Book Barker

Spike: Shadow Puppets

2008-04-15T17:06:00.003-05:00

Book: Spike: Shadow Puppets
Author: Brian Lynch
Artist: Franco Urru
In a Nutshell: Spike is a wee little puppet man!

In this continuation of the story arch from the hilariously twisted Angel episode "Smile Time" , Spike and Loren go to Japan to investigate reports that the evil puppets of "Smile Time" have gone global. And of course, the two end up turning into puppets and battling not just a horde of evil ninja puppets, but also evil replicas of Angelus, Druscilla, Cordelia, Classic Wesley, Spoiler Wesley, Fred/Illyria, Street Gunn, Lawyer Gunn, and more.

Very funny. Nice job on Spike's dialogue especially.

The Plain Janes

2008-04-14T13:50:00.002-05:00

Book: The Plain Janes
Author: Cecil Castellucci
Audience: Teen
In a Nutshell: Four Janes make art, not war

After she is a victim in a terrorist attack in Metro City, Jane's family relocates to the sterile suburbs. She finds a group of misfits- Jane, Jayne, and Polly Jane- and once she overcomes their resistance, together they form P.L.A.I.N. (People Loving Art In Neighborhoods) and secretly perform random acts of public art, what some consider art terrorism. She continues to write letters to a John Doe in a coma in Metro City, and when a letter is returned, she must go against her parents' orders and go back to see what happened.

Great graphic novel about the healing and bonding power of art.

Art by Jim Rugg.

Slam

2008-04-03T20:08:00.002-05:00

Book: Slam
Author: Nick Hornby
Audience: Teen
In a Nutshell: teen pregnancy, skating, and a talking poster of Tony Hawk

At the age of fifteen, Sam Jones's girlfriend Alicia gets pregnant and Sam's life of skateboarding and talking to a poster of Tony Hawk (which talks back) changes drastically.
Sam also believes TH is responsible for the fast-forward dreams he has, dreams that accurately portray his near future as a father.

Sweet, funny, not overdramatic or idealized view of teen parenthood from a young father's perspective. TH's responses are quotes from his autobiography, which Sam has read dozens of times- quote choices that don't always match Sam's situation, which makes for the funny.

Hush

2008-02-25T13:06:00.005-06:00

Book: Hush: An Irish Princess' Tale
Author: Donna Jo Napoli
Audience: Teen
In a Nutshell: Icelandic saga of kidnapped Irish princess, retold

Melkorka is the 16-year-old daughter of a medieval Irish king around 900 A.D. When she and her younger sister, Brigid, are sent away for safety before an attack by Vikings, they are captured by foreign slave traders and taken on a long sea voyage. Melkorka has always been free with voicing her questions and opinions, but now staying silent is what's keeping her safe, since the leader believes she has powers and doesn't want to incur her wrath. They go from Ireland through the North Sea to what is now Sweden, where her captor intends to sell them all as fine young virgins.

Well-written retelling with good major and minor characters. Napoli integrates lots of info about life in medieval northern Europe, and Ireland in particular. There's a simple map included for the visual among us, like me. There's also basic pronunciation guide for medieval characters like ð and þ, but a glossary with more complete pronunciations would be helpful.
Like in the Icelandic saga it's based on, this retelling leaves several important elements unresolved, which was unsatisfying to me but true to the story, and it also recreates Melkorka's situation and frame of mind more authentically for the reader, since she never found out either. Good read for fans of Napoli and realistic medieval fiction.

Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!

2008-02-25T10:44:00.004-06:00

Book: Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village
Author: Laura Amy Schlitz
Audience: Grades 4 to 6
In a Nutshell: vignettes on medieval life for one or two readers

And the Newbery goes to... a collection of 17 short portraits of young people living in a medieval English village. Mostly written in different poetic forms, and all intended to be read aloud as monologues or two-person vignettes. The word portraits are simply illustrated in the style of a medieval illumination or tapestry, and interspersed with simple introductions to related historical topics such as Pilgrimage, the Crusades, and Falconry. A full stratum of society is represented, from the lord's daughter to the miller's son to the village half-wit. The characters and their stories often overlap or interact with the the one right before or after, but there is not an overarching story- more like a poetic cycle that gives an overall picture when taken together.

The book does an excellent job of combining historical facts and effective, three-dimensional characters fleshed out in very few words. As this year's Newbery winner it seemed to come out of left field for many fans of kid lit (as they often do), but I see what the Newbery Committee was thinking. It stands out in terms of quality of writing, facts, illustrations, and physical layout. As oral monologues I think some are more accessible than others for a grade school reader, but that's not a requirement for handing out Newberys. Enough of the characters' poems are accessible that many young readers will find at least a few they like. And if the shiny medal on the cover, which makes it a shoe-in for school library shelves around the country, starts a revival of readers theater in history and English classrooms around the country, then good for the author.

Unwind

2008-02-22T13:16:00.002-06:00

Book: Unwind
Author: Neal Shusterman
Audience: Teen
In a Nutshell: unwanted teens used for spare parts

In a future U.S., abortion became such a divisive issue that it sparked the Second Civil War. Both sides eventually agreed to a treaty which created a sort of delayed abortion in which unwanted teens are essentially stripped for parts, or "unwound." The story centers on three teens. Connor is 16 and has trouble controlling his temper. Due to the "troubled youth" he has become, his parents have chosen to unwind him. Risa is a ward of the state. She's a talented pianist, but not talented enough; the StaHo (State Home) needs to correct a 5% overcrowding problem, so she's being unwound. Thirteen-year-old Lev has always known he would be unwound. He's the tenth child in a strictly religious family, and he has been set aside since birth as a Tithe to God.

Circumstances throw these three teens together on the run as they hide from Juvy-Cops, care for a baby who's been storked (legally abandoned on a doorstep), find a secret refuge of Unwinds, and fight threats both from within and without as they try to hold themselves together. Literally.

Fascinating premise that challenges stances on both sides of the abortion issue; no one view comes across as wholly good or bad. This is a book that I think will stick with me for a while, much like Pete Hautman's Rash. It also brings up interesting questions about soul and consciousness, and under what conditions our human bodies could hold on to either.

Aside from the overall concept, this is a great action and survival story with lots of plot twists and characters that keep you guessing as to whether they're friend or foe- and they often change. One scene near the end, without being at all gorey, is one of the most disturbing things I've read in a long time.

Defect

2008-02-17T20:51:00.004-06:00

Book: Defect
Author: Will Weaver
Audience: Teen
In a Nutshell: the boy who could fly- or at least glide

David is tall, skinny, has bug eyes and a strange face, and wears hearing aids. Predictably, he's not had an easy life, bouncing from one foster home to the next after his mother turned him over to the system. But there's more, things that not his current foster family the Crutchfields, or his case workers, or anyone at school knows. The hearing aids are actually to block out sound, because his hearing is off the charts. But his biggest secret would have to be his batlike, functional wings. He often goes to Barn Bluff outside of Red Wing and glides down on warm nighttime drafts.

When he is transferred to an alternative school, he actually makes a few friends, and even gets a girlfriend, a girl who calls herself Cheetah and who's prone to grand mal seizures.
Things are going pretty well until an accident and a trip to the hospital exposes his secret, which leads to a stay at the Mayo Clinic. He faces a choice: stay who he is, or have corrective surgery on his face and body and become handsome, earth-bound New Guy. He also befriends a young terminal cancer patient named Brandon and finds himself in a position to help with the boy's very unusual Make-a-Wish wish.

Good "outsider finds his place and comes to terms with self" story.
His relationship with his foster parents is particularly nice- they're truly kind people without being cardboard saints. I really liked this one.

The Green Glass Sea

2008-02-13T17:29:00.003-06:00

Book: The Green Glass Sea
Author: Ellen Klages
Audience: Grades 4 to 7
In a Nutshell: Our parents invented the atomic bomb- how about yours?

In 1943, Dewey Kerrigan takes the train alone from Chicago to New Mexico to join her scientist father at the secret location where the world's greatest scientists are working on "the gadget." She is a smart girl who loves to tinker with mechanics, and is more comfortable around adults than kids her own age. And at Los Alamos, most of the adults are world-famous scientists, which suits her fine.

Suze Gordon tries desperately to fit in on "The Hill", but the popular girls call her "the truck" behind her back. She protests when "Screwy Dewey" comes to stay with her family when her father goes to Washington for several weeks, but the two girls gradually come to an understanding, then find friendship.

Against the backdrop of Los Alamos and the Manhattan Project, the girls live their lives, unaware of the enormity of what their parents are creating; and really, the adults don’t understand it themselves.

Interesting look at a pivotal scientific acheivement and the community that grew up around its creation. I found it a bit slow at times, but nicely written. Dewey and Suze are nicely fleshed out, although only a few of the other characters feel real; which is ironic, since several of them actually were real historical people. I expected more from a few of Dewey's adult friendships that were set up but never explored.
Dewey's voice occasionally shifts from present to past tense, which didn't really work for me; I found it distracting. But aside from the picky stuff, it's a great picture of life not just during WWII, but in a historic ad hoc community.

Alcatraz versus the Evil Librarians

2008-02-11T17:28:00.002-06:00

Book: Alcatraz versus the Evil Librarians
Author: Brandon Sanderson
Audience: Grades 4 to 6
In a Nutshell: super-powered klutz finds long-lost family and destiny

Listen, I only have a few minutes, so pay attention. If my fellow librarians find out that I’m talking to you, they'll tie me to an altar made of outdated encyclopedias and make me their latest sacrifice. It’s no less than a traitor like me deserves, but the truth must be told.

The truth is, you and everyone you know are living a lie. You think there are only 7 continents? You think Tyrannosaurus Rex was a huge, ferocious beast? I bet you even think dinosaurs are extinct now. Lies! All lies spread by Librarians and our henchmen in order to control information, and therefore the world. You've probably never even heard of Alcatraz Smedry, thanks to our cover-up. You Hushlanders have no idea how important the Smedry family is, or how great their powers are. Even Alcatraz himself, the great hero of the Free Kingdoms, didn't know until his thirteenth birthday, when he received a small bag of sand in the mail, with a note from his parents. His parents disappeared when he was a baby, and he was raised by a long string of foster families, so you can imagine his confusion. But things get even more confusing when the sand is stolen, his grandfather shows up, and Alcatraz finally learns about his family. For one thing, he and his grandfather are Oculators; they can use specially made eyeglasses to do all sorts of cool things, from tracking footprints to firing laser beams. But there's more: each Smedry is born with a special Talent. These Talents are admired and envied across the Free Kingdoms- heck, we Librarians have been trying to get them for centuries. And Alcatraz has a rare gift indeed, the kind that legends are made of. Almost everything he touches breaks, especially if it's mechanical. His grandpa has the Talent of arriving late to everything; his cousin Sing Sing has a Talent for falling down.

What, you don't think those are useful Talents? Then you have obviously been brainwashed by Librarians. All the Smedry Talents will come in very useful when they undertake their dangerous, and foolish, mission: infiltrating the downtown Library to recover the sand and defeat the Dark Oculator.

Oh no! I see a hair bun and some horn-rimmed glasses headed this way. My time is up. Read Alcatraz versus the Evil Librarians, supposedly written by Brandon Sanderson, but really by our hero, Alcatraz. But please, read it soon- before the Librarians pull it off the shelves for good.

M Is for Magic

2008-02-07T21:02:00.001-06:00

Book: M Is for Magic
Author: Neil Gaiman
Audience: Teen
In a Nutshell: Jack Horner, trolls, jeweled skull tennis balls, the Holy Grail, and more make appearances in these short stories

A collection of fantasy, horror, and sci-fi short stories. I listened to the audio, which is read by author Neil Gaiman quite nicely. The stories range from a hard-bitten detective story about nursery rhyme characters (Jasper Fforde, anyone?) to a short but creepy tale about an eeevil Jack-in-the-Box, to the story of a woman who buys the Holy Grail at OxFam for 30p. I also quite liked "Troll Bridge," in which a boy manages to put off a troll from eating him several times throughout his life, but in the end it all catches up to him.

Gaiman introduces the collection by laying out that you may like some stories and not others, and that's the beauty of short stories, that you have lots of options right there in one, and he's right. I liked some more than others, but the variety was great. An excellent choice for fans of Gaiman, or if you're looking for a wide variety of speculative fiction all in one book (or box o' CDs).

Bonus fun fact: The title is an homage to Ray Bradbury's R Is for Rocket and S Is for Spaceship collections.

Taken

2008-02-07T20:56:00.001-06:00

Book: Taken
Author: Edward Bloor
Audience: Teen
In a Nutshell: what's next, Kidnappers R Us?

In the year 2035, the economic divide between the Haves and the Have Nots has become even more pronounced, and kidnapping has become a growth industry for the underclass. It's becoming a well-established, if still illegal, way to make quick money, and if parents follow instructions closely, children are usually returned intact. Mostly.

Charity lives with her father and almost-ex-stepmother in The Highlands, an exclusive gated community in Florida. Like the rest of the kids there, she goes to "satschool" remotely and almost never leaves The Highlands, except under heavy guard. When she becomes ill, kidnappers disguised as an ambulance come, and she is taken.

From her gurney in the ambulance, she gradually gets to know the young man who's guarding her, and the two of them argue and challenge each other about the rights and wrongs of the system, kidnapping, racism, etc. Eventually Charity is shocked by the identity of her kidnappers and must make a choice between returning to her old life or living a new way.

Great concept, good fodder for book club debate, but I wasn't as impressed with the writing itself- ideas felt too clearly laid out sometimes, like the characters were sharing position papers rather than having a conversation. Still, lots of action, plot twists and interesting ideas make it a good choice.

One or more of the different major plot twists may strike some readers as stretching credulity, or maybe it won't bother you at all. I usually just go with the flow when I'm reading, but even I thought the surprise twists were getting to be a bit much. Still, overall I liked it.

The Professor's Daughter

2008-01-31T20:32:00.000-06:00

Book: The Professor's Daughter
Author: Joann Sfar
Artist: Emmanuel Guibert
Audience: Tween to Teen
In a Nutshell: girl and mummy at large in London

In Victorian London, a famous archaeologist's daughter and the inexplicably animate mummy of Imhotep IV go out on the town, only to accidentally kill two men later, go through trial, jail, and the Tower, then the biggest challenge: facing Imhotep's father, the less civilized Imhotep III.

Oddly engaging story with very bizarre concept; lovely watercolor art is a step or two above your average comic book fare, much as I love them. Originally published in France, 1997.

Undercover

2008-01-30T11:08:00.000-06:00

Book: Undercover
Author: Beth Kephart
Audience: Tween to Teen
In a Nutshell: Cyrano girl learns how not to be invisible

Elisa is a poet, but nobody knows it. Or at least, only a select few. The guys at school know that if they're serious about wooing the girl of their dreams, Elisa is the one to go to. Like a high school Cyrano de Bergerac, she ghost writes poetry that wins hearts. She is an expert at being undercover, at staying invisible while she observes the world around her, both in nature and the social order of high school. Now she is writing poems from Theo, who she likes, to Lila, who is a beautiful but horrible girl. Elisa is also coping with the absence of her father on extended business, which is straining her parents' marriage. She's also teaching herself to skate in the privacy of her own hidden pond, but she won't stay hidden for long, either on the pond or from Theo.

