This Sunday's round-up of middle grade fantasy and science fiction (5/20/2012)

Welcome to this Sunday's round-up of the middle grade fantasy/sci fi related blog postings (at least, those that I, in my week of blog reading, found and remembered to save the links to after finding). Please send me links I missed! And also, since the point of this whole round-up business is to make it easier for us mg sff fans to find reviews (I myself started doing this because I wanted someone else to have already started doing it), feel free to spread the word that these round-ups exist (thank you those who already have!)

Biggest news of the week: The Freedom Maze, by Delia Sherman, has won the Andre Norton Award! (Nebula for YA sci fi/fantasy), and the novel winner is Among Others, by Jo Walton. (Here's the whole list). And City of Lies, by Lian Tanner, has won the Aurealis Award for Children's Fiction (Australian sci fi/fantasy)

The Reviews

Akata Witch, by Nnedi Okorafor, at Bibliofile

Arthur Spiderwick's Field Guide, by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi, at Wondrous Reads

Beware the Ninja Weenies, by David Lubar, at Intergalactic Academy

The Cabinet of Earths, by Anne Nesbet, at Random Musings of a Bibliophile

Cold Cereal, by Adam Rex, at Book Nut

The Dragon's Eye, by Kaza Kingsley, at Fantasy Literature

Explorer: The Mystery Boxes, edited by Kazu Kibuishi, at Book Aunt

A Face Like Glass, by Frances Hardinge, at Fantastic Reads

The False Prince, by Jennifer Nielsen, at My Brain on Books

Flora's Fury, by Ysabeau S. Wilce, at TheHappyNappyBookseller

Giants Beware! by Jorge Aguirre and Rafael Rodaso, at Book Aunt

Gregor the Overlander, by Suzanne Collins, at Wandering Librarians

Grimalkin the Witch Assassin, by Joseph Delaney, at Karrissa's Reading Review

The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom, by Chris Healy, at The Adventures of Cecelia Bedelia

Into the Dream, by William Sleator, at Back to Books

The Last Olympian, by Rick Riordan, at Fyrefly's Book Blog

Medusa the Mean (Goddess Girls 8) by Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams, at Small Review

Ordinary Magic, by Caitlen Rubino-Bradway, at Popcorn Reads, Known to Read, and Steph Su Reads

Project Jackalope, by Emily Ecton, at BooksYALove

Return to Exile, by E.J. Patten, at Gamila's Review

The Rock of Ivanore, by Laurisa White Reyes, at The Book Cellar and The Write Path

The Saga of Rex, by Michel Gagne, at Karissa's Reading Review

Seeing Cinderella, by Jenny Lundquist, at Shannon Messenger

The Serpent's Shadow, by Rick Riordan, at The Brain Lair

Swipe, by Evan Angler, at artsy musings of a bibliophile

Talee and the Fallen Object, by Jacquitta A. McManus, at The Children's Book Review

The War at Ellsmere, by Faith Erin Hicks, at Book Aunt

A Well-Timed Enchantment, by Vivian Vande Velde, at Charlotte's Library

The Whisper, by Emma Clayton, at Ms. Yingling Reads

Witch Week, by Diana Wynne Jones, at Small Review

A three for one post at Ms. Yingling Reads-- 13 Hangmen, by Art Corriveau, Sir Seth Thislethwaite Seeks the Truth of Betty the Yeti, by Richard Thake, and Bridge of Time, by Lewis Buzbee,

Authors and Interviews

Jasmine Richards (The Book of Wonders) at The Enchanted Inkpot

Danika Dinsmore (The Ruins of Noe) at Just Deb

Stephanie Burgis (Renegade Magic) at Smack Dab in the Middle and distraction no. 99

Laurisa White Reyes (The Rock of Ivanore) at Cynsations and The Children's Book Review

Barry Wolverton (Neversink) at Jean BookNerd

Other Good Stuff:

A celebration of dragons at Scribble City Central

From Flavorwire (via 100 Scope Notes) comes 10 of the Weirdest Children's Book Authors of All Time

Neil Gaiman gives the commencement address at Univeristy of the Arts

And finally, for those of us who miss our dollhouses, the most beautiful miniature food I've ever seen (more pictures here, at Jules; found via Light Reading)

Shadows on the Moon, by Zoe Marriott

Shadows on the Moon, by Zoe Marriott (Candlewick, April 2012, YA)

In an alternate Asian world, perhaps closer to Japan than anywhere else, Suzume lives the ordinary life of a well-born, sheltered girl. She's still too young for marriage, and, as far as she knows, she's lacking any extraordinary talents or beauty. She is wrong.

On her fourteenth birthday, the Prince's men come riding up the road, and slaughter her father, her cousin Aimi, and the household retainers. But Suzume escapes, instinctively disguising herself as a hare, and then concealing herself in the chimney flue under a magical blanket of ash. Youta, now the family's old ashman, but with a sad story of his own, finds her, and explains that she is a shadow weaver, one who can spin illusions.

Her mother, away from home during the massacre, almost immediately marries an old family friend, Terayama--who has been determined to possess her mother for himself for years. At Terayama's estate, Suzume's shadows keep a demure smile on her face, but she turns to self-harm to find release from her grief and her situation of forced passivity...and her growing fear that Teryama does not wish her well. When she learns that Teryama himself was responsible for the killings, her shadows are not enough to save her from his need to kill her, too.

Disguised from Teryama's eyes in the mundane rags and filth of a drudge, the only light in Suzume's life comes from clandestine meetings with a young foreigner--Otieno, one of a group of visitors from a land of dark-skinned people whose culture is very different from her own. But her desire for revenge, and her constant self-harm, stand in the way of her happiness, and when she does something unforgivable, she flees into the night.

Fate crosses her path with the one person who might help her take her revenge on Teryama once and for all. If Suzume, well-born girl turned drudge, can transform herself into a courtesan of unparalleled mystery and charm, she can become the Shadow Princess, and destroy her enemy. And give up on the love between herself and her young foreigner....despite the promise he offers of a life of hope.

It is a dark story, with flashes of light--just as the title, Shadows on the Moon, promises. I became emotionally invested in Suzume very quickly, and so I found it especially hard going to read about her time as a drudge--the hopelessness and pain are pretty intense, and I was anxious for the story to move onward more quickly than it did. But the immediacy of the darkness does lift, although, until the end, it remains unclear if revenge will swallow Suzume's life.

There is magic, but it is not the Point of the story; this isn't a "girl learns to use her magic powers" tale, although the shadow weaving plays an extremely important role in her journey. This kept the magic intriguing, and tantalizing--only gradually do we learn what Suzumi, and other gifted friends she meets, are capable of.

