Piratica II: Return to Parrot Island

Book: Piratica II: Return to Parrot Island
Author: Tanith Lee
Audience: Teen
In a Nutshell: heartache, shipwreck, and a pirate Pharaoh

I just loved the first Piratica, so a sequel made me go, "Ooo, look!" in Barnes and Noble. And I wasn't disappointed.

Months after Art Blastside's release from the hangman's noose (see book 1), she has inadvertently started a craze. Piratomania has struck Lundon (alternate spelling intentional), and people of fashion are sporting patches, swords and parrots. Art Blastside and Felix Phoenix are now married, famous, and landlocked, but the last part's about to change. A war between Free England and the monarchy of France is looming close, and the British government enlists the help of Art and her crew as privateers to "worry" French ships on the ocean. Art and Co. also hope to return to Parrot Island and find the maps and treasure they had to abandon before their capture months before. Felix does not want Art to go and risk her life, but the sea is her life, there's no question in her mind that she's going, and so all is not rosy at home.

Meanwhile, the nefarious pirate Little Goldie Girl is also after Parrot Island's treasure, not to mention revenge on Art for besting her and scarring her mean, nasty, otherwise flawless face. Both women will have to look out for the legendary black ship of Mary Hell, the Scandanavian widow out to kill all pirates to avenge her murdered husband. The adventure ranges from England to Mad-Agash to a shipwreck to Egypt, where Ebad, Art's adopted dad, has quite the family obligation to fulfill.

Action, adventure, and colorful characters abound, along with a touch of the highs and lows of married love, and a menagerie of animals such as parrots, rhinos, elephants, and Muck, the Cleanest Dog in England. Plots and characters weave in and out rather intricately, and it all comes together nicely in the end. The slightly alternative world has fun altered spellings of familiar places, like Mad-Agash Scar, and slightly altered history, both of which are fun to spot if you know the originals, but aren't necessary to know to enjoy the story.

Surrender

Book: Surrender
Author: Sonja Harnett
Audience: Teen to Adult
In a Nutshell: a good boy, a bad boy, a dog, and lots of arson

As 20-year-old Gabriel lays dying, he thinks back over his short life in the small Australian town of Mulyan: his emotionally distant/abusive parents, a horrible childhood mistake involving his severely retarded older brother, Vernon, and the wild boy Finnigan with whom he made a childhood pact. Pale, quiet Gabriel (real name Anwell) would become the good one, the angel, and Finnigan would be bad. Really bad. Throughout their childhood, Gabriel quietly allows teasing, unkindness, etc. to happen to him, but Finnigan always makes the transgressors pay later, usually by burning something important. As a series of fires, and worse, terrorize Mulyan, Gabriel knows he must take drastic action to stop Finnigan, even at the cost of his own life.

This is a beautifully written, delicate psychological thriller, if that description is possible. It does border on confusing sometimes- or most of the time, depending on how carefully you're following the jumps back and forth through the timeline. Finnigan is so wild and immoral he started really bothering me- I couldn't find much to like, even in a "love to hate 'em" kind of a way. But maybe that's just me, or maybe that was the point.
The end leaves many, many unanswered questions about what really happened- like does Finnigan really exist? Is the dog dead or alive? What's going on?? Unanswered-ness is not necessarily a bad thing, but expect to think with this one.

P.S.: Surrender is the dog's name.
P.P.S.: This book was a 2006 Printz Award finalist (in case you keep track of these things)

What Happened to Cass McBride?

Book: What Happened to Cass McBride?
Author: Gail Giles
Audience: Teen
In a Nutshell: write a catty note, get buried alive

After his troubled younger brother David commits suicide, Kyle Kirby takes revenge on popular, ambitious A-lister Cass McBride. He blames David's death on Cass's note, meant for her best friend's eyes, lamenting how that loser David Kirby had dared to ask her out. Kyle drugs Cass, kidnaps her, and buries her alive, with only a tube for air (or dirt) and a walkie talkie. Cass has always been good at reading people to get ahead, and now saying the right things to Kyle, asking the right questions, figuring out what he wants from her, why she's not already dead, is the only way she'll survive. Told in alternating chapters between Kyle, Cass, and the police detective Ben, the story unfolds of the Kirbys and their messed-up mother, the McBrides and Cass's driven, loveless father, what really drove David to hang himself from a tree in his front yard, and what finally does happen to Cass McBride.