This is a lovely little book, poetic and sensitive with lots of poetry incorporated, but I honestly had a hard time getting into it. Probably because the last book I read was a rollicking good time, and it was hard to downshift that fast. But if you're in the mood for poetic and sensitive, look no further.

I Love You, Beth Cooper

2008-01-23T10:52:00.000-06:00

Book: I Love You, Beth Cooper
Author: Larry Doyle
Audience: High School to Adult
In a Nutshell: one nerd's all-night mad-cap journey from valedictorian to happy, bloody pulp

Denis Cooverman is valedictorian, debate team captain, social misfit, and sweatier than he knows what to do with. During his graduation speech at Buffalo Grove High School, he deviates from his original script and instead confesses his enduring love for Beth Cooper, cheerleading captain and homecoming queen. Ever since he first sat behind her in seventh grade- an arrangement often to be repeated due to their sequential last names- he has loved her from behind. And yes, he does say that last phrase at graduation. You can imagine the response.

But the speech is only the beginning of a non-stop night of hijinks and attempts on his life. Beth and the other two girls in her Trinity of Cool, Treece and Cammy, actually show up for reasons unknown at Denis's party, which until that moment consisted only of Denis and his movie-quote-obsessed, ambiguous-yet-insistently-not-gay best friend, Rich Munsch. Then Beth's psycho military boyfriend, Kevin, shows up in a Hummer, and the fun just keeps comin'.

I think humor is one of the toughest things to review, because everyone's sense of it is so different. With that disclaimer in place, I'll say this is the funniest book I've read in a long time. Really, really, funny. I was reading it while waiting for my oil change and trying not to laugh out loud in public, but the funny-ness could not be contained. And that's how I ended up snorting to myself in Tires Plus. Think of the funniest end-of-school teen movie you know and you're getting the idea.

There is an illustration of Denis at the beginning of each chapter, and each one reflects the new injuries and indignities he received in the last chapter. There's a wealth of brilliant new phrases, at least new to me, like "benevolent cliquetator". I present the context for another choice phrase as an example of what I found so funny:

"Henry was the local purveyor of aftermarket pharmaceuticals, not quite a drug dealer though he played the part, replete with an embroidered urban dialect spoken only in the suburbs. What made Henry's lily-white gangsta act all the more sad was that he was African-American. He was a black whigger." (p. 107)

One of the blurb writers describe the book as "wickedly funny," and that about sums it up.

Good As Lily

2008-01-22T13:48:00.002-06:00

Book: Good As Lily
Author: Derek Kirk Kim
Artist: Jesse Hamm
Audience: Teen
In a Nutshell: talk about Multiple Personality Disorder!

A piñata from a mysterious street vendor works a strange kind of magic on Grace's life on her 18th birthday. It creates 3 extra versions of herself at 6, 29, and 78 years old. Trying to keep them hidden or explain their presence is tricky enough without young Grace throwing tantrums, old Grace stealing her father's cigarettes, and adult Grace coming on to Mr. Levon, the young English teacher she has a crush on in real-time. In the midst of juggling all of her selves, Grace is forced to face issues from her past, warnings for the future, and gets the chance to see the value of certain friends in the here and now.

Fun idea, nicely rendered with snappy dialogue and good drawing. I especially like the way Grace is drawn: a comic book girl with beautiful natural curves. Oh, and if you're wondering where the title comes from, it has to do with her sister, who died young.

Everlost

2008-01-17T01:06:00.001-06:00

Book: Everlost
Author: Neal Shusterman
Audience: Teen
In a Nutshell: imagine spending eternity caught between life and death with chocolate on your face

Adventure-packed, often thought-provoking fantasy about two children who end up stuck between life and death, where as "Everlights," their feet sink through the living world, and only things and places either greatly loved or touched by death are solid.

Nick and Allie died in the same car crash, but before they were able to go to the infamous Light, they were bounced off-course by running into each other. They wake up 9 months later, in the world but separate, and they meet a boy they name Leif who has forgotten his real name. He would rather stay in his forest, but like most Greensouls (new kids to Everlost), Nick and Allie want to find their homes. The three eventually make their way to New York and find the famous Mary Hightower, a girl who has taken on a motherly role in gathering and caring for Afterlights. She lives in the Twin Towers, two of a handful of buildings that have crossed over in their entirety. Allie doesn't like Mary's complacency- Allie wants to find a way home, or at least out. Her attempts to learn ways to interact with the living world backfire, and Nick and Leif are taken prisoner. To rescue them, she must face the dreaded monster, the McGill.

Nicely done, with a good combo of action and intriguing worldbuilding. There are several references to bygone historical places like the Twin Towers and a pier w/ Shiloh the Diving Horse; some will probably go over readers' heads, but there's a little history to be learned here for the motivated backstory pursuer, and lots of great atmosphere whether you fully "get it" or not.

The author doesn't get into the worldviews of where children go when they finally move on- Everlost is an imagined middle ground, a place to explore the way that the past haunts the living, whether it's through memory or actual ghostly remnants, and what helps these ghosts to move on.

Igraine the Brave

2008-01-16T11:25:00.000-06:00

Book: Igraine the Brave
Author: Cornelia Funke
Audience: Grades 3 to 5
In a Nutshell: singing books, piggie parents, and girl on a quest

Igraine is the daughter of the great magicians Sir Lamorak and the fair Melisande, and sister to young magician Albert. They live together in Pimpernael Castle, protected by a magical moat, gargoyles, and roaring stone lions. Igraine is not very interested in magic herself; she would much prefer to be a knight. When her parents accidentally turn themselves into pigs, and then a nasty new neighbor beseiges the castle and demands their famous singing spell books, she finds her chance to save the day. With the fine stallion Lancelot ("borrowed" from a neighbor) she rides in search of giant's hairs to reverse the piggie spell. Along the way she meets the self-exiled Sorrowful Knight, who reluctantly joins her in her quest to save her home.

Cute fairy tale story for younger readers. I've never been completely in love with Funke's books, mostly because they're in translation from German, and though the translators do a good job the books still feel once-removed to me. From a half-full perspective, this story uses a moatful of well-loved fairy tale elements all together in one plucky tale. For the half-empty half, I found it a bit pedestrian- like she cobbled together all the most cliched fairy tale elements into one story, though in a mostly likable way, if you're not looking for a lot of originality. Would work well for younger readers or listeners even younger than that- good readaloud for second graders, I bet.

Good reading by Xanthe Elbrick on the audio version.

The Wednesday Wars

2008-01-10T02:15:00.001-06:00

Book: The Wednesday Wars
Author: Gary Schmidt
Audience: Tweens
In a Nutshell: it's tough being Presbyterian

Is it too cliched to say I laughed, I cried? Because I did. There are very few authors who can motivate me to read American historical fiction, but Gary Schmidt just became one of them. Holling Hoodhood's story of life as a seventh grader in 1967 Long Island had me alternately laughing out loud at the ridiculous situations and pitch-perfect delivery, tearing up at the painful and poignant moments, and marveling at how Schmidt effectively wove Shakespeare throughout without screaming, "Look, kids! Learnin' is fun!" Holling is the only Presbyterian in his class, which means that on Wednesday afternoons when half the class goes to Temple Beth-El and the other half goes to Catechism at St. Adelbert's, he is left alone with Mrs. Baker. She gives him a variety of unappealing tasks to pass the time, and eventually gives him his own personal Shakespeare assignments, and the story goes on from there. Like with his earlier Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy (which I haven't read), the tween audience for this book makes it a strong candidate for either Newbery or Printz consideration, IMHO. Shakespearian insults, maddeningly uninvolved/self-involved parents, the Vietnam War, giant falling rats, and a costume with feathers on the butt all weave together beautifully.

Shazam! The Monster Society of Evil

2008-01-09T17:02:00.000-06:00

Book: Shazam! The Monster Society of Evil
Author/Artist: Jeff Smith
Audience: Tween to Teen
In a Nutshell: a fresh look at Captain Marvel

I've never read any other Captain Marvel comics, so I don't have anything to compare this to in the pantheon. But I like Jeff Smith (of Bone fame), and I liked both the bright, appealing art and the story here. This incarnation of Marvel has the aw-shucks charm of an Old School superhero without descending into total cheese ball territory. And some people have said that the megalomaniacal Attorney General character bears a striking resemblance to Dick Cheney, but Smith denies any intentionality there. ;) The world it's set in is definitely influenced by the current state of the union, with a "Heartland Security" division flexing increasingly militant power. Aside from the political stuff, the story of orphaned Billy and the superhero he becomes with a magic word, and the crazy monsters and threats to the space-time continuum that he and his friends fight, is solid comic book fare. The bad guys swear once in a while, but overall I'd put this in the same all-ages appeal category as Bone.

Wild Magic

2008-01-09T16:49:00.000-06:00

Book: Wild Magic (Book 1 of the Immortals Quartet)
Author: Tamora Pierce
Audience: Tween and Teen
In a Nutshell: she walks with the animals, talks with the animals

After her entire family is killed and her home destroyed by raiders, Daine sets out with her pony Cloud to make a new life. She becomes apprentice to Onua, horse woman for the army of Tortall. Onua quickly recognizes that Daine doesn't just have a way with animals; she possesses Wild Magic, a much rarer gift than the well-recognized magical Gifts. They meet up with the new recruits in training for the Riders, led by The Lioness herself- Alanna, the famous Queen's Rider- and eventually they travel to the king and queen's seaside castle at Pirate's Swoop.

Nasty, unnatural Stormwings attack on the way, then later are part of a seige by an enemy kingdom, and Daine's ability to rally animals to their support becomes invaluable.

She also is learning to control her powers with the help of a mage, and she is sometimes visited by a mysterious badger at night who seems to know something of her unknown father.

Shocking though this may seem to fellow teen fantasy fans, this was my first Tamora Pierce book. I know, I know. I can see why she's so popular: judging by this book, she puts together a likable cast of characters with a winning balance of action and secrets gradually revealed, both to the reader and the characters themselves. Starting with Alanna's Lioness quartet would have given me more back story and character insight, but this series also stands alone.

Speaking of the cast of characters, I actually "read" it via the Full Cast Audio version. Overall it was well done, with the author herself reading the narrator parts. My one quibble is with how sllloooowwwwly and deliberately they performed it. Great for English language learners and younger read-alongers, and maybe for Texans. For this fast-talkin' Yankee, it was trying my patience until I sped it up on my iPod. Then it sounded a little awkward, like the Stephen Hawking's Computer Voice and Friends cast, but still better.

The Whole Sky Full of Stars

2008-01-04T10:57:00.000-06:00

Book: The Whole Sky Full of Stars
Author: Rene Saldana, Jr.
Audience: Tween to Teen
In a Nutshell: boxing, gambling and friendship don't mix

Alby and Barry have been best friends since first grade, but now that friendship is threatened. Alby has gotten in over his head gambling with the school card shark, Ciro, and now he's got a debt he can't pay. He could ask his wealthy parents for the money, but he doesn't want to face the lecture from his father.

Barry learned to box from his trainer father before he died, and he's good. When Alby suggests he fight in the unsanctioned Man o' Might competition, Barry is hesitant, but Alby's description of the prize money convinces him. Barry's mother works 12 hours a day or more and they're barely making ends meet, and Barry wants to help.

Alby knows he's taking advantage of his best friend, but he really needs the money, and he's afraid of what Ciro's goons will do to him. But Barry's not stupid, and the way Alby is manipulating him threatens to end their long friendship.

Not a bad book, but didn't capture my interest much at all. I've got prettty broad taste, but boxing and cars (the Ford Galaxie Barry and his dad worked on) aren't on the top of my list. Maybe guys will like it. Might be a good choice if you're looking for a guy book with action without the edginess, and a short, quick read.

The Declaration

2008-01-02T14:13:00.000-06:00

Book: The Declaration
Author: Gemma Malley
Audience: Teen
In a Nutshell: immortality=illegal children

The year is 2140. When the scientists and drug companies developed Longevity drugs, it meant the end of cancer, AIDS, and eventually aging itself. World leaders quickly realized that they could have an extreme population problem soon, so they developed The Declaration. Any person wishing to take Longevity drugs, which is almost everyone, must sign a Declaration promising not to have children. Children born in opposition to the Declaration are known as Surpluses. Surplus Anna has lived in Grange Hall since she was two, ever since she was discovered and taken away from her parents, who were sent to prison. Surplus halls were created to raise illegal children and turn them into vaulable assets, instead of simply burdens to the world. They are also taught their place, which is barely human; they live like slaves and have virtually no rights at all.

Anna is a model surplus and prefect at Grange Hall, raised to consider herself worse than dirt and hate her parents for their selfishness in giving birth to her. Her ordered life is first disturbed when a woman she works for gives her a journal, and she secretly writes in it- a very illegal activity at Grange Hall. Then a new surplus boy named Peter arrives, and he challenges Anna to question what she's been told by the horrible Mrs. Pincent and the other teachers. He says he knows her parents, and they love her and want her to escape and rejoin them. She resists at first, but Peter's persistence, his love and friendship, and then his imminent danger spur her to action.

A very compelling dystopian story that explores ideas of life and worth, love and sacrifice, and whether you'd really want to live forever.

This Is What I Did

2007-12-21T09:27:00.001-06:00

Book: This Is What I Did
Author: Ann Dee Ellis
Audience: Junior High
In a Nutshell: boy who won't speak up becomes junior high pariah

Something bad happened to Logan, but he doesn't want to talk about it. He's always been kind of a shy kid, but now he avoids everyone, stays in his room as much as possible, and tries to stay out out of his new tormentors' way. After The Incident, his parents even moved across town for a "fresh start," but the first thing his mom does is call all the neighbors and tell them what happened and that he's deeply depressed, so it's not very fresh. It involved his best friend Zyler, and now people avoid Logan like the plague. The crueler ones call him a sicko, and crapstock, and a pervert. Boy Scouts is torture, especially since the Scout Leader is the head tormenter's dad, but Logan goes just so his dad thinks he's okay.

There is one girl, Laurel, who is nice to him. She's obsessed with palindromes, and they trade notes of new examples. Through his friendship with Laurel, his participation in the school production of Peter Pan (he's a Lost Boy), and the therapy his parents take him to, Logan is gradually able to come out of his self-imposed solitude and talk about Zyler, Zyler's abusive father, and what happened that night.

Quick, engrossing read with no real chapters. Short paragraphs are interspersed with silhouette icons that sometimes mean nothing at first, but gradually take on significance. Logan has an awkward, honest voice, and very sympathetic. He really is a lost boy through much of the book, which makes the steps he takes in the end toward knowing who he is and exerting himself very satisfying to read.

Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac

2007-12-19T23:44:00.000-06:00

Book: Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac
Author: Gabrielle Zevin
Audience: Teen
In a Nutshell: Lose your memory, find yourself

When she wakes up after her accident and head injury, Naomi has lost the last four years of her life. She can't remember how to drive, or where her new house is. Her best friend Will, their co-editing of the school yearbook, her boyfriend Ace, even her parents' divorce are all missing from her memory. And from some of the things she's learning, the person she was isn't someone she wants to be anymore. For one, there's the mysterious bad boy who first came to her aid, someone the Old Naomi would never associate with, but whom she is drawn to. There's the popular kids she eats lunch with by virtue of the fact that she's Ace's girlfriend, but she doesn't really like them, and they obviously don't think much of her. While she's waiting and hoping her memory will return, Naomi gets a chance not many people do: an excuse to start over, to reinvent herself.

A very good, often funny, book. It's divided into three parts: I was, I am, I will. Zevin has some great similes in here. I forgot to mark the exact page, but to paraphrase: "he looked confused and a little frightened, like Bambi after his mother gets shot." A great look at doubled-edged treasure and burden of memory and personal history. It can make us who we are, but also sometimes trap us there.

Vampire Academy

2007-12-14T01:07:00.001-06:00

Book: Vampire Academy
Author: Richelle Mead
Audience: Teen to Adult
In a Nutshell: high society vampires and the almost-humans who love them

Rose Hathaway is a Dhampir, a slightly-more-than-human with enhanced speed and strength, who is sworn to protect the Moroi. Vasilisa "Lissa" Dragomir is a Moroi princess, pale, sensitive to sunlight, and lives on human blood. You know the type. But these aren't your ordinary blood-sucking fiends. In this story, there are two types of what we'd call vampires. Moroi feed only on willing humans (I guess the buzz is fantastic) and possess various types of nature-related elemental magic. Then there are the Strigoi, who have turned evil and bloodthirsty by misusing their power. They're very strong, but they've also lost their earth-mothery magic.

Rose and Lissa are students at St. Vladimir's Academy in a secluded region of Montana. Rose is in training to hopefully be Lissa's bodyguard. They already have a bond between them that's unheard of since the days of St. Vladimir (you know the one); Rose can read Lissa's emotions, and sometimes can even see from her perspective, literally- as if she was in her head.
There's a war building between the Moroi and Strigoi, and it's starting to touch the school in both small and deadly ways.

Let's not forget Dimitri, the hot, slightly older Dhampir who is training Rose so she can catch up with her class after returning from her and Lissa's time on the run. If you want to know why they were on the lam, you might as well read it.

I've got a thing for vampire novels, and I liked this one too. This twist on vampire legend was intriguing to me, especially the existence of both good and evil vampires. Heck, the Moroi are traditionally even Catholic, kind of. That whole burned by crosses thing not a problem here.

Book 2, Frostbite, is due out in April 2008. Strong start to a new series here.

Tamar

2007-12-04T22:47:00.000-06:00

Book: Tamar: A Novel of Espionage, Passion, and Betrayal
Author: Mal Peet
Audience: Teen and Adult
In a Nutshell: subtitle pretty much sums it up

If you liked The Book Thief, here's another really excellent WWII story that covers all sorts of time periods, several characters, and could really be either a teen or an adult book. And hey, it won the Carnegie Medal in England, so it must not suck. ;)

Tamar is reeling from the mysterious death of her grandfather, the man who named her. When she opens a box he left for her, she discovers even more mystery about his and her grandmother's life, both in the present and when they were part of the Dutch resistance during World War II. Unraveling the mystery takes her on a journey up the Tamar River to a surprising revelation at the end- or the beginning.

Interspersed with Tamar's story is the tale of two Dutch men, code-named Tamar and Dart, who were trained in England for covert operations against the Nazi occupation in the Netherlands. It was the winter of 1944, known as the "Hunger Winter," when the weather was harsh and the Nazis were starving the will to fight out of the resistant occupied people. Tamar was charged with the task of uniting the fractious Dutch resistance, and Dart was his WO, or wireless operator. Like many great stories of war and betrayal, it all comes down to a woman: the beautiful country girl Marijke, with whom Tamar had a semi-secret relationship on his last mission.

Both the 1995 and 1944 stories are compelling and interesting, and the language is evocative without drawing undue attention to itself. Since the Printz Award isn't limited to American authors (Peet is British), I put this on my Printz short list. Really excellent stuff.

The Arrival

2007-11-28T14:34:00.000-06:00

Book: The Arrival
Author: Shaun Tan
Audience: Ages 10 to adult (seriously!)
In a Nutshell: wordless tale of immigration, only with crazy critters and surreal scenery

I don't know where I first read about The Arrival, but whoever it was, they were really psyched about this Australian book's American release. And whoever you were, you were right. Done in sepia tones in the style of a faded, aging scrapbook, the masterful appeal of this graphic novel defies easy description; you just need to pick it up and see for yourself. The story is an old one: a man leaves his wife and daughter to emigrate to a strange country, where he hopes to earn enough money to bring his family over and start a new life. The reasons for leaving are vague but sinister: huge shadows from spiky tails, tentacles, or worse are cast over everything. The written language in his new country is unfamiliar to the man, and to the reader, and the feeling of incomprehension and confusion comes through amazingly well.

The man meets people along the way who help him, and tell him their stories of how they came to live there. The first friend he makes is actually a little creature that makes himself right at home as a loyal pet. The presence of fantastical creatures and the very surreal, stylized, larger-than-life look of the city and countryside are brilliant ways to jolt us jaded modern people into the sense of wonder and intimidation that newcomers anywhere have felt for centuries, especially entering huge, New York-esque cities.

Even though it's wordless, resist the urge to flip through quickly. The longer you spend on each finely detailed page, the more you'll see. Considering this book, Printz Award-winning American Born Chinese, and National Book Award finalist The Invention of Hugo Cabret, graphic novels as a mainstream literary art form have taken some serious steps forward in the past year or two.

Guyaholic

2007-11-27T12:38:00.000-06:00

Book: Guyaholic
Author: Carolyn Mackler
Audience: High School
In a Nutshell: girl with flakey mother issues is afraid to move from hook-ups to actual love

V rarely spends more than 2 weeks with a guy before she moves on. She figures she gets that from her mother, Aimee, who moved them all over the country following or fleeing from various boyfriends before she sent her to live with her grandparents. V is not interested in any more than she can get from a guy in 2 weeks until she gets hit in the head with a hockey puck and meets Sam. Now she doesn't feel bored with him, and it's freaking her out.

Stuff happens, and after graduation she heads out on a 2,000-mile road trip to visit her mother.

V first appeared in Mackler's Vegan Virgin Valentine as the main character's niece (even though they're only one year apart in age), and fans of VVV will be happy to see V again and root for her own happy ending.

The book is more on the high school end of the audience range than Mackler's other books, for language and non-graphic sex-related content. V is the kind of girl that many other girls hate for her boyfriend-stealing potential, but we get a better look at the inside of her head, and we find more than just a sex-crazed wild child. Slightly edgier than Sarah Dessen, but a good choice for fans of her books.

Cross My Heart and Hope To Spy

2007-11-21T13:48:00.001-06:00

Book: Cross My Heart and Hope To Spy
Author: Ally Carter
Audience: Teen
In a Nutshell: girl spies meet boy spies; complications ensue

Cammie Morgan ended her winter vacation with a debriefing trip to Washington, D.C.; her covert relationship with a civilian in the fall caused a lot of complications. Now she promises her headmistress mother (and the federal government) that she will not pursue that relationship any more, and she will be a nice honest Gallagher Girl. Well, as honest as an international spy-in-training can be.

But even without David, boys make the rest of the year very interesting when a group of guys from the previously-unknown-to-them boys' spy school, the Blackthorne Academy, come for an exchange program. The Blackthorne boys become not only competition, but a reason the girls need to get up much earlier in the morning- no one bothered with hair and makeup when it was just girls. And for some reason, a boy named Zach is showing particular interest in Cammie. But not all is as it seems...

This is the second book in what's shaping up to be an ongoing series. Good stuff, clever and funny; chick lit with a James Bond edge.

Shark Girl

2007-10-12T18:09:00.001-05:00

Book: Shark Girl
Author: Kelly Bingham
Audience: Teen
In a Nutshell: girl's life goes on after losing an arm

If only. If only Jane had stayed on the beach. If only she had stayed home. If only her brother Michael had gone swimming with her. Any little factor and things might have been different. But things weren't different, and now Jane is trying to put her life back together after losing an arm and nearly dying in a shark attack.

Losing her right arm would be bad enough, but she's also a talented artist- and right-handed. If she can't draw anymore, who is she now? To make matters worse, it was all captured on home video and sold to the national news stations. Jane dreads returning to school and real life, where she's sure she'll be seen as Shark Girl, the one-armed freak.

This novel in verse draws you into Jane's tragedy, her grief, her anger, her slow recovery, and all the downs and eventual ups of figuring out who she is now. Sometimes she's not a very nice person to be around, and realistically so, but she remains a sympathetic character as you read and hope she makes it through the worst of it stronger- which she does.

Eclipse

2007-09-17T11:20:00.000-05:00

Book: Eclipse
Author: Stephenie Meyer
Audience: Teen and Adult
In a Nutshell: bloodsucker or dog? Hot or cold? Human or in-?

Bella is counting down to graduation, when Edward and the Cullens have finally consented to turn her. She thinks she's ready, but as the day approaches she's starting to think there are things about being human that she still hasn't experienced- like sex. But Edward wants to get married first.

Jacob's pack is growing- and in a surprise twist of the legend, there's now a female wolf. Several of the wolves have developed bonds- irresistable links to people of the opposite sex outside the pack- sometimes romantic, sometimes just totally devoted. There have been many mysterious killings in Seattle which seem vampiric, but the culprit is a mystery. Soon the high-profile nature will bring the Volturi to clean up, the vampire world's own mafia, which would be bad. The true nature of the deaths forms a threat to both the Cullens and the La Push werewolf pack. With Bella and their turf at stake, the Cullens and the Jacob's pack form an uneasy alliance.

Jacob, Bella and Edward's relationship continue to develop, shift, and get yet more complicated. Ah, to be young and supernatural. But someday soon, Bella will have to make the Choice of No Return, if she's ready.

I still just eat these books up. I put them in the same category as Harry Potter: well but not spectacularly written, but oh-so-readable. I had a roommate who burned her way through Twilight, then turned immediately to the first page and started over. Then read it again a month later. Book Four is a-comin' in August 2008, and I'm already #28 on the waiting list of 80 and growing at my library. Advance entry into the catalog: a true sign that an author has Made It.

Clementine

2007-09-17T11:07:00.000-05:00

Book: Clementine
Author: Sara Pennypacker
Audience: Grades 2-4
In a Nutshell: haircuts, ceiling snakes, and a war against the pigeons

Third grader Clementine is always paying attention, but not to what her teachers expect. She means well and tries to help, but always seems to end up getting in trouble, like when she helped her friend Margaret cut her gluey hair off and colored on some new hair with her artist mother's permanent markers. She is very familiar with the principal's office- so much so that she answers the phone- and she's a little worried that there are ceiling snakes because of how often Mrs. Rice looks up at the ceiling when Clementine is in there. She calls her toddler brother a variety of vegetable names because it's not fair that she got stuck with a fruit name and he didn't (we never do learn his real name). She helps her dad, the apartment building manager, in his daily war against the pigeons, and that may be what keeps her week from being really crummy.

Very funny, sweet, and spunky. Good for the Ramona or Junie B. crowd.

Good reading by Jessica Almasy.

As Simple As Snow

2007-09-07T11:30:00.000-05:00

Book: As Simple As Snow
Author: Gregory Galloway
Audience: High School to Adult
In a Nutshell: narrator has a free-spirited goth girlfriend who disappears, but no name

Anna Cayne, who prefers Anastasia, moves to town one August, and by February she has killed everyone in town- at least on paper, when she finishes writing their obituaries. She dresses goth but defies definition when she starts going out with a normal, almost invisibly ordinary guy. He considers himself more boring than milk- more like water. His mom is incompetent at everything, his dad hides in his den most of the time, and his older brother barely ever visits their stifling home. He has one friend, Curt, who is the friendly, well-liked school drug dealer- mostly prescription stuff like Ritalin. His and Anna's odd couple relationship is the talk of the school, and her zest for mystery and knowing her world is beginning to rouse him from his mediocre life. Then a week before Valentine's Day, she disappears. The only evidence she leaves behind is a hole in the ice of the river and a dress, carefully laid out next to the hole. No one knows if she's dead or alive. She used to constantly send him cryptic notes and mix CD's, and that doesn't end after she's gone. The narrator- who remains unnamed the entire book- becomes obsessed with figuring out what her clues mean and where she is, even if that means asking TV and phone psychics he doesn't really believe in and trying to catch them out like Houdini did. He and Anna had a code phrase they would use to know if the other person was trying to contact them: "as simple as snow." Now he is seeing and hearing it several places. Even when he seems to be getting nowhere in solving her mystery, his life is changing along the way, mostly for the better.

Very good mystery- although I'm warning you, a lot goes unresolved in the end. Many questions are left with only the smallest hints of answers, but by the end the narrator's life and outlook have changed in such a way that I didn't hate the ambiguity.

This book won an Alex Award in 2006, and for good reason. For whatever mysterious distinction that New York devised, it was published for adults, but it's really a high school book. I mean, really. High school characters, authentic high school voice, some language and mention of sex, but nothing explicit (not that that bars it from the teen shelves). All part of cashing in on the YA book market's enormous growth, I suppose.

Since the hardcover and paperback covers are so different, I included both. Which do you like better? I can't decide.

King Dork

2007-06-28T23:36:00.000-05:00

Book: King Dork
Author: Frank Portman
Audience: High school to adult
In a Nutshell: Sex, drugs, rock 'n' roll, Catcher in the Rye, and the mystery of a dead father

Tom Henderson has one friend, Sam Hellerman, by way of alphabetical order seating, and a nickname, Chi-Mo, he prefers not to explain. He and Sam Hellerman have a band together, although they have no drummer, no instruments, have never performed, and change the band name about once a week (there's even an index devoted to tracking all the names). Nevertheless, they practice nearly every day after school. Hillmont High School is your basic teenage nightmare: subhuman popular kids, teachers ranging from indifferent to vindictive, and a social ladder on which Tom may actually exist below the bottom rung, if that's possible. In one predictable bit of torture, he'll be reading The Catcher in the Rye again this year. He doesn't understand the cult following surrounding that book, but when he discovers a well-worn copy among his dad's things, he's shocked to discover that his dad, who died when he was young, was a member of the Catcher Cult, too. A series of cryptic notes in the book lead Tom to believe there is a code hidden by his father, and he obsessively tries to figure it out.