As might be expected from the above, this is very much a character driven book. If the reader doesn't care about Suzume, there isn't much to keep the pages turning--there are no magical battles, or monsters, or supernatural beings of any sort to be confronted. Instead there is intrigue, and plotting, and grief, and internal tension, a mix to which Suzume's romance, doomed or not, brings much needed relief.

If it were not for the rather protracted time in which Suzume is a miserable drudge, I would have loved this--despite that, I liked it quite a bit (although aspects of the story required some firm suspension of disblief). Clearly, I'm shallow--I liked best the part where Suzume is preparing herself to be chosen the Shadow Princesses, and learning dances, and playing music, and falling even more in love with Otieno...

Shadows on the Moon was previously published in the UK, which I'm mentioning as an excuse to show the lovely UK cover, shown at right.

Side note on diversity: as well as being set in an Asian inspired country, with the foreigners seeming to me to come from a West African inspired country, there is also a very important character who, though born male, lives as a woman fully and completely, without this being a source of internal conflict for her.

What Came from the Stars, by Gary Schmidt--Waiting on Wednesday

I recently came across news of a forthcoming book that made me sqee (gently) and add it tout suite to my list of must haves--What Came from the Stars, by Gary Schmidt (Clarion Books, September 4, 2012).

Now, the blurb itself wasn't exactly what made me want the book--it doesn't, for instance, feature an orphanage, an old house, a plucky girl, or enchanted birds/foxes/horses, to name a few things I like in books. But it sounds reasonable enough (although any mention of a dark lord makes me feel a tad twitchy):

"The Valorim are about to fall to a dark lord when they send a necklace containing their planet across the cosmos, hurtling past a trillion starsall the way into the lunchbox of Tommy Pepper, sixth grader, of Plymouth, Mass. Mourning his late mother, Tommy doesn't notice much about the chain he found, but soon he is drawing the twin suns and humming the music of a hanorah. As Tommy absorbs the art and language of the Valorim, their enemies target him. When a creature begins ransacking Plymouth in search of the chain, Tommy learns he must protect his family from villains far worse than he's ever imagined."

No. It was not this blurb that made me want this ever so much. It is that GARY SCMIDT, author of my dearly beloved The Wednesday Wars (and Okay for Now), has written a middle grade fantasy! Which I call very thoughtful of him, because a. this is what I read most and b. I will read anything he writes.

Waiting on Wednesday is a meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

A Well-Timed Enchantment, by Vivian Vande Velde, for Timeslip Tuesday

A Well-Timed Enchantment, by Vivian Vande Velde (1990, middle grade--that's the original cover shown at left).

Deanna is not happy to be spending her summer with her French relatives in the middle of the country, with only the cat, Oliver, for company. But she becomes even more unhappy when she accidentally drops her Micky Mouse watch down an old well...it was a treasured memento of the last time her father was a happy member of her family.

And she becomes still more unhappy when two rather snooty elves (although they don't think much of that term) appear, and proceed to scold her for having dropped the watch into a time-displacement vortex (the well is no ordinary well). Unless she can get it back, they inform her, it will alter the middle ages, and, in a domino effect, the entire course of world history will be changed.

So without any choice in the matter, Deanna is plunged back to the middle-ages...but the elves have thoughtfully provided her with a companion--Oliver the cat, in human form.

The middle ages to which Deanna travels is something of a deliberate caricature, with bumbling would-be-knights, a vain and mopish lady of the castle, pigs, greasy chunks of meat, etc. And Deanna and Oliver have no clue how to behave--the elves failed to provide lessons in castle etiquette for Deanna (although they did bestow the gift of medieval French), and Oliver, being a cat, is even more at sea. Over-the-top medieval romance complicates matters, but more seriously, the castle is home to a rather terrifying alchemist who has some genuine magical abilities, and naturally, he's the one who ends up with the watch...

It's all a bit silly, with plenty of deliberate eye-rolling moments, some slap-stick, and flashes of the sharp humor I appreciate in Vivian Vande Velde. The best part of the book, by far, is Oliver the cat--we see through Deanna's concerned eyes as he struggles with being human. Sometimes this is poignant, and sometimes amusing, especially when dogs are mentioned:

"Well," [said Deanna], "you heard Leonard and Baylen were fighting to see whose fiancee is the fairest. It turns out since Leonard lost so badly, he figures his lady must be a real dog, so he wants to replace her with me."

Oliver stopped and stared at her. "Leonard is marrying a dog?"

Deanna sighed. She reminded herself that he had come to her rescue twice already today. She sighed again. "It's just another expression, Oliver." (page 57)

Not only does Oliver add great interest to the story, but he is also the catalyst for change in Deanna. She not a very strong character, being kind of lonely and passive, and she knows it, but her concern for Oliver does, by the end of the book, force her to greater depths of personality. "Will Deanna and Oliver fall in love?" becomes a much more interesting question than the slightly MacGuffiny story of the watch.

I found this a pleasant enough read of the faux time-travel sort (there's no point in expecting historical accuracy), and the cat-loving girl suffering through the blahs of sixth and seventh grade would probably enjoy it a lot more.

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 (ages 9-12, ish) blog posts that I found in my reading this week! Please let me know if I missed yours.

The Reviews:

Chronal Engine, by Greg Leitich Smith, at Charlotte's Library

Coraline, by Neil Gaiman, at Strange and Random Happenstance

The Girl Who Could Fly, by Victoria Forester, at Gina Carey

A Greyhound of a Girl, by Roddy Doyle, at books4yourkids

The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom, by Christopher Healy, at Good Books and Good Wine and The Book Smugglers

How the Camel Got its Hump, and How the Leopard Got its Spots, by Rudyard Kipling (graphic novel editions) at Back to Books here and here

Inkheart and Inkspell, by Cornelia Funke, at Adventures of a Book Wyrm here and here

Keeper, by Kathi Appelt, at Confessions of a Bibliovore

Magyk, by Angie Sage (audiobook review) at Wandering Librarians

The One and Only Ivan, by Katherine Applegate, at That's Another Story

Ordinary Magic, by Caitlen Rubino-Bradway, at Popcorn Reads

Remarkable, by Lizzie K. Foley, at My Brain on Books

The Sixty-eight Rooms, by Marianne Malone, at Jen Robinson's Book Page

Storybound, by Marissa Burt, at library_mama

A Tale of Time City, by Diana Wynne Jones, at Finding Wonderland

Time Snatchers, by Richard Ungar, at Ms. Yingling Reads

Winterling, by Sarah Prineas, at Geo Librarian

The Wrath of Zozimos (Stickman Odyssey) by Christopher Ford, at Ms. Yingling Reads