This here's an intense, page-turning thriller with well-done characters. In spite of the fact that burying someone alive is never a good way to win friends and influence people, no one comes out seeming totally bad or good, not even Kyle. Read with caution if you are at all claustrophobic.

Grease Monkey

Book: Grease Monkey: A Tale of Growing Up in Orbit
Author: Tim Eldred
Audience: Grades 4 to 8
In a Nutshell: young mechanic works on a space station for a big ape

Robin Plotnik, a new junior spacecraft mechanic aboard the Fist of Earth, is assigned to work with Mac Gimbensky, a gorilla with accelerated evolution and a nasty temper. After the alien hordes attacked Earth and killed 60% of the human population, the Galactic Alliance scientists accelerated the physical development and intelligence of gorillas in order to give Earth a fighting chance of recovering in time to fend off any repeat attacks. Mac isn't really going to eat his assistant; he just has an artistic temperament and approach to his job, and he and Robin get along great. Their squadron is the top-ranked, all-female Barbarians. Robin quickly learns how things work on the ship, meets a girl (Kara, who works in the library), and teases Mac about his undying love for the ship's beautiful (to him) commanding ape, Admiral Stettler.

A funny, most-ages-appropriate comic; many short episodes are collected here. Judging from the haircuts it was started in the 1980's, but aside from that fashion detail it's good ageless fun.

The Higher Power of Lucky

Book: The Higher Power of Lucky
Author: Susan Patron
Audience: Grades 4-6
In a Nutshell: girl lives in a trailer in the California desert w/ her French guardian and dog, pondering bugs and the meaning of life

I'm way behind on my posts, so I'll make this short. This book won the Newbery Award for 2006, and that's why I read it. I honestly never would've given it a second look otherwise- just not my style. Set in a tiny, dusty California town, nice gentle cover illustration...nah. But I like to give the Newbery its dues, so I read it. It's well-written, certainly, and I did like it. But it's not an easy sell to most readers- unless you're sold on gentle, slightly quirky, and heartfelt. Which I guess some people are, and more power to you. I almost suspect that the librarian in California who started all the bruhaha about the scandalous use of the word 'scrotum' on page one was a plant by the publisher and/or Newbery Committee to generate press. Almost, but not quite.

PS: It was only a dog.
PPS: It was only a scrotum.

New Moon

Book: New Moon
Author: Stephenie Meyer
Audience: Teen and Adult
In a Nutshell: human-vampire-werewolf love triangle (or maybe just a love 'V')

In this sequel to the runaway hit, Twilight, Edward the love-lorn vampire is in and out of the picture after he and the rest of the undead Cullen family suddenly leave Forks, Washington, and Bella- for her own good, of course. The focus shifts to Jacob Black, Bella's reliable friend, who is disturbed by the weird changes running through the other guys in his tribe. Super-puberty hits some, and suddenly they get bigger, stronger, and run with a very tight crowd. The Big Change comes next to Jacob, and what a change it is. That's right, he's a werewolf. The only (un?)natural enemy of the vampire. And of course, he's in love with Bella, who's in love with Edward but Jacob's nice too, and Edward may be off in Italy finding himself and moping, but he's still got it bad for Bella. Add some Italian vampire mafia called the Volturi and you've got a globe-hopping supernatural soap opera.

Like the first book, this one is compulsively readable. My old roommate read Twilight three times in a row, I think (you know who you are, Katie Lind). And there are at least two more sequels in the works, so the lit crack fix goes on.

Fairest

Book: Fairest
Author: Gail Carson Levine
Audience: grades 5 to 8
In a Nutshell: Snow White retold with an ugly but beautiful heroine

Aza was left as a baby on the doorstep of a kindly innkeeper and his wife, who have raised her as one of their own. She knows two things about herself: she has a beautiful singing voice, and she is the ugliest person she knows. In the kingdom of Ayortha, singing is an integral form of expression in every part of life. Aza has another talent: she can throw her voice and imitate anyone, a unique skill she names 'illusing'.

