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Mull, Brandon. 2008. Fablehaven: Grip Of the Shadow Plague.

On a muggy August day, Seth hurried along a faint path, eyes scanning the lush foliage to his left. Tall, mossy trees overshadowed a verdant sea of bushes and ferns.

The third in the series, Fablehaven: Grip of the Shadow Plague continues the story of Kendra and Seth Sorenson, an unforgettable brother-sister team that (along with several 'responsible' adults including their grandparents) enjoys spending their summer vacations fighting in the ultimate battle between good and evil. If you haven't read the first two in the series, you should definitely do so. (That is if you love fantasy.) I enjoyed the first two. I really did. But this third one is even better--if that's possible. Every page was a pleasure. I didn't want to put it down.

For those that are familiar with the series, expect more of the same. But for those unfamiliar with Brandon Mull's fabulous series here's what you can expect. Adventure. More adventure. Danger. Action. Even more adventure. Some mystery. Some intrigue. Some surprises. If you love action, adventure, and mystery, then Fablehaven is definitely for you!

What's the third one about? Well the subtitle of "Grip of the Shadow Plague" says it all. Book 2 closes with the family securing--saving--Fablehaven, doesn't it? Does it? The traitor, Vanessa, has been captured and imprisoned in the Quiet Box. The Sphinx has taken away the other prisoner--the one who was released from the Quiet Box--and all seems to be well. But then if you remember Kendra discovers a note implying or suggesting that the Sphinx is not who he appears. That he is in fact the bad guy though he's been masquerading as one of the good guys--one of the top good guys--for decades and decades. The third book explores that claim and seeks to solve that mystery once and for all. But that doesn't even begin to capture what the third book is about. It is exciting. It is intense. It is good.

471 pages

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Pfeffer, Susan Beth. 2008. The dead & the gone. (June 2008)
The dead and the gone is the much-anticipated follow up novel to Life As We Knew It. Though the characters and setting are different--New York not Pennsylvania--the terror and uncertainty of future days is the same. Our narrator is Alex Morales, an older teen (perhaps 17?), whose world is about to be turned upside down. While there was set up in Life As We Knew It, the dead and the gone begins with the BIG event. Wednesday, May 18... At the moment when life as he had known it changed forever, Alex Morales was behind the counter at Joey's pizza, slicing a spinach pesto pie into eight roughly equal pieces. (1). Of course, at that moment, Alex doesn't know that. He's just your average teen. His mom was a nurse called into work that evening unexpectedly. His dad was out of the country attending the funeral of Alex's grandmother. His older brother, Carlos, is away from home and in the Marines. Thus when the calamity happens, it is on Alex and Alex alone to protect his family--his two younger sisters--and begin the fight for their ultimate survival.

In Life As We Knew It, no matter how bad it got, Miranda, the narrator, could relax a bit. Her mom was there for her and her brothers. Her mom was there to tell her what to do. There to make a plan. There to support her, comfort her, and yes, at times to annoy her. But Alex, Briana, and Julie. These three siblings have to face the unknown alone. It's not that they're completely alone, the dead and the gone introduces the element of faith and community in the midst of disaster, but without parental guidance, support, and love. Imagine being that age when the world starts to crumble. When the volcanoes and epidemics start. To know that the world will never be the same again. To know that if humanity is to survive this at all, it will be only a few, only the strongest, only the bravest. There is no safe place anymore. There is no reassurance, no promise of a better day, a brighter day. Now imagine being the caregiver of not one but two younger sisters. Sisters who'd fall apart without you. Sisters who are depending on you, trusting in you to provide for them, to protect them. Alex bears a heavy burden. Not only is he fighting for his own survival, he's fighting for the lives of his sisters.