Eight Days of Luke, and Witch Week, by Diana Wynne Jones at The Book Smugglers

From the New York Times Book Review--The False Prince, by Jennifer Nielsen, and The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom, by Christopher Healy

Giveaways:

The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland by Catherynne M. Valente at Tor (ends midnight, May 15)

The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom, by Christopher Healy, at Alison's Book Marks

Barry and the Fairies of Miller Street, by Barry Dickins at Read In a Single Sitting (Aussie only)

The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom, by Christopher Healy, at Small Review (May 19)

Authors and Interviews:

Caitlen Rubino-Bradway (Ordinary Magic) at My Precious, Yearning to Read, and Small Review

Laurisa White Reyes (The Rock of Ivanore) at The Book Cellar

Danika Dinsmore (The Ruins of Noe) at Dead Houseplants

Catherynne M. Valente (The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland) at Tor

Anne Ursu (Breadcrumbs) at StorySnoops

Marissa Burt (Storybound) at Cynsations

Jonathan Auxier (Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes) at From the Mixed Up Files...

Christopher Healy (The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom) at The Book Smugglers

Other Good Stuff:

City of Lies, by Lian Tanner, has won the Aurelis Award (Australian spec. fiction) for children's fiction told primarily through words

A list of fantasy cat books at Charlotte's Library

Seth Adam Smith is working on a documentary about Lloyd Alexander; you can watch the preview at his website

Maurice Sendak (as you doubtless know) died this week. I am wondering how many writers of fantasy for children were inspired (directly or not) by Max's journey to the land of the wild things--it was probably the first book I ever read in with the ordinary was transformed into a portal to a fantasy realm, and this was the part of the book I myself loved best: "That very night in Max’s room a forest grew and grew and grew until his ceiling hung with vines and the walls became the world all around...."

Fantasy cats (starring Golden Cat, by Albert Bigelow Paine)

We are, if all goes well, getting a kitten tomorrow! (Hopefully one that actually will catch mice. I have caught more mice with my own two hands than our current kitty has). So here's a short list of some cat books, in which magic, or at least the supernatural, plays a big part. I know I'm missing lots--please feel free to leave your favorites in the comments!

First off, in honor of Mother's Day--Golden Cat, by Albert Bigelow Paine, illustrated by Pelagie Doane (1934). This was my mother's most loved book when she was a girl, and she passed that love on to me and my sisters; as result, the book (that's the actual one shown at left) is now in pieces, but still cherished. It's the story of an orphan girl named Cathy, who lives with a cruel step-aunt. One night Cathy is wakes to find a large golden cat outside her room. A cat that can talk: "I come on an errand, a secret errand...you are supposed to help me." It turns out that Cathy's aunt is a wicked witch--and also a cat. With the help of a magic potion, she can keep her human form--but this magic potion is also desperately needed by a Fairy prince transformed into a cat by the witch's magic. So Cathy and Golden cat find the potion, and take it to Fairy Land, but through mischance, there's not enough of it to do the job properly, and Prince Florizel is left with a white paw. Cathy, Golden Cat, and a rough old Tom cat set off on a journey, partly in Fairy Land, and partly in our world, to find the ingredients of the portion, before it is too late.

It is full of lovely descriptions, and magic, and Cathy and her cat friends are charming characters. And it is just perfect for the eight year old or so cat-loving girl, especially with the added bonus of the lovely black and white illustrations!

Sadly, it's long of print, and rather expensive...but if you ever see a copy for a reasonable price, snag it!

Another favorite cat book from my own childhood (which you can get for two cents at Amazon) was The Little Broomstick, by Mary Stewart. A girl named Mary is sent to her Great Aunt's house deep in the English countryside; there are no children her own age, and the only two creatures at all friendly are the gardener and a black cat, Tib. Mary finds a little broomstick, Tib leads her to the rare Fly-by-night flower, and next thing you know, Mary finds herself flying through the sky... and the broomstick lands in the stable yard of a school for witches.

This is not a friendly wholesome school. Horrible magical experiments are being performed on animals, including Tib's brother Gib. Gib's own owner, a boy named Peter, is desperately searching for him, and the two children, and Tib, end up rescuing the animals from their cages, and escaping the evil witches and warlocks in an utterly brilliant chase sequence that is one of my favorite bits of fantasy ever.

And here are some I read as a grown-up, and enjoyed lots!

The Mousehole Cat, by Antonia Barber. A very charming and beautifully illustrated picture book about a cat called Mowzer who lives in the Cornish fishing village of Mousehole. When storms trap the fishing boats inside the harbor, Mowzer and old Tom, her personal fisherman, set out to test the power of the Great Storm-Cat, who's plays with fishing boats as though they were mice....The sweet songs of Mowzer tame the savage beast, and she and Tom make it home safely with a boat full of fish.

And here's another picture book by Antonia Barber--Catkin (Candlewick, 1994) A little girl has been kidnapped by fairies, and Catkin, her kitten, must journey under the hollow hill to save her. He knows not to drink from the willow stream, and never to give the fair folk his name, but will his wits be sharp enough to best the fairy king in a game of riddles that will determine his fate, and that of his friend? It's a beautifully illustrated fantasy, the type of picture book that is most excellent for the independent reader, as well as making a great read aloud.

Highway Cats, by Janet Taylor Lisle Three tiny kittens are dumped onto a highway median one night, and miraculously make it across the traffic to a scruffy patch of woods that's home to a community of cats. Hardscrabble, down-on-their luck cats, who make a living scrounging in the dumpsters of the strip mall (except for one wily Siamese, who runs a rat farm back among the trees). It's not much of a life, but the ones that are tough and self-centered survive.

This creed is disrupted by the arrival of the kittens, who melt the hearts of the toughest cats of all. And when the cats small and scraggly place in the world is threatened by a new highway ramp, it is the cats' love for the kittens (who are much, much more than ordinary kittens) that will save them all.

My older boy loved this one when he was ten.

Carbonel, The King of the Cats, by Barbara Sleigh (originally published 1955, brought back into print by the New York Review of Children's Books). Rosemary and her mother share a small flat, and there's very little money. So Rosemary decides that she'll clean houses during the summer to earn a bit herself, and sets off to the market to buy the broom she'll need. There she meets a strange old lady, who sells her a second-hand broom, one that comes with a cat...Neither the old lady (a witch) or the broom (it flys) or the cat are ordinary. The cat is Carbonel, a Prince of the Royal Blood, bound into servitude by the witch's magic, and desperate to become free so that he can save his cat people, denizens of the rooftops, from falling victim to tyranny and chaos. Rosemary and her friend John resolve to break the spell, with the help of the magic of the broom, and some tricks that Carbonel has up his paw...