The king's beautiful, foreign new wife, Ivi, is not a good singer, and she knows it. So she takes Aza on as her lady-in-waiting and threatens dire consequences if Aza does not sing for her at the many public functions where it's expected. Life in the castle surrounded by beauty and elegance is humiliating for self-concious Aza, but she quickly becomes friends with Prince Ijori, the king's nephew, then more than friends. When King Oscaro is seriously injured in an accident, Ivi takes power and, led by a mysterious 'advisor' (in her magic mirror), she quickly brings Ayortha to the brink of revolt against her. Aza is forced to flee, and during her exile she learns some very surprising truths about herself.

This is an enthralling, charming Snow White retelling set in the Ella Enchanted world. The songs woven throughout and spelling styles for different countries and creatures build the world and the atmosphere nicely. Aza's self-loathing and struggle with concepts of beauty ring true, and the ending is very satisfying without falling into the syrup. Highly recommended for fairy tale fans.

Gregor and the Marks of Secret

Book: Gregor and the Marks of Secret (Book 4 of the Underland Chronicles)

Author: Suzanne Collins

Audience: Grades 5 to 8

In a Nutshell: underground adventure and giant genocidal rats

In this Gregor teams up with Luxa, their bats Ares and Aurora, Luxa's cousin Howard, young Hazard fresh from life in the jungle, Temp the cockroach, and of course his little sister, Boots. Luxa's friends the Nibblers (mice) sent her a distress message, then disappeared. The Gnawers are probably responsible, with the huge, white-furred Bane leading them in genocide. When a tunnel collapses, the group is forced on a long route deep under the Underworld, where impossible air currents, volcanoes and more await them. The atrocities of the rats leads Luxa to make a Vow to the Dead, essentially declaring war on the rats.

The series contines strong in this penultimate book (I just love using that word). There's a big fat lead-in to the forthcoming final book. In other developments, Gregor is just now starting to see Luxa as a girl, and complications ensue. Gregor is also troubled about hating the idea of war, yet liking his violent rager moments more as he learns to control them. If I made a list of the top five adventure series for tweens, Gregor's books would be on it. Just one left, Gregor and the Code of Claw, due out in May 2007.

Toys Go Out

Book: Toys Go Out
Author: Emily Jenkins
Illustrator: Paul O. Zelinsky
Audience: Preschool to 2nd grade
In a Nutshell: the secret lives of toys

A know-it-all StingRay, Lumphy the buffalo, and Plastic have adventures with Show-and-Tell, a picnic, the beach, the Little Girl's high bed, TukTuk the towel, Frank the washing machine, and discovering their true natures: what exactly is a Plastic, and is StingRay a Sinker or a Floater? And will Little Girl still love them whatever they are?

Quaint, cozy story. The toys each have very distinct personalities, and even side characters like the One-Eared Sheep are memorable. Great read-aloud for 4-to-6-year-olds.

Murkmere

Book: Murkmere
Author: Patricia Elliott
Audience: Teen
In a Nutshell: eerie manor, bird worship, and a girl with a swanskin

Aggie is just starting her new job as lady's companion to the ward of Murkmere Manor. Her mother worked there years ago, but no one in the village likes to go near the creepy old mansion any more than they have to. The Master is confined to a wheelchair, and like its master, the house and lands seem to be deteriorating.

Leah was an orphan found at the gates who has been taken in by the Master since he has no children to inherit. She is haughty and willful, but she does love the Master and wants the best for the estate, starting with getting rid of the smooth but sinister steward, Silas Seed, as soon as she's in control. Many of the staff and people in the village think there is something unnatural about her; she's always running off into the dangerous mere and watching the swans. The society worships birds as sacred beings, both good and evil, and her obsession with them frightens average, honest people.

Leah and Aggie are walking in the mere one afternoon when they discover a hidden swanskin, which Leah is drawn to but Aggie fears and seeks to destroy. They gradually discover its true nature and Leah's hidden history, and how it all relates to the dreaded avia people who, according to official Ministration truth, were made half-bird by the Great Eagle as a punishment- or was it a reward?

Haunting, atmospheric, well-written story. Magic seems to infuse the story with its bird-based worldview and the misty, eerie, gothic setting, but only a hint of actual magic appears, and even that is implied.

A companion book called Ambergate tells the story of Scuff, the orphan kitchen girl in Murkmere.