Add also life with his spaced-out mother, bitter sister, and well-meaning but parentally-challenged stepfather, a mystery girl he gets to second base with at a party and now can't find again, and the spinning devil-head that looks like his English teacher that pops up whenever he uses a vocab word, just to name a few of his issues.

Without getting into all the insanity, I'll just say that this is a very funny book, definitely for older readers. There's language, groping, a bit of drug use, and fairly regular blow jobs. So now I've either warned you, or sent you running for the library. The author, Frank Portman, is apparently known as "Dr. Frank" of the Mr. T Experience, and if I knew anything about old-school West Coast punk, that might mean something to me.

I leave you with a quote from one of my favorite episodes in the book: the Stratego Sex Inquisition:

"I had just been a participant in the most retarded version of the sitcom sex talk the world had ever seen... Maybe my mom...had told LBT [stepfather] he had to talk to me about sex. He was reluctant but couldn't refuse. And in the course of his research he got sidetracked by Stratego and-boom! My sexual awakening was suddenly all about Vietnam."

don't judge an author by his covers

2007-06-23T15:45:00.000-05:00

This is me (behind the paper), my co-worker Ginger (left), and author Richard Peck. Why do I so often look slightly sedated in photos? I don't know. But that's beside the point. Richard Peck writes mostly American historical fiction for the 4-8th grade set, which is not my favorite genre, but the writing is so good that I read and enjoy them anyway. Earlier this week, he visited my library. He's an engaging speaker, and I'm glad I got the chance to meet him.

He touched on a few topics, like writing, the subjects of his books, etc., but there was a refrain that ran throughout his talk. Mr. Peck's mission is to bad-mouth his publisher's art department up one side of the country and down the other.

See that look on his face? That's the way he feels about at least 9 out of 10 of his covers. It was pretty funny, if a bit obsessive. The man never gets the covers he asks for, and the books are less appealing as a result. Which is probably true. They're not bad covers, just very sedate. By his telling, the art department ladies have it in for him and give him the exact covers he asks them not to do. For The Teacher's Funeral, for example, he asked for a fist fight, and they gave him a photo of a one-room schoolhouse.

The international examples got truly bizarre. His most famous character is Grandma Dowdel in A Long Way from Chicago, a cantankerous and independent woman living on a farm in Illinois. Yes, she has a shotgun, and yes, she is extremely wary of unexpected visitors who may be salesmen, but it's all very funny. In Japan, the cover for the book looks more like a deleted scene from Deliverance. I couldn't find a close-up graphic, but squint sideways at the above photo and you might get the idea.

Once you leave out the cover ranting, there were only about 20 minutes left of presentation (okay, maybe 30), but it was good. He's a big supporter of libraries and all the research you can do there. One of his most memorable statements for me was (and I paraphrase): people say you should write what you know; forget that. No one wants to hear about what you know. Write about what you can find out.
I like that. I can find out quite a bit.

Victory

2007-06-14T20:39:00.001-05:00

Book: Victory
Author: Susan Cooper
Audience: Grades 4-7
In a Nutshell: two kids, two centuries, one ship, and one set of memories shared

Molly Jennings misses England. Her mother married an American, and now Molly, her mother, and her new baby brother live on the East Coast. In the midst of missing home and friends, hating sailing, and hating her step-brother's obnoxious best friend, Molly stumbles across an old book about Vice-Admiral Horatio Lord Nelson, the hero of the Battle of Trafalgar. She's never been particularly interested in naval history, but she feels strangely drawn to this book. Hidden inside the cover, she is amazed to discover a piece of the flag flown over Nelson's ship at Trafalgar, the H.M.S. Victory. According to the note, it's been passed down from a boy who served with the Admiral in that fateful battle; his name was Sam Robbins. Molly begins to hear strange noises, see strange things, and remember bits of dreams that seem like memories; except she's never been at sea, and she's never been in battle. And the memories get stronger all the time.

Sam Robbins and his Uncle Charlie are press-ganged into the Royal Navy when Sam is only eleven- legally kidnapped when Her Majesty needed more sailors. Although it's a difficult adjustment from farm boy to the harsh life of a sailor, Sam grows to love the sea and, like all his shipmates, love Lord Nelson. He is proud and honored when Nelson makes Victory his flag ship for the coming battle against Napoleon's forces, but he's also scared; he's never seen real battle. He knows it won't be pretty, but nothing could prepare him for the horror and grief of what he witnesses.

Molly and Sam's stories come together in a dramatic battle climax as two characters separated by 200 years are joined by one scrap of flag and intense memories that mysteriously bridge the centuries.

British school children learn about Lord Nelson the way Americans learn about Abraham Lincoln, maybe- pick an iconic hero and you've got it. I admit, if someone had asked me about Nelson before I read this book, all I would've remembered was that he's the pigeon-covered guy on the column in Trafalgar Square (apologies to Mr. McKean, my European Civilizations teacher: you tried). So this story was a good history refresher disguised as a sea story for you fans of nautical adventures. There is also touching family drama as Molly comes to terms with her new home, stepdad and stepbrother, as well as finally, properly saying goodbye to her father, who died in a plane crash at sea several years earlier. All nicely tied together with a thread of mysterious fantasy.

Imaginary Men

2007-06-12T02:35:00.000-05:00

Book: Imaginary Men
Author: Anjali Banerjee
Audience: Adult and High School
In a Nutshell: sort of an Indian-American Pride and Prejudice meets Hello, Dolly

Lina Ray grew up in California, but her family roots are deeply planted in India. Now that her little sister is married, she becomes the very direct target of her great-aunt's matchmaking efforts. To avoid a horrible set up, she tells her family she's actually secretly engaged. Unfortunately, her aunt insists on coming to America to officially approve of this mystery man. Since there is no such man, and she doesn't want to disappoint her family, Lina has 2 months to find Mr. Right. She even runs a matchmaking service in San Francisco, but that doesn't seem to be helping her avoid some really bad dates. Of course, enter Raj: the most unsuitable match possible. They met at her sister's wedding, and now he wants her to find a wife for his younger brother. You can guess where this is going. To top it all off, he's an actual Indian prince of some sort. It even has some sensitive elements, as Lina gradually lets go of the idealized memory of her dead fiance. I read it in one sitting; but I never could resist a good Pride and Prejudice-type story, and this is one.

If I Have a Wicked Stepmother, Where's My Prince?

2007-06-07T22:39:00.000-05:00

Book: If I Have a Wicked Stepmother, Where's My Prince?
Author: Melissa Kantor
Audience: Teen
In a Nutshell: is Prince Charming captain of the basketball team, or a brooding artist?

Lucy's mother died when she was young, and she had no need for another one. But her father remarried anyway, to a furniture-shopping socialite with twin socialite-wannabe daughters who can do no wrong in their mother's eyes. Now she's stuck on the East Coast, thousands of miles from home and friends, and even her dad has abandoned her to work all week out of state, leaving her alone with the steps.

Despite feeling like a social pariah, she catches the attention of the Big Man on Campus with her impressive basketball knowledge and fandom. But all is not quite right, despite her overnight popularity by association. She's stuck for how to finish her art project, the talented guy in her class continues to ignore her entirely, and her step-mother keeps her in the basement with no furniture and horns in on all her time with her dad.

Cinderella retellings abound, and no surprises here, but I really liked this one. Very witty, funny writing, and not all the stereotyped characters are entirely shallow.

Forging the Sword

2007-05-24T22:33:00.000-05:00

Book: Forging the Sword (book three of the Farsala Trilogy)
Author: Hilari Bell
Audience: Teen to Adult
In a Nutshell: the fighting gets desperate, spiffy new swords and magical lightning enter the picture, and will the real Sorahb please step forward?

Soraya, Jiann and Kavi are back for the action-packed conclusion of this historical fantasy trilogy. I made up that sub-genre, do you like it? I think it fits. The lands of Farsala and Hrum are fictional, but Farsala seems a lot like ancient Persia or another proud old culture, and the Hrum seem a lot like Romans. I could call it high fantasy, but there's not a huge amount of magic. So I'm going with historical fantasy. Take it or leave it.

Anyway, the story so far is that the mighty Hrum empire has already conquered 28 other lands, and now it's Farsala's turn. To avoid costly, drawn-out wars, the Hrum give themselves a self-imposed time limit: if they can't conquer a land in one year, they stop fighting and make peace. There are now only 3 months left, and even though the Farsalan nobility (called deghans) were almost all wiped out, the scrappy peasant army led by Jiann is holding its own. With the help of the mysterious desert people, the Suud, they've finally figured out the secret to the Hrum's nearly unbreakable swords (hence the title). Soraya has also gotten a much better handle on her shilshadu, a kind of elemental, nature-based magic. And Kavi is still making amends and doing vital work for Farsala's war effort, but Jiann still intends to kill him when it's over for betraying lots of innocent nobles, including he and Soraya's father, so that's kind of a killjoy for Kavi. Then there's the question of whether there is a real Sorahb, or if he's just a mythical hero invented by peasants.

It all comes to a head with lots of battles, tricky guerilla fighting, spying, working with the enemy, noble sacrifice, and a bit of magical thunderstorm control. If you like a healthy dose of political intrigue with your action, magic, and battle scenes, the Farsala Trilogy is a good one to try. Actually, everything I've read by Hilari Bell is consistently good, so try it out.

Bella at Midnight

2007-05-03T19:46:00.000-05:00

Book: Bella at Midnight
Author: Diane Stanley
Audience: Grades 5 to 8
In a Nutshell: girl saves prince and country in this fairy tale style story

Isabela, called Bella, is the daughter of a knight, but since her crotchety widowed father has no interest in raising her, she lives with a loving adoptive family, the blacksmith and his wife Beatrice in the village of Castle Down. It happens that Beatrice was nursemaid to Prince Julian, one of the younger princes, and Julian is constantly spending time in the village visiting them. He and Bella were raised almost as brother and sister, but as you might guess, that relationship changes as they get older, although neither quite realize it at first.

When the father she never knew she had remarries, he calls her back to live with the family (which, of course, includes two stepsisters). She is treated like a servant and actually prefers the comfort of that role, which is more like her peasant upbringing.

Not so long ago, their kingdom had a long and costly war with neighboring Brutanna. To avoid repeating history, Julian is being required by his family to become a hostage in Brutanna, and being a dutiful prince, Julian is willing to go through with it. Even though he snubbed her last time they met, Bella still worries about her friend; even moreso when she hears that his brother, now the king and not the most upright candidate for the job, is planning on attacking Brutanna in secret, even though it will mean the death of his captive brother. Villain! Bella sets out alone on a journey to Brutanna in the hopes of somehow warning or rescuing Julian. To help her, she has a magical emerald ring that shows her people she wants to see. Then there is the legend of the Worthy Knight, a character who is supposed to return and bring peace.

Bits of various folk and fairy tales show up, most obviously Cinderella, but this is more of a mash-up than a cover, an original story that feels very familiar. A lovely tale with lots of heart, honor and bravery, not to mention battle action and romance.

Tracking Trash

2007-04-30T11:25:00.000-05:00

Book: Tracking Trash: Flotsam, Jetsam, and the Science of Ocean Motion Author: Loree Griffin Burns
Audience: Grades 4 to 8
In a Nutshell: what Nikes can teach us about the ocean

In 1990, the cargo ship Hansa Carrier lost five containers full of Nikes overboard in a storm during a voyage from Korea to the U.S. As it turns out, sneakers float and stand up to ocean corrosion very well. An oceanographer named Curt Ebbesmeyer saw a golden opportunity to study ocean currents. He recruited the help of beachcombers all along the West Coast and beyond to report back to him where and when they found the shoes that washed ashore. Where they turned up taught him all sorts of things about how ocean currents work. Dr. Ebbesmeyer went on to track a lost shipment of plastic tub toys and plenty of other ocean-going trash.

I skimmed the book and found it interesting. It's pretty texty and in-depth on the topic, which is why I didn't read every word, but there are also good pictures and maps for browsers like me. If you're looking for solid info on oceanography, you'll find that here as well.

Pride of Baghdad

2007-04-17T19:28:00.000-05:00

Book: Pride of Baghdad
Author: Brian Vaughan
Artist: Niko Henrichon
Audience: High School and Adult
In a Nutshell: escaped lions roam war-torn Baghdad

When Baghdad is bombed by US forces, the zoo is heavily hit, and what animals survive escape into the war-torn streets. Four lions- Zill, Safa, Noor, and the cub Ali- have different reactions. For Safa, freedom is a dream come true; Noor, who lived in the wild, prefers the safety of the zoo. It's up to the male, Zill, to hold them together as a pride. They face the dangers of other escaped animals, encounter dangerous new creatures such as herds of tanks, and learn more about the perplexing world of the Keepers as their world collides with the human world.

This graphic novel takes a powerful look at war from an animal perspective. For example, the old tortoise they meet by the river has seen it all before; he doesn't know what the conflicts are about, just that the humans make black death (oil) flow in the river every time. As if no food and the really nasty "pet" bear they find in an abandoned palace aren't bad enough, they have yet to cross paths with American assault rifles.

Be aware that this is an adult graphic novel; there is some language, graphic violence (I hope I never actually see a giraffe get its head blown off by a shell *shudder*), and sexual content. The sex is between lions and not graphic, but still disturbing in places where assault is portrayed.

Maturity level aside, this is a remarkable war story- and based on a true event, by the way. A group of lions did escape from the Baghdad zoo amidst shelling in 2003.

Secrets of My Hollywood Life

2007-04-10T09:36:00.000-05:00

Book: Secrets of My Hollywood Life
Author: Jen Calonita
Audience: Teen
In a Nutshell: teen superstar goes to high school in a wig and discount clothes

Kaitlin Burke is the sixteen-year-old star of Family Affair, the hottest show in primetime. She really needs a break from her back-stabbing co-star, Sky Mackenzie, so she enlists the help of her only "normal" friend, Liz. She convinces her mom, dad, personal assistant, publicist, bodyguard, and all the other people controlling her life to let her enroll at Liz's public school during a break in filming- in disguise, of course.

With her plain brown wig and clothes from the equivalent of K-Mart, Kaitlin is definitely safe from admirers. In fact, the In clique pegs her immediately as a big loser and treats her accordingly. One exeption is Austin, the cute, popular captain of the lacrosse team who, of course, likes Kaitlin and shrugs off his bitchy rich girlfriend to show interest in Kaitlin- for herself, not her money and fame, which is what she's always wanted. But when Kaitlin is mysteriously not part of the Rich & Famous scene as much, Sky smells a chance to get one up on her more popular costar, and Sky's celebrity guest appearance at the school's spring dance could ruin everything.

There's nothing all that different or memorable here; this book is likable but predictable. I will say that good-natured Kaitlin's story is a refreshing change from the glut of high society bitch-fest books out there to choose from (A-List, The Clique, etc. etc. ad nauseum). In the negative column, it really annoys me in books, this one included, when the author resorts to lots of high-end brand-name-dropping to pound home the fact that yes, these girls are really rich; stuff like "she grabbed her Gucci purse and Dolce coat and ran out the door." What do I care? A few times, okay. But constantly? Ugh. It also dates the book. My pet peeves aside, if you're looking for some decent chic lit, this fits the bill.