It's a charming story of magic intersecting the ordinary world, that fans of Edward Eager should enjoy. And there are two sequels, The Kingdom of Carbonel, and Carbonel and Calidor, which continue the fun.

And finally, Catwings, and it sequels, by Ursula Le Guin, are utterly lovable books. Winged kittens making their way through a dangerous world! So cute! So utterly engaging!

My nine year old is reading these now, and finding them very good. (He's also engrossed in the Warriors series, and I the new kitten, which is going to be his very own, is probably going to end up being called "something" kit).

And just to give a nod to Young Adult cat books--there's White Cat, by Holly Black, and Cat Girl's Day Off, by Kimberly Pauley. I'm not doing well with fantasy or sci fi cats for grown ups--all I'm coming up with is the flying cats of Ursula Le Guin's Rocannon's World.

Edited to add:

Thanks to an anon. commenter, I've now read The Blue Cat of Castle Town, by Catherine Cate Coblentz, which can be summed up thus: magical kitten as catalyst for creative joy and artistic integrity in an early 19th century Vermont town. Here's my full review.

Like I said up top, please feel free to share your own recommendations!

The Drowned Cities, by Paolo Bacigalupi

In my review of Ship Breakers, by Paolo Bacigalupi, I said that "...the main reason I kept reading was Tool--an utterly fascinating character who is the most science-fictiony part of the book, what with being a product of genetic manipulation. There is clearly more of his story to tell--I hope it plays a large part in the sequel, coming out sometime next year."

And lo, the sequel (or rather, the prequel) is out, and Tool is a central character! And it was good.

The Drowned Cities (Little Brown, YA, 2012) takes place before the events of Ship Breaker. Tool, a human/animal hybrid, bred for war, has broken free of his captors. Half-men like himself are supposed to lose their will to live when their master dies, and they are the last of their pack, but Tool is different. Through the jungles and swamps of a future world of flooded cities and chaos a ragtag army pursues him...but he is a survivor, and even weakened by wounds that would have killed a lesser creature, he escapes...

And is found by two children, Mahlia and Mouse. Both are unwanted flotsam in this war-torn world. Mahlia, the daughter of a Chinese peacekeeper and a Drowned Cities woman, became a despised outcast when the Chinese withdrew and her father left. She escaped into the jungle, putting her own survival ahead of any altruistic thoughts for others, but lost her hand to one bloodthirsty faction in the process. Marked by her Chinese features, she's a lightning rod for fantastical hatred. Mouse's family was killed in more random slaughter--in this world, random slaughter is pretty much the order of the day-- and neither Mahlia or Mouse can envision a happy ending.

But when Mahlia and Mouse meet Tool, and the soldiers hunting him, things change.

It is a fearsomely dark place, this story. The children suffer. There is death--senseless, brutal, and bloody. There isn't a whole lot of hope. But still, Mahlia, and Mouse, and Tool are characters to care fiercely for. And Tool, impossible, unpredictable, unimaginable, makes it seem almost as though there can be a happy ending after all....keeping me reading as the characters wade through a swamp of near-death experiences and the horrors of insane, chaotic war.

I'd actually suggest reading this one before Ship Breakers, as this allows the reader to meet Tool for the first time here. In this book, a lot of the internal tension comes from not knowing if Tool can be trusted, not knowing if he can care for anything outside his own survival. Will he turn on the children, or will he help them? Is he a person to care about, or a monster?

The second reason (Tool being the first one) that the book is not entirely grim is that, even though every page makes it seem more likely that Mahlia and Mouse will be broken by violence, there is always just enough hope that they can survive with their fundamental selves intact, and make it through. In describing what happens to them, there's just the right balance of distance vs. immediacy. The reader is right there, caring fiercely, but is also able, like Mahlia herself does, to think about abstractions-- morality, altruism, and the effects of war on ordinary people.

In short: riveting, dark, powerful, and not one I'm giving to my eleven year old to read. However, I'd give this one to a YA reader who loved the Hunger Games, in a somewhat testy way: "ok, kid, you want senseless violence and struggle to survive in a dystopian world (one that seems much more horribly probable), and kids hurt and twisted through no fault of their own, take this!"

Waiting on Wednesday--Seraphina by Rachel Hartman

I am sure that by July I will have read all the two hundred plus books on my tbr piles/dispersed scatters, and will be casting around desperately for something new to read. (Yeah right. I'll have paid off the mortgage too). But in any event, school will end, and with it the stress of homework (not my homework, but my sixth grader's; for instance, he came home yesterday announcing that he had to memorize a considerable portion of Patrick Henry's Give me liberty speech by Friday on top of everything else, and I'm sure that twenty years from now it will come in useful (maybe to impress a date with?) but at the moment it's a source of stress). At any event, after June 11 I will have more time to read!!!!!

One of the books I'm most looking forward to is Seraphina, by Rachel Hartman. Those who have read it on net galley have raved about it (like my blog friend Stella Matutina), and it just popped up on my radar again when it was recommended in response to my request for place-centered, character-driven, political fantasy books (see this list for more). At any event, it sounds wonderful; here's the blurb lifted from Amazon:

"Four decades of peace have done little to ease the mistrust between humans and dragons in the kingdom of Goredd. Folding themselves into human shape, dragons attend court as ambassadors, and lend their rational, mathematical minds to universities as scholars and teachers. As the treaty's anniversary draws near, however, tensions are high.

Seraphina Dombegh has reason to fear both sides. An unusually gifted musician, she joins the court just as a member of the royal family is murdered—in suspiciously draconian fashion. Seraphina is drawn into the investigation, partnering with the captain of the Queen's Guard, the dangerously perceptive Prince Lucian Kiggs. While they begin to uncover hints of a sinister plot to destroy the peace, Seraphina struggles to protect her own secret, the secret behind her musical gift, one so terrible that its discovery could mean her very life."

Waiting on Wednesday is a meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

Bitterblue winners, plus recommendations of place-centered, political-intrigue-filled, character-driven fantasy

Bitterblue, by Kirstin Cashore, is a lovely example of a place-centered, political-intrigue-filled, character-driven fantasy. Bitterblue's city, with its three wondrous bridges leading to swampland, and her castle, with its strange art filling its halls and garden, are vividly described, and the book is set firmly in these two settings. Bitterblue's struggles to understand the reverberations of past atrocities in the politics of her present drive the plot, and Bitterblue herself--young, uncertain, lonely, determined, and just plain nice--is a lovely character (here's my review).