As for his parents, his extended family, his friends and neighbors and classmates, too many are listed as "the gone" their final fates unknown in this captivating companion novel. While Life As We Knew It showed the private battle of one family for survival, the dead and the gone captures the story of a neighborhood, a community. I'm not sure whether to be surprised or not, but one thing that intrigues me is the element of faith and religion in this novel. When so many elements of society are falling apart, are crumbling, the Catholic church is strong and resourceful. They're not abandoning their flocks. They're a place where the faithful can come to rally, to rebuild their strength, regain their focus. They are actually providing for the needs of others. It's not that they're selfless. But they haven't forgotten the message of Christ either. They are living out the compassion of Christ who said...in this world you will have trouble, but I leave you my peace. That's what I see their mission as in some ways, caring for the physical and spiritual needs of the faithful. They can't stop the bad things from happening, they can't "solve" any problems. But they can be there, they can provide solace and peace for those who feel so downtrodden, so troubled.

Those who have read Life As We Knew It, will know that this is an intense novel. That it will leave you cold and hungry and a bit anxious of full moons. The dead and the gone is a companion novel to Life As We Knew It, but it stands alone. You don't need to have read Miranda's story to embrace this one. Alex's story is just as intense, just as strong, just as captivating, just as memorable. However, I would encourage everyone to go ahead and read Life As We Knew It in the months leading up to the release of the dead and the gone. There are so many memorable scenes, memorable passages that whether you read the book or listen to the audio, it is sure to haunt you.

You may read my review of Life As We Knew It here and here.
You may visit the author's blog here.
Other reviews of the novel are here, here, here, here, and here.

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I first grabbed this book off the pile at work because of the cover. Being married to a skater means that our family life is surrounded by things skateboarding related. Also, a good skateboarding story by Gutman would serve well at my school. Is this book about skating? Not-so-much.

Jimmy and his buddies (and little sister) are all on a plane, heading for California and the X-Games. Jimmy, David, and Henry (a.k.a. the woodpushers) are going to skate around and try to find sponsorship....or at least some free gear. Jimmy can't wait to get there. Not that he's scared to fly, but he just feels better on the ground.

Before they can get too far, the unthinkable happens. Terrorists are on the plane, hijacking it with plans on crashing. They quickly kill a stewardess and breech the cockpit. Jimmy can't believe it. His worst nightmare is happening, and the only other people on the plane are a bunch of old ladies heading to a knitting convention. They boys, with the help of hot stewardess Arcadia, put a plan in action to take down the terrorists.

The plane does end up crashing, and the boys, Jimmy's little sis Julia, Arcadia and one of the old women (Mildred) survive. But how will they end up surviving in the woods of the Canadian wilderness?

Now, I have never been a tween boy, but if this is what tween boy fantasies are like, then wow! This is a fast-paced adventure story that necessitates suspension of belief. Quite a bit happens in the week time period, but I won't pretend that I wasn't entertained. I just think that it's important to know that despite the cover (with a big gaff concerning the placement of the trucks on the skateboard pointed out by aforementioned husband) this is a survival story...not a skate story.

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So, you can imagine that part of my impetus to read Life As We Knew It was the shiny arc of this title showing up at work.

The time frame is the same, but this time the setting is NYC and the Morales family's experience of the meteor.

With Papi missing in Puerto Rico, and Mami missing from a hospital in Queens, Alex is the head of the family. He has Bri and Julie to take care of, but he is sure that this is just a glitch, and that his plans of Georgetown and the Presidency may well come to fruition.

Alex is a kid who knows that there are a couple of different NYCs. He is, after all, on scholarship at his school, and some of the boys never let him forget it. He doesn't wonder too much when money loses its' value, and he and schoolmate Kevin turn to body shopping in order to provide what each of their families need.

Somehow I thought that the story told from NYC would hit me harder. I found myself persnickety about facts like feet above sea-level in my borough, and a certain lack of terror that surely would have taken place.

I wonder if it is the lack of first person narrative that led me to yearn for the feeling of Life As We Knew It. That said, however, The Dead and the Gone does several interesting things. I love the way that Pfeffer built the disparity between social classes so easily into the plot line. Rich families do not experience the losses that Alex and his family do. Folks that exist in a perpetually clean NYC do not have to see the filth of the dead, do they? This is a reality of NYC. People who live here have incredibly different existences, one could say solely because of income. Also, I enjoyed the difference between the country and city post apocalyptic experiences.

