszka, at Literary Asylum

Icefall, by Matthew Kirby, at BC Book Talk

Keeper, by Kathi Appelt, at Library Chicken

The Last Dragon, by Jane Yolen, at Wandering Librarians

The Last Dragonslayer, by Jasper Fforde, at Beyond Books

Liesl and Po, by Lauren Oliver, at The Reading Date

Peter Nimble and his Fantastic Eyes, by Jonathan Auxier, at Great Kid Books

Return of the Dapper Men, by Jim McCann, at the excelsior file

Son of Neptune, by Rick Riordan, at Reading Vacation

The True Meaning of Smekday, by Adam Rex, at slatebreakers

A True Princess, by Diane Zahler, at Charlotte's Library

Tuesdays at the Castle, by Jessica Day George, at Bookworm1858

The Unwanteds, by Lisa McMann, at One Librarian's Book Reviews

The Wikkeling, by Steven Arntson, at Challenging the Bookworm

Wildewood, by Colin Meloy, at books4yourkids

The Wonderful Garden, by E. Nesbit, at Tor

A Year Without Autumn, by Liz Kessler, at books4yourkids

Zita the Spacegirl, by Ben Hatke, at Sonderbooks

Authors and Interviews

Anna Staniszewski (My Very UnFairy Tale Life) at From the Mixed Up Files, Literary Rambles, and at The Enchanted Inkpot

John Flanagan (Ranger's Apprentice) at Cracking the Cover

Carmen Deedy (The Cheshire Cheese Cat) at James Preller's Blog

Dawn Larimore (Ivy and the Meanstalk) at Kitchentangents

Other Good Stuff:

Vintage covers of the Phantom Tollbooth, at Flavorwire

Stacy Whitman (editor of Tu Books) talks about the villain point of view

At Deva Fagan's website you can find a lovely character gallery of the folks who populate her forthcoming book, Circus Galacticus.

For Halloween, Barnes and Noble created a video for Neil Gaimen's reading of part of The Thirteen Clocks, by James Thurber.

I'd love to hop over to London to see this exhibit at the Museum of Childhood, on the relationship between fold tradition and childhood.

Not related to mg sff in particular, but still a fun thing--the sign-ups for this year's Book Blogger Holiday Swap are up and running!

A True Princess, by Diane Zahler

A True Princess, by Diane Zahler (Harper Collins, 2011, middle grade, 182 pages)

As far back as she can remember, Lilia has never had a good night's sleep. Because of this, and because of a tendency to day dream, she adds little value to the household of the farmer who took her in when she she was found as a baby, floating down the river in a curious basket.

But the farmer's own two children (Kai, close in age to ten or eleven year old Lilia, and Karina, who's five years older) love her, and so, when the farmer's new wife decides to send Lilia to work for the brutal miller, the three children run away together, on a quest to find Lilia's true family.

Their journey takes them into a mysterious woods, where the fairy king holds court, and there, through an unfortunate mischance, Kai attracts the attention of the king's daughter. And there in the enchanted woods he will remain, unless Lilia can find the lost cloak clasp of the leader of the Wild Hunt, hidden somewhere in the castle of the human king.

Lilia and Karina happily have no trouble getting work as servants in the castle. There the king and queen are trying to find a true princess to marry the prince...and fortunately for all concerned, Karina is beautiful enough so that he falls in love with her, and Lilia is lucky enough to have friends of her own--the royal falcons--who help her in her time of need, and all ends happily with a true princess being found, Kai being freed, and Karina's beauty winning her the prince.

It is a pleasant fairy tale retelling, one that should please nine and ten year old lovers of princess tales very much. That target audience will doubtless be pleased as all get out by the romance and fortuitous happenstances and happy ending, and enjoy the elements of the fairy tale, and added fantastical elements like the Wild Hunt, the household elf, and the mysterious falcons.

It's not so much one for grown-up readers, though. I thought Zahler did a good job making the inherently absurd princess and the pea story into something readable (although the royal sleep pickiness wasn't exactly explained). The element of the Snow Queen--the human boy needing to be rescued from enchantment--worked less well, mainly because the fairy princess was simply spoiled and petulant, and not a force of numinously terrifying power.

What bothered me most, however, was that the prince--so kind, helpful, and friendly--was never asked for help in finding the lost clasp. It would have made things a lot simpler ! And it was awfully convenient that Karina was so beautiful that she attracted the prince's attentions (although she seemed like a nice person, too, in a not particularly fleshed out way).