I was happy to host a publisher-sponsored giveaway of two copies of Bitterblue, and I encouraged entrants to leave (optional) recommendations for books that shared those three elements.

The two that occurred to me were King of Attolia, by Megan Whalen Turner, and Star Crossed, by Elizabeth Bunce, and I'd also add The King Commands, by Meg Burden, to that list (although it's not quite as one-place-eseque as I had in mind). Here's what was offered in the comments (thanks very much, all of you!), with my own thoughts in parens.:

abookandashortlatte suggested:

Crown Duel by Sherwood Smith (especially the second half, Court Duel, and I would add to this Smith's Stranger to Command)

The Lumatere Chronicles books by Melina Marchetta (yes to these on politics and character, but I'm not sure these are tightly enough centered in one place--I'm looking for things that are more claustrophobic! Erin also recommend these...)

The Study series by Maria V. Snyder (definitely the first one has all three elements!)

The Nightrunner series by Lynn Flewelling (I've never read these, and have added them to my list!)

Meg S suggested Malinda Lo's books (Ash and Huntress); although I love these, they are not quite the political fantasy type of book I was thinking of!

Melissa at One Librarian's Book Reviews offered her whole list of Courtly Intrigue, and suggests Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers (which is waiting for me downstairs next in the tbr line)

Michelle suggested two books I haven't read that sound fantastic--Seraphina by Rachel Hartman and Candlewax by C. Baily Sims

The False Prince (of course!), from Natalie (of Literary Rambles)

Theft of Swords, by Michael Sullivan (from KT)

From Katy (aka library-mama) comes Lois McMaster Bujold's The Curse of Chalion, and Girl of Fire and Thorns, by Rae Carson; from her husband the Steven Brust Taltos novels (I haven't read any of these!)

Chime, by Franny Billingsley, and Boneshaker, by Kate Milford were also mentioned, but I don't think either has the political intrigue I'm looking for...

and the winners of the two copies of Bitterblue are: KAREN and KATY!

More recommendations always welcome!

Chronal Engine, by Greg Leitich Smith, for Timeslip Tuesday

Chronal Engine, by Greg Leitich Smith (Clarion Books, 2012, middle grade, 192 pages) Imagine being transported back to the Cretaceous period, when dinosaurs roamed the earth, desperately driving your time-transported VW Bug across a landscape filled with danger, while searching for you kidnapped sister and wondering if you will ever get home. That's what happens to Max, the narrator of Chronal Engine.

Max and his siblings didn't want to dumped on their grandfather while their mom was off on a dinosaur dig in Mongolia. 13 year old twins, Kyle and Emma, and Max, a year younger, had never met their grandfather, or visited his isolated ranch in Texas (famous for its trail of fossilized dinosaur footprints). But they have no time to be bored or mopish. Just a few hours after they unpack and meet Petra, the housekeeper's daughter (a crack shot with a bow, as indicated by the rabbits she's killed for supper), their grandfather makes a surprising announcement.

"It is time," Grandpa began...."for you to see the family legacy. Downstairs. In the workshop. Petra, this concerns you as well."

"You don't want dessert?" Mrs Castillo asked, setting her napkin beside her plate and looking vaguely alarmed. "The pecan pie will be ready in a moment."

Grandpa stood. "Perhaps the children would like some when we're done. As for me...." He hesitated. "Thank you, no. In fifteen minutes the ambulance will be here to take me to the hospital after my massive heart attack." (page 12)

In that short space of time, Grandpa shows the kids the Chronal Engine--built by an ancestor in the early twentieth century, and perfected (?) over the years. It's a working time machine. But then the heart attack happens, as predicted. And then, the next day, Emma is kidnapped, and taken back in time. The three other kids must use the Chronal Engine to go after her...and fortunately Grandpa had predicted this too, stocking a Volkswagen bug with all the gear they'd need for a trip back to the time of the dinosaurs.

The days that follow will push the kids (and their car) to the limit as they race across the prehistoric landscape, outwitting/desperately fleeing from the assorted fauna (many big scary things with teeth!). It's non-stop action as they follow the sparse clues that will, they hope, lead them to Emma...if they don't get eaten first.

Max is a dinosaur buff, and his knowledge proves very useful.   The author generously shares lots of it with the reader--the kid who already knows dinosaurs will doubtless be pleased, the kid (or adult) who doesn't will be educated. Much as I like being educated, though, I found this information dropping to be a bit much in places, overlaying the emotional tension of the dinosaur encounters with too heavy a hand.

And indeed, in general the emotional side of the adventure plays a distant second-fiddle to the survival quest aspect of it. Which is fine--it's fast paced, fierce, and exiting story! But don't expect much nuanced character development or even much reflection on the part of the characters about what is happening--they are too busy surviving. Petra's archery skills come in very handy...the Volkswagen, however, bites the dust (although I'm surprised it lasted as long as it did...).

This very straightforward, descriptive and to the point approach to the story makes this a good one for young middle grade readers, those who enjoyed the Magic Treehouse books, perhaps, and who are looking for something a tad older and more sophisticated. Older readers, however, might feel the lack of emotional responses. And they might, as I was, be disappointed that the climax of the story is rather abrupt, and is accompanied by a brief third party explanation. The central characters don't directly figuring out things for themselves, and turn out to be latecomers to a pre-existing story, The way the ending is written, however, clearly sets things up for a sequel in which, perhaps, the kids will have a more active role.... (and in which we might find out what happens to the baby dinosaur Petra has adopted!)

So, in short, a good one for a younger reader who likes adventure stories; not so much one for anyone much older than twelve.

Note on diversity:  Max and his siblings are half Japanese, half Caucasian; here's Greg Leitich Smith talking about this (and other aspects of the book) at Writing With a Broken Tusk.

Here are a few other, more enthusiastic, reviews: Jen Robinson's Book Page, BooksYALove, and Popcorn Reads

My boy's ninth reading year

Today my little one turns nine. I don't have a review post written yet for today, which is a direct consequence of hosted a sleepover this weekend. The many small boys (there seemed to be more of them then there actually were) enjoyed themselves with great enthusiasm long past the point at which I wanted to go to sleep....

I like, on my boys' birthdays, to make a small record of their reading year--here's last year's post for this child. This past year, his ninth as a reader, was pretty much the fulfilment of my expectations--he read. He read Percy Jackson. He read Narnia. He read many Warriors books. He's well into The Mysterious Benedict Society, and re-read The Hobbit to himself. And there were many others. He put down finished books, and asked for the next, immediately....