Please Don't Drool on the Authors

2007-04-09T22:28:00.001-05:00

M.T. Anderson is one of my favorite authors. Notice I'm not prefacing that with "for teens"; he's just one of my favorites, period. Wait, make that my very favorite living author. As evidenced by all the 'o's I use when I talk or write about his books, as in: "I looooove M.T. Anderson." Well, I may add a few more 'o's yet, because I just got back from a discussion panel featuring him, Pete Hautman (who I also really like) and Alison McGhee, who I wasn't really familiar with before. They all did an engaging and thoughtful job discussing their views on teen literature in general, on writing it, reading it, and debating whether "albino squirrel" is a brilliant plot idea or just a noun.

I've never met a famous actor, but I think my reaction would be similar. Is it a sign of my unfettered bookworminess that I get all fangirl when my favorite author is in the room? That's okay. I can live with the geeky adoring fan stigma as long as it comes with a photo:

What a good sport he is. You think the National Book Award winner on the adult side of the aisle is so personable and wears such unflinchingly green sweaters? Well, I don't know. Maybe. I've never met him. But go buy M.T. Anderson's books anway. Feed. Thirsty. Whales on Stilts. The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume 1: The Pox Party. Any and/or all of them. This isn't just Anderson solidarity talking. The man is a genius.

Permanent Rose

2007-04-07T11:36:00.000-05:00

Book: Permanent Rose
Author: Hilary McKay
Audience: Grades 4-6
In a Nutshell: waiting for a letter, shoplifting, searching for your real father, and other summer holiday activities

This third book about the lovably odd and artistic Casson family focuses on the youngest member of the family, Rose, although the whole family is in on the action. Their artist parents named all the children after colors on the paint wheel: Cadmium, Indigo, Saffron (not a color, but she's their adopted cousin- see Saffy's Angel), and Permanent Rose. Yes, that is her legal name. She was very sick as a baby, and her mother hoped that having "permanent" in her name would encourage her to stick around.

We pick up shortly after the last book, Indigo's Star, left off. Indigo and Rose haven't heard a word from their friend, Tom, since he flew back to America months ago, and Rose is beginning to worry that they don't mean as much to Tom as he means to them. It doesn't help that David, a big awkward kid, has gone from tormenting Indigo as a bully to hanging around the Casson house all the time hoping for Indigo's friendship now, which makes Rose mad.

Rose begins to explore her new-found gift for shoplifting. Rose also makes multiple attempts to get their distant father more interested in his family. By distant, I don't just mean emotionally, although there is that. I mean he lives in London with his girlfriend, and the family knows it. Their mother puts on a tolerant face, but it's not truly okay with her. Meanwhile, Saffy and her best friend, Sarah, are trying to find clues to Saffy's real father. Let's not forget free-spirited Caddie, who is engaged to "darling Michael" but seems pretty nervous about the one ring, one man concept.

I have a hard time talking up this series because it's all just family drama stuff, and I don't usually get into these kinds of books. But the Cassons are so wonderful, and funny, and lovingly dysfunctional, that I keep coming back for more. If you like quirky family stories, the whole series is a must-read.

I actually listened to this one. The reader, Sophie Aldred, does a decent job, but the first two books were narrated by Julia Sawalha- think Absolutely Fabulous or feather-headed Lydia in the BBC Pride and Prejudice. Sawalha did a fantastic job, and I was disappointed by the change. But whatchagonnado.

Blue Noon (The Midnighters, Book 3)

2007-04-06T04:18:00.000-05:00

Book: Blue Noon (The Midnighters, Book 3)
Author: Scott Westerfeld
Audience: Teen
In a Nutshell: the blue time rips and lets the midnight monsters out- or the people in?

Jessica, Rex, Melissa, Dess, and Jonathan discover that a rip is forming in the blue time, forming a space outside of Bixby where non-midnighters can slip into the secret hour unawares. The blue time is also arriving at unpredictable extra times, and each time it does, the red-tinged rip grows. They begin to realize that something huge is about to happen, and at midnight on Halloween the blue time rip will tear open wide enough to bring together the darklings and unsuspecting humans in a massive carnage-fest. Rex also learns from Angie, the woman who kidnapped him for the Greyfoots, who turned him into a part-darkling, that the lore is not the only side to the story. Mindcasters of past generations may have been selective with the good, rosy memories they chose to pass on, leaving all the shady dealings out. Now it's up to our young heroes to mend the rip before all hell breaks loose, almost literally. Jessica also discovers what her true destiny is- if she can find the courage to do what she must to save the world.

I thought it was a solid ending to the trilogy, if that's what it is. Plenty of action, adventure, creepy monsters, destinies to fulfill, and disorienting but interesting grey (make that purple) areas to deal with. Not only is blue time bleeding into normal time, but the easy good v. evil of their fight has gotten mushier with the new-found truth that their Midnighter predecessors weren't as perfect as they thought, and some of their enemies may prove not all bad.

Oddly Normal

2007-04-03T21:44:00.000-05:00

Book: Oddly Normal, Volume 1
Author/Illustrator: Otis Frampton
Audience: Grades 4-8
In a Nutshell: green-haired half-witch accidentally makes her parents disappear

Her first problem is her name: Oddly Normal. Her mother is a witch from the alternate world of Fignation, and her father is the most normal guy you could possibly imagine. Her green hair & pointy ears don't win her any friends at school, and she resents her blissfully unaware parents for raising her as a freak in the real world without realizing what an outcast she is. When her birthday wish is that her parents would just not be there, she is shocked the next morning to discover that they- and the house- are actually gone without a trace. Her aunt takes her to live in Fignation w/ the fictional, mythical and imaginary creatures. She meets some nice misfit friends, but most of the folks at her new school seem to have it out for her, starting with the English teacher. Turns out the story goes back to before she was born, to when her mother was young.

This graphic novel goes on my list of fun, clever all-ages comics that have enough humor and meat to them to appeal to teens as well as grade-schoolers. The highlight of that semi-theoretical list is Bone- that kind of graphic novel. This is the first of four parts, all available out there in Book-buying-and-borrowing Land.

Life As We Knew It

2007-04-03T20:35:00.000-05:00

Book: Life As We Knew It
Author: Susan Beth Pfeffer
Audience: Teen
In a Nutshell: the moon gets closer and wreaks havoc

Sixteen-year-old Miranda is living the life of a normal high school girl until a meteor hits the moon and knocks it just a little bit closer. What with the moon controlling tides and all, giant tsunamis immediately destroy cities on any and all coasts around the world. Then the weather gets severely rainy, then severely hot, followed by severely cold and snowy: basically severe all around. And did I mention the dozens of instantly active volcanoes that blot out the sun with a constant grey layer of ash? There's also that. Miranda, her mother, younger brother Johnny, and older brother Matt must work harder and harder to survive as the power goes out, the well dries up, the food stores get lower and lower, and just when you think things couldn't get much worse, they do.

Good journal-style survival story with a twist: part surviving, part family drama as they all try to get along in increasingly close quarters and realize just how much they're willing to give up for each other.

I listened to this one on CD, and it was an okay reading by Emily Bauer. Too sweet-sounding for me; I read the first chapter on paper, and the voice doesn't match what I imagined at all. Still, an interesting addition to the survival story bookshelf.

The Invention of Hugo Cabret

2007-04-03T18:49:00.001-05:00

Book: The Invention of Hugo Cabret
Author/Illustrator: Brian Selznick
Audience: Grades 4 to 7
In a Nutshell: a young timekeeper-turned-thief, a little mechanical man that draws little clues, and a not-really-dead film director in Paris

Hey, kids! Want to read a 525-page book in a couple hours? Want to read a book that seems a lot like watching a movie? Look no further!

Even before his drunken uncle disappears, assistant timekeeper Hugo Cabret does most of the work of keeping all 27 clocks in the Paris train station running smoothly. He lives and works behind the walls, only entering the station to steal food or small mechanical parts from a toy maker's stall. He is obsessed with fixing up a small automaton of a man that will write something when it's fixed; Hugo is sure the writing will be a message from his dead father (he has his reasons). Instead, it leads him to an early French silent film and its legendary creater, Georges Melies, who was supposed to be dead, but isn't.

Out of 525 pages, 284 are entirely taken up with original drawings by the author, plus there are photos, stills from silent movies, and reproductions of sketches by the real Georges Melies. I don't think I've ever read a book quite like this. The words and pictures blend seamlessly; the illustrations don't accompany text, they replace it in large chunks.

Cinematically presented story with mystery, action, and plenty of visuals: perfect format for telling a story about silent film.

Keturah and Lord Death

2007-03-19T17:36:00.000-05:00

Book: Keturah and Lord Death
Author: Martine Leavitt
Audience: Teen
In a Nutshell: saving the village and finding true love by telling stories to Death

After trying to follow the elusive white stag, Keturah is lost in the forest outside her village for three days. Lord Death comes for her, but she is able to buy herself some time by telling him a story and withholding the ending until the next day. Now she has one day to find her true love and save her village from the coming plague, or Lord Death will take her the next night. He has an unearthly beauty and regal bearing, and she realizes that she's seen him before. Ever since she was a child, Keturah has been able to see Lord Death waiting near people about to die.

She manages to put him off two more times, but that is the limit of his patience. Keturah secures love and happiness for her friends, health for some who should have died, gets the lord to fix up the neglected village, and even attracts the love of the lord's son. When the time comes, however, she is shocked to discover the identity of the man she has always loved.

Leavitt offers a striking combination of classic fairy tale/ fantasy elements and high romance. Death's presence in life is effectively portrayed, both as something to be feared, and something that makes life sweeter and more precious in contrast. Really well-written, highly recommended for fans of high fantasy/romance or fairy tale retellings.

My biggest hang-up with the story is philosophical. Lord Death is portrayed as holding the ultimate power in the universe, and being the true source of good. After all, if there weren't death and destruction, would we ever truly see the beauty in life? Saying Death is the ultimate good because he provides counterpoint for life seems backwards; if there were no death, life would still exist and be good, but without life death does not exist. Maybe that's just my wordview. But it's a good story that makes for entertainment, good discussion and deep thinking, which is a good thing, right?

The Death Collector

2007-03-12T13:42:00.000-05:00

Book: The Death Collector
Author: Justin Richards
Audience: Grades 5 to 9
In a Nutshell: The Victorian London X-Files

George Archer works a quiet job at the British Museum until a scrap of paper and a zombie plunge him into a world of murder, monsters, and a megalomaniacal industrialist (that's fun to say). George has recently been offered a transfer to the Museum's Department of Unclassified Documents, a sort of Victorian X-Files, and what's happening definitely falls under their jurisdiction. His friend, Albert Wilkes, shows up at home for tea and dog walking four days after his own death. The Museum receives a set of diaries from a famous scientist named Glick. They seem like a minor thing until George's friend in Archives is murdered when armed thugs break in and try to steal the diaries. George ends up with the burned remains of the final diary page, and now rich industrialist Lorimer will do anything to get it. The young pickpocket Eddie Hopkins and aspiring actress Elizabeth Oldfield also get tangled up in the hunt for the truth about Glick's research and what Lorimer has in store for the world. There's also George's recently-deceased friend, the giant monster Eddie sees in the darkened fog, a (not entirely) phony séance, and a warehouse full of exoskeletons meant for no good.

Creepy, quick-paced tale with horror, adventure, dinosaurs, zombies- what more is there?

Engaging reading of the audio book by Steven Pacey.

Piratica II: Return to Parrot Island

2007-02-28T12:16:00.000-06:00

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

2007-02-26T11:16:00.000-06:00

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?

2007-02-24T10:40:00.000-06:00

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

2007-02-21T11:36:00.000-06:00

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

2007-02-16T18:06:00.000-06:00

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

2007-02-12T17:35:00.000-06:00

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

2007-02-11T13:33:00.000-06:00

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

2007-02-08T19:40:00.000-06:00

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

2007-02-05T11:32:00.000-06:00

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

2007-02-03T12:00:00.000-06:00

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.

Revenge of the Witch

2007-01-25T17:46:00.000-06:00

Book: Revenge of the Witch (Book One of The Last Apprentice)
Author: Joseph Delaney
Audience: Grades 5 to 8
In a Nutshell: an apprentice spook accidentally lets a nasty witch out of her hole

Thomas Ward is the seventh son of a seventh son, which doesn't leave him a lot of career options. With the family land and the more desirable apprenticeships already taken by his brothers, he's left with apprenticing as a feared but needed spook- a man who takes care of witches, ghosts and other unwelcome supernatural problems in the villages. Plus, according to his mam, he is destined to fill this position. The current spook, Gregory, is a strict but fair master, and Thomas has a lot to learn quickly. Things like how to deal with witches. For the worst of the lot, you can't kill them, because they'll just come back in a more dangerous form. You stick them in a hole and keep them alive, but barely. It seems cruel to Thomas, but he soon learns the wisdom of it when he is tricked into feeding nasty old Mother Malkin a special strengthening blood muffin (or something equally disgusting), and she escapes and goes after her favorite delicacy: little children. The "Mother"nickname is ironic. And she's not the only Nasty out there. The life of a spook is a lonely one; the town and even Thomas's own family may not welcome him anymore, but they need him.

Good creepy reading, and the first of a series.

Avalon High

2007-01-22T13:27:00.000-06:00

Book: Avalon High
Author: Meg Cabot
Audience: Teen
In a Nutshell: King Arthur & Co. reappear in high school form

Elaine is the new kid at Avalon High. Her professor parents have moved from Minnesota to Annapolis, MD, for their one-year sabbatical. Elaine is just biding her time, floating in the pool and waiting for the year to be over so she can go back to her own friends and school. But then she meets Will on a jog in the park, and she is drawn into a high school drama with characters that bear an uncanny resemblance to King Arthur, Guinevere, Lancelot, and the rest.

Fun reading, even if I did guess the ending very early on; slightly more meaty than Cabot's usual fun fluff, thanks to the infusion of Arthurian legend, but still easy going.

The Dragonslayer (Bone, book 4)

2007-01-04T16:55:00.003-06:00

Book: The Dragonslayer (Bone, Vol. 4)
Author/Illust.: Jeff Smith
Audience: Grades 4 to 7 or so
In a Nutshell: Thorn chops an arm and accepts her destiny

If you've never read the Bone series of graphic novels, by all means, do it. Start at the beginning, with Out from Boneville. They're quick reads, they're clever and funny and all-around top-shelf material. After a few pages you forget that the protagonist is a lovable little femur (or something). And one of the rat creature cronies is obsessed with not merely eating the good guys, but baking them in a quiche. That's really funny to me.