So--yes for the young reader, but not one that I'll add to my own collection.

Tomorrow's Guardian, by Richard Denning, for (this Wednesday's) Timeslip Tuesday

Tomorrow's Guardian by Richard Denning (Mercia Books, 2010, middle grade/YA, 361 pages).

Tom Oakley wonders if he is going mad when time begins to play tricks on him, replaying small bits of his life, and the nightmares--of an English army officer dying in the Zulu War, a woman burning in the Great Fire of London, and a British soldier drowning in a U-boat battle in WW II--start haunting his sleep. But the truth is stranger than he could imagine. Tom is no ordinary 11 year old English school boy; instead, he is a time walker of potentially phenomenal ability. And the mysterious Hourglass Institute wants to recruit him.

Tom is given a choice. He can join the Hourglass Institute's struggle to keep time safe from those who would destroy it, or, after doing three small jobs, he could renounce his powers and go back to normal life. The three small jobs, however, are rescuing the people whose deaths he had been dreaming of, and bringing them back to the present, where their own time bending talents can be put to use.

Not only is this a rather dangerous undertaking, but a sinister man is bent on stopping him. Because of this man's machinations, when Tom does accomplish his tasks, going home is no longer an option. Instead, his is given the choice between saving his parents from an impossible tragedy that killed them before he was born, or saving our reality from one in which the Nazis won WW II...a reality that exists side by side with our own.

It's not the most original plot line (especially to those who've read TimeRiders, by Alex Scarrow, which also features characters saved from death, and an alternate Nazi world), but it is original enough in detail so that I didn't find this a problem (and I think Denning does a much more convincing job with the whole difficult, paradoxical business of time travel!). By the time Tom was enmeshed in his struggle with the alternate Nazis, I was hooked. That being said, it took me a while before this happened--I found the beginning somewhat awkward, and, like Tom, wasn't sure what was happening, or if I cared. In the end, however, I most certainly did!

I think my reservations come from a feeling that the book could have been more tightly edited. Mercia Books appears to have been created to publish Denning's books, which is fine, and although there weren't any of the typos and blunders that are sadly found in many self published books, I did feel that the heavy hand of an outside editor would have been useful. The writing didn't always work for me, and the same points are made a bit too often. Likewise, I wasn't convinced by Denning's characterizations of the three individuals Tom saved from the past; they seemed like stereotypes. For instance, here's the Victorian army officer:

"Indeed, I have not met him either," said Edward, "but from what little Mary told me just now, he does seem a villain. Not sure what his game is, but it does not sound as if he would play fair." (page 220)

Even though my feelings about the book are mixed, as I said above, by the last hundred pages, I was gripped by the excitement of all the disparate threads coming together; I found Nazi-victorious alternate reality particularly compelling. I'd hand this to a fan of TimeRider in a second!

Tomorrow's Guardian is the first book of The Hourglass Institute trilogy. Book two, Yesterday's Treasures came out this year, and book three, Today's Sacrifice, is set to be released in the spring (2012).

Other thoughts, which I'm giving in more detail than usual, because of my own ambivalence:

The Bookbag: The major success here – and it is a really major one – is that author Richard Denning, after a slightly slow first few chapters, keeps the action fast and furious for the other 400 or so pages of the book....The other thing that really impressed me about the book was the way the time travel was handled"

At Blogcritics: "There is danger and cunning inherent in each incident, keeping the action sharp and engrossing."

At SF Site: "There is something winningly ordinary and decent about Tom. Denning does not fall into either trap of over-sophistication or over-sentimentalisation, or trying to be self-consciously cool or down with the kids. This ordinariness is a great strength. This book is at times rather ploddingly written and will not change the face of books, whether children's or time-travel literature, but it will beguile a young mind for some hours."

At The Squee: "The bits I think I prefer most of all, though, were the visits to historical events. Denning clearly knows his stuff, and manages to set the scenes very well. It's particularly in these parts where the book excels."

At Confessions of a Bookworm: "One of the things that immediately caught my attention when reading this book is how quickly the storyline progressed beyond the initial plot. As I began reading, I had assumed the book would focus entirely on the rescue missions, drawing them out into lengthy adventures that would fill the book. That, however, was not the case and the storyline progressed into an even larger plot before I was even halfway through the book."