And most gratifyingly of all, he's been living the books. He's so lucky to have friends who are reading the same books as he is (which isn't a coincidence--all the books I mentioned (except the Hobbit) he picked up because his friends were reading them. And they played these books together on the playground at recess--my son right now is Sticky (indignant about being whitewashed)--and at home he has been going off to the woods by himself to the woods to be a Warrior cat.

And he also read lots of graphic novels, his favorite of which was Giants Beware! His most anticipated book of next year is Legends of Zita. I love both Giants Beware and Zita myself--great books that boys love that show strong girl characters!

His father finished reading him The Return of the King three nights ago, which was a poignant moment, because it was so important to both of us that our kids have that experience, and now it's over...and they are growing up. Now it's my turn to be the reader...and he's going to meet Alice.

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

Here's what I found in my blog reading this week of interest to fans of middle grade sci fi (not there's ever much of that) and fantasy! I am thinking less clearly than usual--sleep-over birthday party last night, and as I type five small boys are having a pillow fight of much loudness...so do let me know if I misspelled your name or missed your post!

The Reviews:

The Battle of the Labyrinth, by Rick Riordan, at Fyrefly's Book Blog

Chronal Engine, by Greg Leitich Smith, at BooksYALove

The Dragon's Tooth, by N.D. Wilson, at Riv Reads

The False Prince, by Jennifer Nielsen, at Ms. Yingling Reads

Ghost Knight, by Cornelia Funke, at Charlotte's Library

The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom, by at Emily's Reading Room, There's a Book, and A Backwards Story

Horten's Miraculous Mechanisms, by Lissa Evans, at Cracking the Cover

The Humming Room, by Ellen Potter, at A Chair, a Fireplace, and a Teacozy (arguably not fantasy, but I've been counting it...)

Icefall, by Matthew Kirby, at Random Musings of a Bibliophile

Legends of Zita the Space Girl, by Ben Hatke, at That Blog Belongs to Emily Brown!

The Mapmaker and the Ghost, by Sarvenaz Tash, at That's Swell

Mr. and Mrs. Bunny-Detectives Extraordinaire, by Polly Horvath, at GreenBeanTeenQueen

Neversink, by Barry Wolverton, at Good Books and Good Wine, Bunbury in the Stacks, and books4yourkids

The Ogre of Ogglefort, by Eva Ibbotson, at Library Chicken

Ordinary Magic, by Caitlin Rubino-Bradway, at Ms. Yingling Reads

Peaceweaver, by Rebecca Barnhouse, at My Precious

Priscilla the Great: the Time-travelling Bullet, by Sybil Nelson, at Finding Wonderland

Renegade Magic, by Stephanie Burgis, at Patrick Samphire's Blog

The Secrets of Ordinary Farm, by Tad Williams and Deborah Beale, at Nayu's Reading Corner

The Storm Makers, by Jennifer E. Smith, at The Blog on the Hill

Twice Upon a Time, by James Riley, at Shannon Messenger

A World Without Heroes, by Brandon Mull (part 1) at The Brain Lair

Authors and Interviews:

Christopher Healy (The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom) at Literary Asylum and Kid Lit Frenzy

Sarvenaz Tash (The Mapmaker and the Ghost) at Bookyurt

James Kennedy (The Order of Odd-Fish) at Neverendingsearch (a post on author visits)

Other Good Stuff:

Those who, like Guardian columnist Tim Lott, want to escape from the cliche of pinkness in girls book, should check out this list at Fantastic Reads

The movie rights to The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom have been picked up by Fox Animation

Kate Coombs talks Ogres and Trolls at The Enchanted Inkpot (and also shares her own Diana Wynne Jones tribute at her blog).

Here are the YA books in the running for the Locus Awards, which include the older middle grade/YA Akata Witch:

• Planesrunner, Ian McDonald (Pyr)
• Akata Witch, Nnedi Okorafor (Viking)
• Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, Ransom Riggs (Quirk)
• The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making, Catherynne M. Valente (Feiwel and Friends)
• Goliath, Scott Westerfeld (Simon Pulse; Simon & Schuster UK)

I've never been entirely sure what I think about Le Petit Prince (mainly because the logistics of the prince's life on his his tiny planet seemed undeveloped to me), but it's still interesting that two pages that didn't make it into the final version have been discovered (sadly, neither of them are concerned with planetary logistics).

And finally, next Saturday my boys and I will be going (d.v.) to the Watch City Seampunk Festival, in Waltham, MA. It is the first steampunk festival for us. Here's one event that I'm looking forward to:

M.T. Anderson, Gavin J. Grant and Kelly Link read from their stories in Steampunk! An Anthology of Fantastically Rich and Strange Stories (children’s & young adult event). 3:30 PM at Back Pages Books, 289 Moody Street, Waltham, MA.
http://www.backpagesbooks.com/steampunkanthology

So if you see me, with my two impeccably dressed (ha ha) and well-mannered (more likely) boys in tow, do say hi!

Cat Girl's Day Off, by Kimberly Pauley

Cat Girl's Day Off, by Kimberly Pauley (Tu Books, April 2012, 336 pages, middle grade/YA)

Natalie Ng suffers from invisible middle-child syndrome in spades. Sure, she can talk to cats (she lives in fear of her high school peers finding out and tormenting her with meows), but her talent seems a paltry one compared to the lavish gifts her two sisters have, and her parents (both with impressive paranormal talents of their own) barely seem to acknowledge her existence, let alone pay any attention to her science fair projects, etc.

But Natalie's gift is about to force her into the limelight. A movie is being made at her school (a Ferris Bueller's Day Off tribute), and her two best friends are star struck. When they force her to watch a clip of a celebrity blogger in action (with pink cat and little toy dog in tow), Natalie is shocked by what the cat is screaming:

"This is not my person! Save us! Stop barking and bite her, Fergie! Do I have to do everything myself? Stop laughing, you cretins! You there, fat man, drop the camera! Help us! She'll kill us all!" (page 22)

Nat's friends take her translation of the cat's desperate plea for help seriously...and the three of them are off to downtown Chicago! Kidnapping the cat from the swanky hotel where the false blogger is staying goes fairly smoothly (they leave the dog behind--Natalie doesn't, after all, speak dog). But that's just the first step in a wild race to uncover the Dark Truths of stolen identities, kidnapping, and even attempted cat murder! And all the while, the film must go on...and classes must be attended, parents deceived, and cats smuggled to school...and Natalie's glimmer of romance with the cute boy from trig class trig class seems to be doomed. The only hope for a happy ending is for Natalie to reveal her true self--Cat Girl.

The world of the book is very much our world, except that some people have paranormal gifts; this is taken for granted, and no explanations/detailed descriptions are offered. Although I'm curious about that side of things, I think this was a wise choice--it's not the point, and would have slowed things down.