The Goblin Wood

2007-01-04T16:55:00.001-06:00

Book: The Goblin Wood
Author: Hilari Bell
Audience: Teen
In a Nutshell: hedgewitch leads goblins, knight tries to catch hedgewitch, nothing is as simple as it seemed

Makenna is a hedgewitch with limited power. She and her mother's kind used to be quietly accepted and used by the villages for healing and spells. Then the Hierarch and his priests declared all non-official magic evil. The villagers killed her mother, but she escaped, flooded the village, and swore off all human relationships. The goblins, who have also been declared evil and are no longer fed and appeased nearly so often, follow her and cleverly torment her until she finally captures one named Cogswallop, which starts her friendship with the goblins.
Five years later, she has become their "general" as the goblins drive away the increasing number of human settlers coming beyond the (human-built) Goblin Wall and into their northern woods.

Tobin, an honorable young knight convicted, punished, and exiled for a crime his brother commited, has a chance to redeem himself by leading the Hierarch's forces to the "Sorceress" controlling the goblins. He is soon captured by Makenna and the goblin army and gradually discovers that the goblins are not mindless savages, Makenna is not an evil sorceress, and the Hierarch and his priests do not have the pure motives he once thought they did.

I have yet to read a less-than-really-good book by Hilari Bell. She weaves in enough complex politics within her worlds to make the story that much more interesting, but never so much as to get confusing. Makenna is a fierce and independent character, and Tobin is very likable despite his oversimplified black-and-white views of the world early on. They both change and grow and there's action and adventure and cute goblin children and ain't that just the way a good book should go down?

Blue Bloods

2007-01-02T10:15:00.000-06:00

Book: Blue Bloods
Author: Melissa de la Cruz
Audience: Teen
In a Nutshell: blood-sucking New York socialites really are blood-suckers

Schuyler Van Alen comes from old money and an old New York family, but the money has run low, and even her historic name doesn't keep her from being an outcast at Duchesne, a prestigious private school where most of the students can trace their ancestors back to the Mayflower. She and friends Oliver and newcomer Dylan keep to themselves and prefer more of a grunge/goth look to their classmates' uber-style. But just like some of her fellow sophomores, Schuyler has begun to get prominent blue veins and flashbacks to places and times she's never been.

Turns out she's a Blue Blood, better known as a vampire. They do feed on human blood, but not to the death, and after about a hundred years in one body, they go into a sort of blood hibernation until a drop of their blood is entered into another body and they are reborn. They are fallen angels who no longer follow Lucifer, but wish to regain God's favor and re-enter heaven. The same vamps have lived over and over since the time of ancient Egypt. But now something is happening to Blue Bloods. One of Schuyler's classmates is found murdered, drained dry by another Blue Blood. The leaders don't want to admit it, but the dreaded Silver Bloods have returned to gain power through the blood strength of other Blue Bloods.

I didn't want to like this book (needed to clean up my pile quickly), and I'm not entirely sure I did, but I couldn't stop reading. The constant label- and name-dropping irritated me to no end, but I wanted to know what would happen next. De la Cruz reveals the mystery of who BB's are very gradually, darn her. The ending is a huge set-up for the forthcoming books in the series. I would recommend this for older teen vampire fans, especially those drawn to Laurell K. Hamilton, mostly because vamp readers usually can't get enough and this isn't too bad. Maybe more fashion-minded readers will like all the name-dropping more, but it just got on my nerves.

Freedom Walkers

2007-01-02T10:02:00.000-06:00

Book: Freedom Walkers: The Story of the Montgomery Bus Boycott
Author: Russell Freedman
Audience: Grades 5-8
In a Nutshell: "My feets is tired, but my soul is rested."

Every school child past the age of 10 has heard of the Montgomery bus boycott, or at least they should have. But I realized that there were a lot of interesting parts of the story that I'd never heard, or at least had long forgotten. That's the great thing about Freedman's books: even for an occasional non-fiction reader like myself, the topics he picks are always engaging, the narrative is well written, and he finds the best photos available to illustrate. He's one of the only nonfic authors whose books I will pick up based on author alone and know I will leave the experience with more interest in the topic.

The Rules of Survival

2006-12-24T13:03:00.001-06:00

Book: The Rules of Survival
Author: Nancy Werlin
Audience: Teen
In a Nutshell: When your mother is dangerous and you have no one to go to for help, who do you go to for help?

Matthew’s earliest memory is of his mother, Nikki, smashing one chair after another against the kitchen wall, for no reason. Now he’s thirteen, he has two younger sisters, and the three of them live on constant high alert; say the right thing and go through the motions of being happy and normal, or she’ll snap and instantly she’ll change from loving mother to dangerous monster. Sometimes she hits them, or threatens them with a kitchen knife, or screams at them and says horrible things. Sometimes it’s worse. Matthew tries to protect his sisters by taking her anger on himself, but that doesn’t always work. He knows this isn’t living; this is just surviving, but it’s all he knows how to do.

Then one Saturday night, after he sneaks out while Nikki is off partying, Matthew meets a man-- well, “meets” isn’t the right word. He only makes eye contact for a moment. It’s right after he sees this man stand up to some jerk who’s threatening his own son. The man’s name is Murdoch, and somehow Matthew is convinced that Murdoch can help them, maybe even save them. But he doesn’t know Murdoch’s last name, or anything about him, and Boston is a big city. Even if Matthew can find him, what does he expect one stranger to do when his own father is afraid to get involved? He doesn’t really know, but he can’t let six-year-old Emmy grow up in fear the way he and Callie have. But Nikki is unpredictable and very dangerous; the price of their freedom will be high, and not just for them.

If I could’ve read this book while driving, showering, and sleeping to avoid putting it down, I would have. It’s a gripping, perfectly-paced story about abuse, the good and bad sides of fear, the difference one person can make, and the pain we cause by just standing by.

Larklight

2006-12-18T10:00:00.000-06:00

Book: Larklight: A Rousing Tale of Dauntless Pluck in the Farthest Reaches of Space
Author: Philip Reeve (Illustrator: David Wyatt)
Audience: Grades 4-7
In a Nutshell: Victorian space adventure (yes, really!) with pirates, giant spiders, and a touch of romance

Art Mumby, his older sister Myrtle, and their scientist father live at Larklight, their old and quirky home in orbit just beyond the moon. Art dreams of adventure, and Myrtle dreams of visiting proper society on Earth- more specifically, in London, at the grand, soon-to-be-opened Crystal Palace commissioned by Her Majesty Queen Victoria. They both soon find much more excitement than they bargained for when giant white spiders attack Larklight and capture their father. The siblings manage to escape, and soon find themselves rescued by the notorious pirate Jack Havock, who turns out to be no older than Myrtle. His crew of assorted aliens are really a good sort, but then again, when's the last time you read an adventure story with pirates who were really, truly bad? The spiders haven't given up on finding Art and Myrtle; they seem to think there's a very important key to Larklight, and they won't stop chasing the Mumby's until they have it in their creepy, spidery clutches.

The action blasts from the moon, to Venus, to Mars, to the dangerous and mysterious rings of Saturn, then back to Earth, as Art and Myrtle are separated and eventually reunited as each one does their part to stay alive and save the solar system from destruction (those spiders aren't messing around). I adore Philip Reeve's Hungry City Chronicles for teens and adults, and this is just as good, plus appropriate for the grade school crowd. The action is non-stop, the world is clever and imaginative and full of great creatures like hoverhogs and the Tentacle Twins, and the characters are vivid and likable. Myrtle got on my nerves at first, being all stereotypically proper and girly, but she kicks butt in her own way by the end. Oh, and there are plenty of pen and ink illustrations, which is very helpful in trying to visualize all the fastastical creatures and places. Don't expect space and space travel to behave exactly like they do in real life, but once you hard-core realists get over it, this book is fantastic fun. If it weren't for Reeve's pesky British citizenship, I would put this on my personal Newbery Award shortlist.

Rash

2006-12-11T20:33:00.002-06:00

Book: Rash
Author: Pete Hautman
Audience: Teen
In a Nutshell: things get dangerous when you put safety first

I've put off blogging this book for a long time, and I think it's because I liked it so much. I wanted to be sure to cover everything that I thought was great, and do it justice, and that has resulted in doing nothing at all. So I'm diving in.

Bo Marston has anger management issues, and it runs in the family. His father has been in a work camp for years thanks to a road rage incident, and Bo's mother is afraid he's headed in the same direction. The year is 2076, and the U.S.S.A. has hit the extremes of certain recent trends in this satirical view of the future. Renamed the United Safer States of America several years previously, American society has decided it would "rather be safe than free." Angry or aggressive behavior results in very harsh punishment. Football and all other contact sports are illegal; even running high school track, Bo must wear more padding than a hockey goalie. Not that hockey is legal. Anything that has been deemed unhealthy is also banned, including smoking, drinking, and junk food; obesity itself is illegal.

Bo's anger lands him in jail on the frozen tundra, where he's forced to work in a pizza factory, play illegal football, and survive with the help of a homework assignment named Bork. This survival adventure story has come back to mind more times than almost any book I read that year, probably because signs abound around us that being safe is becoming more important than anything else, including having fun or being free. Or maybe people are just getting stupider. The Onion thinks so too. Whatever the reason, if you like "dangerous" things like sports, junk food, and real see-saws, and want a story with lots of action, humor, and something to think about, try Rash.

The End

2006-12-07T13:02:00.000-06:00

Book: The End (Book the Thirteenth in A Series of Unfortunate Events)
Author: Lemony Snicket
Audience: Grades 4-8
In a Nutshell: the Baudelaires are shipwrecked on an island w/ pieces of the last 12 books; and The End is not the end.

Here it is at long-awaited last: Book 13.

I liked it. It answered some questions. Left some others to the imagination. But at last, we know who Beatrice is. Did anybody guess? I didn't. But then, I'm a bad guesser.

The All-New Tenchi Muyo!

2006-12-06T19:52:00.000-06:00

Book: The All-New Tenchi-Muyo! Vol. 7
Author: Hitoshi Okuda
Audience: Teen
In a Nutshell: One 17-year-old boy, some hyperactive alien women, a space pirate, a carrot-eating spaceship and more

Tenchi and his wacky group of alien girls help a girl learn to walk again; her motivation is seeing Tsunami, their tree spirit, and writing a picture book about him.

manga sub-genre: harem comedy

Storky

2006-12-06T19:44:00.000-06:00

Book: Storky: How I Lost My Nickname and Won the Girl
Author: D. L. Garfinkle
Audience: High School
In a Nutshell: freshman guy's diary of love, Scrabble, and a fat dentist

To be honest, I read this a long time ago, and the only notes I kept were the nutshell description above, and a list of important names. And in the many months between then and now, the actual details have faded. In an effort to get caught up with posting, I'm leaving it there, so here you go:

Mike Pomerantz (a.k.a. Storky), Gina, Nate, sis Amanda, Sydney, old Duke.

I will also say that I remember it being very solidly from a teen guy's perspective, so you can guess where his mind is most of the time. Reminds me a little of Gary Paulsen's Amazing Life of Birds, where the main character spends a lot of time seeing ELBOWS everywhere, but elbows is not really the portion of anatomy he's talking about. Storky has a little older content, but they're both funny guy diaries, so maybe that's why they are connected in my mind. Some family drama with a not-entirely-welcome new father figure, and a relationship with an old guy who plays Scrabble that becomes very important in his life. That's all I've got for now.

Fruits Basket

2006-12-04T11:52:00.000-06:00

Book: Fruits Basket, Volume 1
Author: Natsuki Takaya
Audience: Teen
In a Nutshell: orphan girl finds new friends with crazy zodiac animal powers

Those Left Behind (Serenity graphic novel)

2006-12-02T17:49:00.000-06:00

Book: Those Left Behind (a Serenity graphic novel)
Author: Joss Whedon
Artist: Will Conrad
Audience: Teen to Adult
In a Nutshell: what happened between Firefly (TV) tand Serenity (movie)

If you are a Browncoat, you should read this graphic novel. If you are a Browncoat, you probably already own this graphic novel. If you don't know what a Browncoat is, welcome to the fan world of Firefly, a marvelous but short-lived western sci-fi series by the creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It was truly one of the best sci-fi series to come around in the last 10 years, so of course Fox gave it the shaft. But it lived on in the hearts and DVD collections of rabid fans everywhere, and by some miracle Joss Whedon actually got a theatrical movie released to follow it up. The show and the movie are very, very shiny, to use Firefly lingo. I won't go into detail, but I'll throw the term "mercenary space cowboys" out there and let you rent/borrow/buy the DVD's and fall in love with Firefly yourself.

This graphic novel fills in a story that takes place between the end of the show and where the movie picks up. Without being a critical piece of the Firefly universe, the story does manage to be very interesting and relevant to the characters. But those of us who get all starry-eyed when Joss Whedon's name is mentioned have come to expect no less.

Eyes of the Storm (Bone, Book 3)

2006-12-02T17:47:00.000-06:00

Book: Eyes of the Storm (Bone, Book 3)
Author: Jeff Smith
Audience: Grades 4-7
In a Nutshell: Bones and humans (and a dragon) against a returning evil

This excellent graphic novel series continues with Bone, Thorn, Grandma, Phoney, Smiley, and the rest of the people (and bones) in the Valley preparing to fight the big bad evil that's coming in the form of rat creatures and some creepy hooded figure who serves the ancient, powerful, hive-minded Locusts. Ooooo...

The Last Days

2006-12-02T17:46:00.000-06:00

Book: The Last Days
Author: Scott Westerfeld
Audience: Teen
In a Nutshell: supernatural rock summons giant evil worms

In this sequel to Peeps, when strangers Moz and Pearl save a precious Stratocaster guitar from a fall out a window, it's the birth of their rock band. Along with Zahler on bass, Alana Ray on drums (make that paint buckets), and somewhat functional peep Minerva on vocals, they make otherworldly music with Minerva's ancient, inhuman lyrics that draws peeps (vampires) like, well, like vampires to a blood bank. Eventually the higher purpose of their music becomes clear as they team up with Cal, Lace, and the rest of the Night Guard from Peeps, who finally show up about two-thirds of the way through the book, and stage a series of outdoor concerts that draw out both the worms and the peeps to fight them.

The majority of the book is heavily descriptive of the formation of the band and the music they learn to make together. It's interesting reading if you're into music, but I've gotta say I was glad to see Cal and Co. finally show up and get the plot moving. It all wrapped up pretty neatly and quickly, seeing as how the music part took up so much real estate, but vampire fans, fans of Peeps , and rock-band-minded readers will probably like it.