As it is, Cat Girl's Day Off is fast and funny, with the spot-on cat comments that liberally sprinkle the pages being especially entertaining. Though Natalie is a well-developed character with genuine teenager-ish concerns, and people's lives actually are in danger, it's not a book that takes itself too seriously, which makes it a very pleasant break from reality.

Note on diversity: Tu Books publishes diverse sci fi/fantasy for kids and teens, and as is apparent from Natalie's picture on the cover, she's half-Chinese. One of her two buddies is gay, and half Asian himself, and although his character doesn't go much beyond wacky best-gay-guy friend, it's nice to have this additional bit of diversity.

Note on age of reader: Cat Girl's Day Off is ostensibly YA--it's a high school book. But it is one that a middle school kid could read without blushing--no sex, and only a bit of cat-fighty violence. In fact, it's a perfect one for the eleven or twelve year old cat-loving girl whose not quite ready for the steamy romance of most YA paranormal--this, instead, is a light-hearted mystery with a paranormal premise. Then in two more years (give or take) that reader can move on to Holly Black's Curse Workers series...

(disclaimer: review copy received from the publisher)

Kepler's Dream, by Juliet Bell

Those who have been reading my blog for a while might have noticed that I often gush about the appeal of books that feature big old houses full of stuff. Books in which a young central character (most often a girl) must explore the old house, optionally making a new friend/solving a mystery/becoming a happier person/reading some books herself along the way. Just such a book is the forthcoming Kepler's Dream, by Juliet Bell (Putnam, May 10, 2012, middle grade, 256 pages).

Eleven-year-old Ella is facing the most difficult summer of her life. Her mother is going a last-hope cancer treatment, and while she is hospitalized, Ella is to stay with her father's mother, an eccentric woman who is a stranger to her. Ella's parents divorced long-ago, and her father, a professional fishing guide, can't/won't taker her himself.

So Ella arrives at her grandmother's home in the middle of a south-western no-where. Ella's grandmother is not welcoming, nor is the rambling old house is full of Things...and the library full of precious and valuable books, located in its own separate building, is not a place where Ella is encouraged to spend time.

Heartsick with anxiety over her mother, lonely and unwanted, Ella is not a happy child. But as the days pass, she makes friends with the daughter of her grandmother's groundskeeper, Rosie, gradually learns how to get on with her grandmother, and thinks evil thoughts about a most unpleasant bibliovore who's come to admire the library. Still, she is bored and at loose ends.

But when the heart of her grandmother's book collection, an astronomically rare copy of Kepler's Dream, vanishes, Ella and Rosie are determined to solve the mystery, and through themselves into detective work. In so doing, not only do they learn the reason why this book is so precious, but they uncover the truth of a long-ago tragedy that affected both their families, and set the stage for healing.

So very much the sort of book that is my cup of tea. I appreciated the descriptions of the house, empathized with Ella's pain, and loved the library! It's a slowish sort of read, in that Events don't happen with Great Rapidity--instead there's lots of description, lots of introspection, lots of past events being thought about, some nice metaphor action. Even the mystery doesn't build to a Climax of Exciting Face-down with bad guys, being more a sort of after the fact realization. Which is more than just fine with me, but it won't be everyone's cup of tea. (I think this is one of those books whose cover will do an excellent job atracting those who will like it, and detering those who won't).

That concludes the impartial part of this post. I now move on to my own emotional reaction.

I liked the book very much, and enjoyed reading it, but didn't quite love it...and I've had to give considerable thought as to why. My reasons are all very personal, and don't count as measured critical thoughts about the book, but for what it's worth, here they are.

1. I have never been to the southwest. The books with big houses full of stuff that I love most are set in the sorts of foresty/gardeny places that are so familiar to me personally, and I love that part of them, maybe even more than I like reading about cabinets of curiosities. I don't feel at home encountering more arid fictional landscapes (and I think this is one reason why I've never been quite sure I know what I think about The Velvet Room, by Zilpha Keatly Snyder, which also takes place on a western ranch). I realize that this is most definitely my own (pathetic?) problem, and not the book's.

2. I wanted to find Ella more of a kindred spirit than she turned out to be. She is apparently a reader...so I was expecting her to be a READER, like young me. Sure, she reads, she's impressed by the library, she thinks Kepler's Dream is a beautiful book, but she never convinced me that she actually was happy to spend time finding comfort in books, that she needed books, especially given her mother's situation. This too could be my problem--I could have created false expectations viz reading-ness where none were intended.

3. Ella's grandmother was a complete jerk to her son (Ella's father) when he was a little boy and I cannot forgive her. She could try harder with Ella too. In her favor, she's quirky and interesting, and thaws a bit toward the end, but really? She's not nice. I know, intellectually, that there are people in the world who are not nice, but when I'm given a happy ending that includes someone who is supposed to be a newly-emergent sympathetic character, but one that I can't like because she was so mean to her little boy, I'm not going to love the book. This might not have bothered me so much when I was Ella's age, and didn't have little boys of my own.

4. The ultimate fate of Kepler's Dream gives book-collector me shelfware/insect damage anxiety.

In summary:

Did I enjoy reading it? Yes, lots. Did it make me want to read Kepler's Dream myself? Yes! Would I recommend it to fans of The Velvet Room in particular? Most certainly. Will I re-read it? Quite possibly someday I will.

Did I love it? Not quite, but I bet others may.

disclaimer: review copy received from the publisher

Ghost Knight, by Cornelia Funke, for Timeslip Tuesday

Ghost Knight, by Cornelia Funke (Little Brown, May 1 2012, middle grade).

When 11 year old Jon Whitcroft is packed off to boarding school in Salisbury, England (a consequence of having made himself utterly disagreeable to his mother's boyfriend, aka "the Beard"), he is naturally hurt and angry. But soon Jon realizes that boarding school will bring a more pressing problem that will make the possibility of a new stepfather the least of his worries. And it's not the boarding school food, the close quarters, or the boring drone of his teachers.

Nope. Jon's new problem is a ghostly medieval warrior, Lord Stourton, who wants to kill him. Turns out Jon's ancestor was instrumental in getting Stourton hung (deservedly) back in the 16th century...and revenge is still sweet 500 years later.

Jon's classmates and teachers can't see this murderous ghost and his horrible henchman. But one person believes him--a girl named Ella, who has grown up with the ghosts of Salisbury. She leads him to the tomb of the one ghost who might help him--William Longspee, a knight from the 12 century who must atone for his own wrongdoings by helping those in need.

But can Longspee truly be trusted? He did some terrible things in life himself...and possibly in death as well. Faced with the vivid possibility of death at Strouton's ghostly hand, Jon and Ella have little choice--they must call Longspee to aid them. Or else.

It's a zipping, ghost-filled story. There are moments that made hair on the back of my neck stand on end, in perfect spine-tingly fashion, and I can imagine young readers utterly on the edge of their seats once the threat of ghostly violence enters the picture! There's a bit of a mystery to be solved, which takes some breaking of school rules on the part of Jon and Ella, and quite a bit of exploring Salisbury and environs (including Stonehenge and the must-visit ruins of the castle of old Sarum. There are also lovely descriptions of Salisbury cathedral, which is a lovely place to visit too).

And on top of that, it's a story of friendship (Ella's and Jon's, which maybe kind of might end up with young love in a very believable way), and coming to terms with unasked for and unwanted changes in life ("the Beard" turns out to be Ella's uncle, and not nearly the totally black villain Jon had painted him as). Sure, Jon's happy acquiescence at staying at boarding school at the end of the book might seem a tad abrupt, but Ella is there to sweeten the pot...I liked Ella lots--she's a strong-minded, free-thinking type, and she makes a good friend.

So story-wise, it's all very kid friendly, and the design of the book re-enforces this--lots of pictures (by Andrea Offermann) and fairly small amount of text per page. I read the ARC, so I don't know what the final pictures look like, but they look promising! Here's one I found on-line:


I like the look of them, but the paintings by Friedrich Hechelmann in the original German edition are even more stunning:

But in any event, this is one I'd highly recommend to the 9 or 10 year old reader of fantasy, but the confident 8 year old or the older reader in need of fun, light reading will enjoy it too (this would be me). I am willing to bet that this is a book that will stick in the young reader's mind all his or her life, and am thinking about getting a copy of it for my own soon to be nine year old--although I'm worried that it might be too scary. The dead evil dudes might be a bit much for him. Maybe I will just buy a copy in a general sort of way, and see what happens...

I'm counting this as a time travel book, a category that doesn't include straight ghost stories, no matter how firmly the ghosts interact with our reality. It's a bit of a stretch in this case, but Jon does on several occasions enter into the memories of ghosts, experiences flashes of their past lives:

"I felt my body grow. Now I was strong and tall, but there was even more blood. And even more pain. There were swords, many swords, lances, knives, and horses. I fought. This time the sword was so long, I had to hold it with both hands. I felt my arms ram it into another body. I heard my own breath, labored and much, much too fast....I slipped in the mud and fell to the ground. Something dug into my leg. An arrow. I screamed with pain, or was it rage? There was blood in my eyes. Was it my own, or another man's?" (page 136)

And that's about the extent of the time travel...I wish there had been more!

I am also faced with slightly conundrums regarding other categories--it's a boarding school story, which is part of the point, but not nearly THE point, and it's historical fantasy-ish, in that the events of the past are a large part of the narrative, so you almost feel that you've read historical fiction, but it's not actually set in the past, so I don't think I can count it...at least I can label it with certainty "book with ghosts."

Other thoughts can be found at Ms. Yingling Reads; if you've reviewed it, let me know and I'll add you!

(disclaimer: ARC received from the publisher)

Here's a bonus picture of Old Sarum, which truly is a great castle to take your kids too:

Bitterblue, by Kristin Cashore (Giveaway!)

Bitterblue, by Kristin Cashore, needs little introduction--sequel to Graceling, and companion to Fire, it's one of the most anticipated books of the year, and will be released tomorrow, May 1. I was awfully happy to have the chance to read it a tad early, and to offer a copy from the publisher as a giveaway today (see end of post). And happiest of all, it proved to be my favorite of the series. Bitterblue is part mystery, part political intrigue, and a little part romance, but mostly its the powerful story of how remembering past atrocities is a vital step to moving beyond them.

Bitterblue's childhood was a nightmare of violence. Her father, King Leck of Monsea, was an insane sadist, whose hideous proclivities for systematic torture and casual violence were made worse by his ability to bend anyone's mind to his will. He forced those around him to hurt, and kill, others, and then (if he wished) he could wipe their memory of it clean (though memories might linger).

Mercifully, as is told in Graceling, he was killed when Bitterblue was ten. Eight years later, she is the Queen of Monsea, carefully sheltered by her advisory, and terribly ignorant of many, many things. It is not only the day to day workings of life of in her country that she knows little of, but the dark truths of her father's evil.

Bitterblue is not going to stay ignorant for long, trusting that the blanket pardon to all involved in her father's atrocities means Monsea is all better now. Surreptitious night-time visits outside the confines of the castle lead her to a meeting with a small band of individuals who force her to re-examine many things she's taken for granted. And once Bitterblue starts pulling on the threads they give her, her world unravels...presenting both danger, and great opportunity.

Those who loved the first two books will be pleased to see those characters reappear. Katsa and Po, in particular, get considerable page time--which is a good thing for Bitterblue, because they are just about the only people she truly trusts (so many, many people in her life have secrets; some will even betray her). But she cannot rely on her old friends to solve all her problems, and during the course of the book she grows greatly in confidence, knowledge, and maturity. And I think one reason this book is my favorite is that, unlike Katsa and Fire, truly extraordinary people, Bitterblue has no special gift. She is just a smart and caring girl, doing the best she can. So it was easy as all get out to empathize with her, and cheer for her, and to watch anxiously as she struggled with the terrible past, so very much part of her present.

I can imagine that some might find it slow--there aren't wild, far-ranging adventures of sword fighting and survival (although violence still is very much a threat in Bitterblue's castle). But for those, like me, who love tightly place- centered, and character driven intrigue, the book works beautifully. And the issue at the heart of the book--the recognition that it is crucial to understand and remember the past, resisting the urge to forget its horrors--is one that I think is truly important.

And just as as addendum, I loved Cashore's descriptions of the bizarre art that surrounds Bitterblue, and appreciated her inclusion of literacy as an important sub-issue!

You can watch the trailer and find other extras here at the Graceling Realm website, and read part of the prologue here.

Thanks to the publishers, I have two copies of Bitterblue to give away (US only). Just leave a comment by midnight Monday, May 7.

(If you feel like it (but it's not required), you can include in your comment any recommendations of other books of of place- centered, and character driven intrigue--I'd like to see them! The two that occur to me of the top of my head are King of Attolia, by Megan Whalen Turner, and Star Crossed, by Elizabeth Bunce. Or if anyone has recommendations for other fantasies that deal with societies confronting difficult pasts, I'd welcome those too!).

(disclaimer: ARC received from publisher)