The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume 1: The Pox Party

2006-12-02T17:44:00.000-06:00

Book: The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation; Volume 1: The Pox Party
Author: M.T. Anderson
Audience: Teen
In a Nutshell: a young boy is a slave, an experiment, then a rebel fighter in revoluntionary America

Like I've said before, I looove M.T. Anderson. And here he's written another very original, distinctive, disturbing book that sticks in your mind a long time after the last page turns, whether you want it there or not. And he won the National Book Award for it, so bravo! That said, this is not an easy read. It's written in impressively accurate 18th-century-style English, and it's long. Octavian and his mother, Casseopeia, are African slaves owned by a group of radical scientists and scholars called the Novanglian College of Lucidity. In the sober city of Boston, they live in opulence and are treated as exotic royalty, but Octavian must weigh his food and feces. When their fortunes shift and a harsh new benefactor takes control, the experiment of Octavian and his mother takes a dark turn: scientific proof of the inferiority of the African races. I won't give away the details, but some horrible things happen, and Octavian's personal account goes silent. The story picks up in secondary sources and through the letters of a revolutionary soldier as Octavian ends up with the man's unit. The history depicted is slightly alternative, but similar enough to the history books to make readers take a good hard look at what they think they know about the American Revolution.

The book is chock full of themes of human rights, freedom, friendship, and the fuzziness of right and wrong, good and bad in the American Revolution-- and by extension, the whole American experience? Or any world-changing conflict? Let's say yes. After all, that's the sort of thing they hand out National Book Awards for.

Part Two is coming (sometime) and even though I generally have little to no interest in revolutionary fiction, I can't wait.

The House Next Door

2006-11-27T20:24:00.000-06:00

Book: The House Next Door
Author: Richie Tankersley Cusick
Audience: Teen
In a Nutshell: ghostly gothic love and tragedy

Emma has a funny feeling about the old abandoned house next door, but when her twin brother dares her to spend the night there alone, she can't back down. The dream she has is vivid and frightening: she's wearing old-fashioned clothes, and she is trying to run away with the man she loves. But the there's blood and a fire, something tragic is happening, and Emma wakes up in the present day. Except she's not quite alone: there's a constant presence she's sure isn't her imagination, and she woke up wearing a ring. It's the same ring that her true love gave her in the dream.

Fans of supernatural romance shouldn't miss this one. It's got tragic ghostly (and handsome) boys, haunted houses, danger, psychic connections...all the elements you've come to enjoy in this kind of book.

Romiette and Julio

2006-11-16T21:41:00.000-06:00

Book: Romiette and Julio
Author: Sharon Draper
Audience: Teen
In a Nutshell: Romeo and Juliet with a modern interracial twist

Romiette is a black high school student in Cincinatti. Her best friend, Destiny, claims to have strong psychic abilities and swears that Romi will soon meet her soul mate- not that any of the boys at school really interest Romi. Then one evening in a chatroom, she logs on as afroqueen and meets spanishlover, and they really hit it off. Turns out they go to the same school.
Julio is a Latino boy who just moved to town from Texas. He hates everything about Ohio, except the amazing girl he just met. It's love at first sight for Romi and Julio. They would be floating on Cloud 9 if it weren't for the gangs at school, who don't approve of a Hispanic boy and black girl dating. Even their loving parents, who have their own racial baggage, don't accept the relationship right away. Conflict and near tragedy ensue, but love and understanding win out in the end.

I thought it was a likable, readable story, but a little uneven in quality. The dialogue is sometimes very authentic, and other times very forced. I mean, what teenager uses appositives in everyday speech? But most readers won't care about this. The romance, likable characters, the online element, and a good (if slightly overstated) message are all appealing.

Hush

2006-11-16T20:59:00.000-06:00

Book: Hush
Author: Jacqueline Woodson
Audience: Grades 4-9 or so
In a Nutshell: girl loses her friends, her home, and her name when her family enters the federal witness protection program

Her name used to be Toswiah. She loved her life in Denver, and her father loved his life as a cop. He was one of the only African-Americans on the force, but that didn't seem to matter. Then he witnessed two fellow cops killing a black boy. He testified against them, and life got hard for the whole family. Then it got dangerous. So in the middle of the night, they packed up a few small bags and moved to who-knows-where across the country. Now Toswiah's name is Evie, her sister is angry, her mother has become religious with the Jehovah's Witnesses, and her father just stares out the window all day. They may still be alive, but life as she knew it is over.

It's a lovely story, bittersweet and cautiously optimistic in the end. A pretty quick read, too.

Specials

2006-11-13T14:59:00.000-06:00

Book: Specials (Book 3 of the Uglies trilogy)
Author: Scott Westerfeld
Audience: Teen
In a Nutshell: bio-engineered superteens overcome their brainwashing and save the world

Oh, how I love Scott Westerfeld's books. And oh, how I love it when authors finish strong on a good trilogy. I can now rest easy at night knowing that I can recommend Uglies and Pretties without fear of readers getting shafted by Book 3. Not that I've been losing whole lot of sleep over this, but you get the idea.

When we last left Tally Youngblood, she had been caught by the Specials, led by her former best friend, Shay. Since then, she's had the "special" surgery herself, where they enhanced her strength, speed, senses, and more, basically turning her into a predatory super-human who comes across as scary to normal pretties for primal reasons they are only vaguely aware of.

Tally loves her new body, her new tight relationship with the other Specials, and loves the new feelings of power and superiority that come with it. Their latest assignment is to figure out where the rebel New Smoke camp has moved to, and report back. But they run into more resistance from the Smokies than they expected, and Tally and Shay are caught in a swirl of right and wrong and power and greed, and it's up to them to use their gifts to chose a side and fight for it. Hundreds of years of peace between the cities hangs in the balance. There's also David and Zane to consider. David, the Smoky whom both Tally and Shay have loved when they were young and foolish and now just resent; and Zane, Tally's boyfriend whose brain got fried in the last book trying to become permanently "bubbly" and lucid, free from the brain lesions that keep the population docile. Tally thought he was dead, but surprise! He's not.

I've really tried to keep this blurb short and simple, but after three books of build-up that's no easy task. There's so much action, adventure, survival, gore, intriguing social commentary, love and life and death and stuff blowing up. Just trust me: good books. Very good books. Read the very good books.

The White Ram: A Story of Abraham and Isaac

2006-10-31T23:12:00.000-06:00

Book: The White Ram: A Story of Abraham and Isaac
Author & Illustrator: Mordecai Gerstein
Audience: Grades K-3
In a Nutshell: A traditional Jewish story of Abraham and Isaac- from the ram's point of view

In Scripture, we first meet the white ram when Abraham is about to follow God's command to sacrifice his son, Isaac. God stops Abraham and tells him there is a ram caught in the bushes that he should sacrifice instead. In this picture book, we see the other side of the story, where God creates the ram and tells it to wait, because there is a special purpose for it to fulfill. When the time comes, the ram must pass the Enemy in many disguises as the Enemy tries to convince, trick, or bully the ram into not following through. In the end, it willingly sacrifices itself to obey God and save Isaac's life. A nice retelling of a traditional (though not scriptural) story, and the artwork is energetic with lots to look at on each page.

Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom

2006-10-31T23:10:00.001-06:00

Book: Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom
Author: Carole Boston Weatherford
Illustrator: Kadir Nelson
Audience: Grades 2-4 or so
In a Nutshell: Harriet Tubman listens to God and finds freedom for herself and many others

The illustrator of Ellington Was Not a Street and the author of several black history titles offers up a gorgeous depiction of Tubman, her faith, and the part it played in her escape from slavery and the leadership in the Underground Railroad that followed. The word that comes to mind is transcendent. A beautiful and memorable book.

A History of the World in 6 Glasses

2006-10-31T23:10:00.000-06:00

Book: A History of the World in 6 Glasses
Author: Tom Standage
Audience: High School and Adult
In a Nutshell: beer, wine, spirits, coffee, tea and Coca-Cola explain everything

Beer was portable wealth in ancient Egypt; Coke represents-- and pioneered-- current globalization trends. In between, lots of other stuff was either influenced or reflected by various major beverages. Very interesting angle on world history with lots of tasty factoids to wet your whistle.

I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have To Kill You

2006-10-30T17:47:00.000-06:00

Book: I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have To Kill You
Author: Ally Carter
Audience: Teen
In a Nutshell: James Bond boarding school for girls

They speak 14 languages, but they don't know how to talk to boys. They are students at the Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women. Most of the world thinks it's a hoity-toity boarding school for rich girls. In reality, it's a spy school. They have all the high-tech gadgets, they can blend and infiltrate anywhere, hack any database, mix deadly poison. But mingling in the real world? Not so easy. Since her mom is the headmistress, Cammie Morgan gets out even less than the other students. But on a pratice mission in town, she meets Josh. He's normal, cute, and he noticed her. But he can't find out she goes to the snob school, and he definitely can't find out she' s a spy in training. Good thing Cammie and her friends are experts at covert operations.

There's nothing too heavy here, but I liked it. Light and fun, and there's a sequel in the works.

Endymion Spring

2006-10-21T16:18:00.000-05:00

Book: Endymion Spring
Author: Matthew Skelton
Audience: Teen
In a Nutshell: book finds boy. book bites boy. boy must solve book's mysteries and guard its ancient secrets from nasty scholars at Oxford.

Blake Winters and his little sister, Duck, are spending the year with their mother at Oxford. She spends all day in the library researching, so Blake and Duck are stuck there, too. One day, a book bites Blake. No, really- it's got fangs and everything. The book is really, really old, and the cover says only Endymion Spring, whatever that means. When Blake opens it, there are a lot of blank pages and one very mysterious riddle, and he's the only one who can see it. The book is powerful, it seems to have a life of its own, and there' s something it wants from Blake.

The other storyline in the book begins 500 years ago in Germany, where a young printer's assistant named Endymion works with Johann Gutenberg, inventor of the printing press. A very sketchy character named Fust shows up with a very creepy, carved chest that practically screams "I'M EVIL!!", and Endymion finds magic, mystery, and danger within.

This book got oodles of hype before it was published, and it is a good read- if you like books about libraries, books, and mysteries with a dark and sinister historical twist. A bit of a Da Vinci Code angle, if you like sort of thing. But does this story have the crazy blockbuster appeal of Da Vinci? No, not really. But it's a decent readalike for teen DVC fans.

The Oaken Throne

2006-10-16T16:03:00.000-05:00

Book: The Oaken Throne (Book Two of The Deptford Histories)
Author: Robin Jarvis
Audience: Grades 4-6
In a Nutshell: two young enemies, a bat and a squirrel, team up to fight evil and destruction. I think.

I'll be straight with you: I couldn't do it. I couldn't keep reading this book. I was supposed to read it for a review group, but I just can't. It's an animal fantasy, and I like those. The author is well-reviewed and respected and all that, and I'm sure plenty of people get into his books. It's got similar appeal to Redwall, but with a much higher creep factor, which would be a selling point for fans of creep. It just seems overdone to me- overwritten and overdramatic. Here's an example of dialogue as Morwenna the "treacherous handmaiden" squirrel poisons her kindly mistress: "'Now you have drunk from the cup of my ambition,' she spat venomously. 'To me it seems sweet, but I fear you have not found it so. '" Maybe it's just me, but I can't get into that. It's rodent fantasy with Shakespearean hack tendencies, complete with thou's and thee's thrown in for flavor. The time period is medieval, but it still doesn't work for me, like the author is trying too hard to make squirrels seem truly threatening.

I'm not even going to get into the plot, because I have no idea what happens past page 63. I read the entire Deptford Mice Trilogy thinking I would start liking it more eventually, but I never really did. Now here's the prequel trilogy, and this is as far as I go. They're not badly written, I just...can't. Sorry.

Cinderella (as if you didn't already know the story)

2006-10-05T22:24:00.000-05:00

Book: Cinderella (as if you didn't already know the story)
Author: Barbara Ensor
Audience: Grades 3-6
In a Nutshell: Cinderella with funky silhouette illustrations

The title of the book pretty much says it all. This is Cinderella, as if you didn't already know the story. Not really any deviations from the norm here. The time period is sort of a cross between Once Upon a Time and modern day; Cinderella has both a royal ball and homework to contend with. Cinderella's letters to her dead mother are reproduced in her own handwriting, and there are lots of silhouette-style illustrations throughout. Our heroine has a spunky voice, and there are memorable writing gems and quirky, non-traditional details added here and there, but overall it didn't make a huge impression on me. It's pretty much...Cinderella. So if you're looking for a Cinderella story, this will definitely fit the bill. And all the illustrations and letters make it a superquick read.

The Hero and the Crown

2006-09-30T20:09:00.000-05:00

Book: The Hero and the Crown
Author: Robin McKinley
Audience: Teen
In a Nutshell: clumsy, black-sheep princess turns out to be Dragon-slaying, world-saving princess

Aerin may be the only child of the king of Damar, but it hasn't won her a big fan following so far. For years, people in and out of the royal court have whispered stories of how her witch mother used magic to ensnare the king in marriage and get an heir on the throne, and how she died of disappointment when her child was born a girl.

Aerin longs to do something of use for her father and the kingdom, so with the help of her cousin, Tor, she secretly learns to use a sword, and she becomes Aerin Dragon-Killer. Dark powers are stirring in the north, and though smaller than their legendary counterparts, small dragons are becoming a dangerous nuisance in the villages. But rumors exist in her father's books that one of the great dragons may still be alive, dormant and waiting to rise again and cause fiery mayhem. And there is still another problem to consider: the common source of the dragons, the rebellious spirit in the northern lords, and more ominous signs of dark times to come. She may have been belittled by people all her life, but Aerin's country needs her now for the gifts she never imagined she had.

A classic high fantasy; dragon-slaying and magic destiny-discovering adventure at its best. I'm glad I finally got around to reading it. And if you want more there's also The Blue Sword, written two years before this one but set much later in the history of Damar.

Dairy Queen

2006-09-30T17:34:00.000-05:00

Book: Dairy Queen
Author: Catherine Gilbert Murdock
Audience: Teen
In a Nutshell: your basic "girl runs farm, girl joins football team, girl falls for rival quarterback" story

D.J. Schwenk's two older brothers were high school football stars. D.J. is athletic, too, but now that her dad's recuperating from surgery, she's more or less been running her family's dairy farm. No more basketball, no more volleyball, and barely any time to hang out with her best friend, or do anything fun for that matter. From all those years of helping her brothers with workout drills, D.J. knows her way around a set of calisthenics. So when a family friend (and coach of the rival football team) asks her to train his quarterback over the summer, D.J. doesn't know exactly why she does it, but she agrees. Said quartback's name is Brian Nelson. He's got talent, he's got looks, but he's also a big whiner who blames other people for all his mistakes and isn't a fan of hard work. But he's not about to get shown up by a girl, so let the training begin.

Brian's actually not a bad guy, which complicates D.J.'s life when they're spending almost every day together. More complications ensue when she decides that what she really wants is the last thing anyone expects: to join the football team. A worthy addition to teen girl power lit. D.J. is funny, honorable, and heroic, in a rural-Wisconsin-meets-Title-9 sort of a way. Language and content is definitely on the high school side of the spectrum, but nothing all that edgy.

The Clue of the Linoleum Lederhosen

2006-09-17T22:15:00.000-05:00

Book: The Clue of the Linoleum Lederhosen (Book Two of M. T. Anderson's Thrilling Tales)
Author: M. T. Anderson
Audience: Grades 4-6
In a Nutshell: makes fun of mystery series books, and has a crazy fun time doing it

I love M. T. Anderson. Loooove him. No, we're not related, despite sharing a last name. Everything he's ever written rocks. Sometimes (make that usually) it's disturbing in some way, but so well done. The guy is twisted, but boy, can he write. Just try to say the title of this book out loud and not want to read it. Some readers may not know what linoleum or lederhosen mean, but it still sounds fantastic. The Thrilling Tales series features a trio of heroes: Katie Mulligan, Jasper Dash, and Lilly Gefelty. Katie is the star of a creepy mystery book series- think Goosebumps. The "Jasper Dash, Boy Technonaut" books were big in the 1940's, when fearless, brave and courteous Jasper fought bad guys with his crazy "futuristic" inventions, such as the Gyroscopic Sky Suite. Lilly doesn't have a book series. She doesn't realize yet that her life is not boring, so she's happy to hide in her famous friends' shadows. In the first book, the three friends saved the world from whales on stilts (hence the title: Whales on Stilts!) In this second tale, the trio try to take a vacation from mystery and the forces of evil, but no luck. They go to a mountain hideaway called the Moose Tongue Lodge and Resort, where Jasper has a coupon for free dinner. It turns out that the coupons were a fake, and many other mystery series stars were lured there by the same bogus coupon. No sooner have the guests realized the hoax then they get word that the adorable Hooper Quints have been kidnapped, and they all set out to solve the mystery. All except Katie, who really wants a vacation. But how long can she ignore a good mystery? And why is one guest always letting out bloodcurdling screams? And will Jasper survive his encounter with immunoglobulin E? The book is weird and quirky enough to appeal to readers who like weird, quirky books; if they are familiar with some of the books being panned, it gets even better. Goosebumps, The Bobbsey Twins, and any given old-fashioned horse books are just a few of the targets of Anderson's (fond) satire.

The next book in this thrilling series? The teaser in the back begins like this:

It is a land of wonders...
It is a land of mystery...
It is a land that time forgot
(or chose specifically not to remember)
It is called... DELAWARE!

How can you not love that?

I haven't gathered enough data to know if actual kids find these books as hilarious as I do, but oh well.

School's Out-- Forever

2006-09-17T22:14:00.002-05:00

Book: School's Out- Forever (Book 2 of Maximum Ride)
Author: James Patterson
Audience: Teen
In a Nutshell: kids with wings hide from crazy scientists and look for their parents

The first book was action-packed and interesting, and this one pretty much is, too. To be honest, I read this a while ago and now I'm trying to catch up on my Barker posts. Max and the other genetically-engineering flying children continue their quest for truth, parents, and blowing stuff up. Lots of action, twists, turns, betrayals, but not a whole lot accomplished in the end. But there's a third exciting installment due out in May, so stay tuned. Maybe book three will be more revealing.

The Prophet of Yonwood

2006-09-17T22:14:00.001-05:00

Book: The Prophet of Yonwood
Author: Jeanne DuPrau
Audience: Grades 4-8
In a Nutshell: find a home, fall in love, help the world

Nickie's great-grandfather just died, leaving the family's huge old mansion in the small town of Yonwood, North Carolina, to her mom and aunt. The house is so old it has a name: Greenhaven. Nickie's aunt, Crystal, just wants to clean it up and sell it as soon as possible, and Nickie comes along to help. She also has three goals of her own: 1. To convince her aunt not to sell Greenhaven so that she and her mom and dad can live there, out of the dangerous city; 2. To fall madly, passionately in love- not forever, just for now, to see what it's like; 3. To do something helpful for the world. She sees her chance to do #3 when she hears about the Prophet. Several months back, a woman in town had a fiery, frightening vision of the future, and now she's half-delirious in bed, muttering confusing things that a few prominent town members (like Mrs. Beeson) interpret and pass on as God's will to the rest of the people. With the President on television nearly every day warning of an imminent war with the extremist "Phalanx Nations," people are all too willing to believe a vision of fiery doom, and they do whatever Mrs. Beeson tells them to do in the hopes that they can prevent the coming disaster and destruction. Nickie tries to help Mrs. Beeson do good by reporting people who might have evil tendencies, but she soon realizes that it's not as easy as judging appearances and first impressions to decide who's good and who's eeevil. To mix things up, throw in a cute stray dog (good?), a new friend who loves snakes (evil?), a mysterious white-clad "terrorist" wandering the woods, and a secret message hidden in postcards from her father. Nickie reaches all three goals, but not how or when she expected.

This book was disappointing; all the more so because I love the first book, The City of Ember, and the sequel, The People of Sparks. Prophet is presented as the Third Book of Ember, prequel-style, but the connection is pretty slim. The author threw in a lot of wrap-up and tie-in facts in the final chapter, almost like she hit her page quota and resorted to summary. The story quickly gets bogged down in message and metaphor, mostly related to the current state of the post-9/11 world. Not that war, fear, safety vs. freedom, and questions of religion and who really knows God's will aren't perfectly good topics to tackle, but the approach here gets too heavy-handed. It hampered my attempt to enjoy the story and characters apart from The Lesson To Be Learned. I don't like being hampered.

Foundation

2006-09-17T22:14:00.000-05:00

Book: Foundation
Author: Isaac Asimov
Audience: High School to Adult
In a Nutshell: they're saving humanity, but they have no idea how

Sometimes I feel like a big slacker of a sci-fi fan, because there are a lot of classic novels I've never read. This was one of them. Here's the deal: Hari Seldon is the galaxy's greatest psychohistorian, meaning he can predict major events and risings and fallings of civilization based on what he knows of history, sociology, and statistics. That's right, math. Don't bother looking up "psychohistory", because the author made it up. Leave it to Asimov to imagine a universe where a math geek will save us all. That's what Seldon set out to do: through his science he sees that the gi-normous and all-powerful Galactic Empire will soon collapse, plunging the human race into 30,000 years of primitive dark ages before we recover. Seldon believes he can reduce that dark time to a mere 1,000 years. How? By setting up the Encyclopedia Foundation on a little planet on the edge of nowheresville, galactically speaking. The job of the Foundation members is to create a massive encyclopedia containing the sum of human knowledge so that it won't be lost in the dark time to come. A nice idea, but will that really eliminate 29,000 years of suffering? No, not really. Turns out old Hari Seldon had a lot more planned than just a 1,000-volume leather-bound set. The tricky part is, Seldon purposely didn't tell anyone else what chain of events would begin after the Foundation was created. So the people of the Foundation planet have no idea what they're really doing, or how it might save humanity.

The premise is very interesting, and I enjoyed the book for a while. But honestly, I got a little impatient toward the end. Like Asimov himself mentions in the foreward, the book is all ideas and talk, talk, talk. Big, exciting things do happen, but they're always "off-camera", so to speak. Only once that I remember was the point of view actually in the action. Maybe I've just been reading too many action-heavy YA books (is that even possible?!), but after a while I wanted to see the action for myself, not just hear someone talk about what just happened, or was still happening, or was about to happen. Anyway, I'm glad I read it, but I don't think I'll check out the rest of the series quite yet.

Howl's Moving Castle: The Movie

2006-09-12T19:38:00.000-05:00

Movie: Howl's Moving Castle
Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Rating: PG
Audience: Children to Adult
In a Nutshell: like the book, but with an anti-war message instead of a trip to Wales

I was a good girl and read the book first, then rented the movie. Generally I like Miyazaki a lot, and Howl's was no exception. There were definitely changes from the book, he certainly made the story his own, but I like each version for what it is. Diana Wynne Jones's original novel is more light-hearted. One could describe it as a playful romp and not be lying. The movie isn't so much "playful romp" material, although there is plenty of humor. The movie has slightly darker themes, two of them being the big bad pointless war that Howl opposes, and the danger of Howl losing his humanity to the bird creature he can change into. Also, there's no magical door to Wales like there is in the book; there's no connection to our world at all. Besides that, many characters and parts of the story are similar, if adjusted a bit to fit movie format and Miyazaki's style. Billy Crystal as the voice of Calcifer the fire demon is one of the best parts. That's one thing I'll say for Disney, which handles the English language dubbing and theatrical releases of Miyazaki's films: they do an excellent job casting the voice talents. I won't go into any more detail, but I'd say the book and movie are equally great in their own ways.

Bodies from the Bog

2006-09-03T16:46:00.000-05:00

Book: Bodies from the Bog
Author: James M. Deem
Audience: Grades 4-8
In a Nutshell: title says it all

I read this one because I was fascinated by Bodies from the Ash and wanted to see more from Deem. Lots of nice big photos of bog mummies and artifacts from Denmark, England, Ireland, and more to be found here. The author tells us about how bog mummies form and what we've learned from them so far about ancient European cultures. Were these people sacrificed, murdered, executed, or just accidentally drowned? Everyone has their opinion. At least, everyone who studies bog bodies does. And if you read this book, maybe you will too. It's visual, it's informative, it's nice and macabre. Thumbs up.

Ithaka

2006-09-03T16:08:00.000-05:00

Book: Ithaka
Author: Adele Geras
Audience: Teen
In a Nutshell: waiting for Odysseus with a few Greek gods, a few hundred nasty houseguests, and one very old dog

This is kind of a sequel, but it stands alone. The first book is called Troy. Now the battle of Troy is over, but Odysseus is still far from home. While he's off having all the adventures it takes to get an "odyssey" named after you, life at home on the island of Ithaka goes on. His faithful wife Penelope and son Telemachus still believe he's alive and coming home, but after 12 years and counting few others share that belief. The story is told mainly through the eyes of Penelope and Klymene, a girl who, along with her twin brother Ikarios, is a servant at the palace and was raised with Telemachus. The arrival of Telemachus's distant cousin, a selfish man magnet named Melantho, throws love complications out in all directions. Then dozens of nasty, rude chieftains and their men arrive to vie for the hand of Penelope and camp out in the courtyard for months, and if Penelope doesn't find a way to stall them things could get ugly. The regular narrative is augmented by two kinds of poetic interludes as Penelope unknowingly weaves on her loom the story of her husband's journey as it happens, and as Odysseus's dog, Argos, dreams and waits for his master to return.

This isn't necessarily my kind of book, but I read it for a review group and actually liked it. It's good historical/mythological fiction written from the other side of Homer's famous Odyssey, the side with the women and children, and the writing kept me engaged. The male-female relationship content gets pretty mature, though not graphic, as both the teen and adult characters are the target of Eros and Aphrodite's influences. It also made me wish I knew The Odyssey better to know how this story ties in. Not enough to actually re-read it, but good job anyway, Ithaka.

The Lathe of Heaven

2006-08-31T13:52:00.000-05:00

Book: The Lathe of Heaven
Author: Ursula K. Le Guin
Audience: High School and Adult
In a Nutshell: one man's dreams become reality- literally

George Orr is afraid to fall asleep. More specifically, he's afraid to dream. Sometimes, the things he dreams come true. Not just in a make-a-wish-and-magically-get-a-puppy kind of way. If he dreamed he had a dog, he wouldn't just wake up and find one on his doorstep. He would wake up to discover he had gotten a dog 2 years ago, and no one in the world would remember the way things used to be- no one except him. The dog thing doesn't happen in the book, but you get the idea.

George is ordered to go to a psychiatrist who specializes in dreaming, a man named Dr. Haber. Naturally, at first Haber thinks George is delusional. The good doc uses hypnosis and a machine called the Augmentor to help George dream something pleasant and hopefully break his fear of dreaming. But being aware of the content of George's dreams gives Haber the ability to remember both realities when things change. Not just that, but having control of what George dreams gives Haber the power to change the world. Like most people, he thinks he has good intentions, that he is trying to create a better world. But nothing turns out quite the way it should, and the dreams reshape history in twisted, only partly positive ways. As Haber gets closer to finding a way to take George's abilities as his own, George must stop him before so much meddling causes the world to fall apart at the seams. Very intriguing sci-fi classic about the interconnection of dream and reality, mind and matter, and the evil that lurks in the heart of man.

It's set in Portland, Oregon, which lends the story that Pacific Northwest geography I love so much. On an interesting geo-historical side note, the book was written in 1971, 9 years before the eruption of Mt. St. Helens. Le Guin mentions the beautiful peak of St. Helens several times, but it is Mt. Hood that erupts in the book's dream-altered realities.

If you're wondering where the title comes from (I know I was), each chapter begins with a quote, many drawn from Eastern philosophy, especially Taoist thought. Chapter 3 begins with this quote from Chuang Tse:

Those whom heaven helps we call the sons of heaven. They do not learn this by learning. They do not work it by working. They do not reason it by using reason. To let understanding stop at what cannot be understood is a high attainment. Those who cannot do it will be destroyed on the lathe of heaven.

So now you know. If you're wracking your brain to remember what a lathe is, here's some help:

All clear now, right?

It spins chunks of wood and shapes them into things like table legs and baseball bats. More to the point, it was probably the only power tool in existence before 300 B.C., when Chuang Tse, a.k.a. Zhuangzi, a.k.a. Zhuang Tze, etc., was thinking Taoist thoughts. If he were writing today, would he say, "those who cannot do it will be destroyed on the Black & Decker plunge router of heaven"? Who knows.

Howl's Moving Castle

2006-08-29T12:41:00.000-05:00

Book: Howl's Moving Castle
Author: Diana Wynne Jones
Audience: Grades 5 and up
In a Nutshell: a floating castle, a running scarecrow, a talking fire, a nasty witch, and some magical pink hair dye.

In the fairy tale world, the fair and virtuous maiden who gets the prince and the happy ending is always the youngest in the family. Sophie is well aware of this; as the oldest of three sisters, and a step-sister to boot, she knows that her life will be very unremarkable. It doesn't really bother her that much, and she accepts that her fate is to work hard in her family's hat shop for the rest of her life. But then, against all odds, interesting things start happening to her. The Witch of the Waste puts a powerful curse on Sophie that turns her into an old woman, and Sophie runs off and invites herself into the magical moving castle of the Wizard Howl, which roams the hills around her village. Inside she finds Howl's young apprentice, Michael, a fire demon named Calcifer who lives in the hearth, and a magical door. It opens onto one of three places in the kingdom, and one place in another world: ours. Howl himself is not as evil as his reputation claims; besides, it was a rep he started himself so he'd be a more intimidating wizard. He spends hours in the bathroom in order to look and smell nice, and his favorite pastime is getting girls to fall in love with him, then never seeing them again, but that's a pretty weak definition of evil by fairy tale standards. High school evil, sure, but there are bigger, eviler fish to fry here. Like the Witch of the Waste, who also put a curse on Howl, and it may catch up with him soon. And why is there a very persistent scarecrow following Sophie? She's an oldest daughter: what magic could she possibly have?

Howl's is a fun, energetic tale with lots of interesting characters, twists and turns, cool magic, and a bit of romance. I've been meaning to read it for years, and the anime version by Hayao Miyazaki finally prompted me to do it. I haven't seen the movie yet, but if Netflix comes through, I will tonight. More on that later...