These books really make readers wonder, "What would I do if...?"

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This is a book that I have been meaning to read for a while. I do love a good dystopia title, but for some reason this was slow to come to the top of my pile. Jen kept telling me to read it. I should have listened sooner.

Frankly, Miranda is a bit sick and tired of hearing about the meteor and the moon. She knows the meteor is scheduled to hit, and understands that it is a big deal, but do all of her teachers need to give assignments involving the event?

Well, it turns out that this meteor is the biggest thing to happen to Miranda's life. All of a sudden, there she is with her mom, her little brother, and neighbour Mrs. Nesbitt, at the supermarket. They are loading up with everything they can think of that they might need to survive. With the moon out of its' traditional orbit, everything changes.

Readers follow Miranda's family and their post meteor months through Miranda's diaries. The unthinkable has happened, and now they are trying to deal with human nature in the worst circumstances. Extreme weather, plague, and no electricity are only some of the things they face.

This is a riveting, and somewhat terrifying read. As a mother, I would like to think that I would be as organized as Miranda's mom. I love the fact that Miranda is flawed...she is 16 after all. It was so interesting to see how she and her friends dealt with the situation in completely different ways. I cannot wait to read Pfeffer's follow-up The Dead and the Gone.

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"Here is my life the day I became paralyzed. I was fifty-one, married with two sons, one in college and an eight-year-old at home, living in a big house in West Los Angeles, and pursuing my so-called craft as a writer of television specials and documentaries." 

That's the opening of Allen Rucker's memoir, The Best Seat in the House, a book about a freak medical condition that left him paralyzed after an afternoon nap.

Rucker spent most of his writing career toiling away in television and film, and has lifetime of writing craft to share--but today, he teaches us how to survive personal disasters and keep writing.

Rucker is our guest this week in my deceptively simple feature, Five Easy Questions. In the spirit of Jack Nicholson's mad piano player, I run a weekly set of quality interviews with writing pioneers—delivering some practical, unexpected advice about web writing.

Jason Boog:
Your book is about recovery, following the process of getting to where you could write again after you were paralyzed by the rare disorder, transverse myelitis. Among other things, it's a handbook for learning how to write despite anxiety, depression, and difficult situations. What is your advice for young writers swamped by life?

Allen Rucker:
Anxiety, depression, and difficult situations are, as often as not, why you write in the first place, or at least why you write the ubiquitous form of first-person memoir writing prevalent today. Continue reading...

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DeSaix, Deborah Durland and Karen Gray Ruelle. 2007. Hidden Mountain: Stories of Children Sheltered From The Nazis in Le Chambon.

In Southern France, there was one place of refuge that Jews could find safety--relatively speaking in World War II--a place where the people had open hearts and minds. A place where "loving your neighbor" was actually applied daily. This mountain of refuge was Le Chambon-sur-Lignon. Every village and farm on the mountain, every family, did their part in the rescuing of Jews. They provided food, shelter, schooling, and compassion for children and teens. Hidden Mountain is the story of some of those children and some of those rescuers. The authors recorded many interviews, spent countless hours talking with witnesses, gathering invaluable primary resources, creating an important legacy for us all. Much of the book is told through these oral histories, lightly edited, and the rest is thoroughly researched accounts/summaries that provide key background information. The book is well-researched; it's informative; it's interesting.

Prologue

Imagine having to leave your home suddenly, with only one small suitcase and no more. Imagine being told that you can't say goodbye to your friends, and that you have to leave behind your pets and all your treasured possessions. Imagine walking out of your home, not knowing if you'll ever see it again.
Now imagine that your parents are more frightened than you've ever seen them before. You've seen terrible things, and you're frightened too. Imagine that your parents are powerless to protect you or even themselves.
Maybe you and your family have to board a train, along with huge crowds of other people, and travel far away. Or maybe your family has been torn from you and you are all alone. You have no idea where to go or what will happen next.
Many children in Europe had just those experiences during World War II. Many of them died. But some children were lucky, and they found a safe place to hide while the war raged on around them. Several thousand children were sheltered in the little village of Le Chambon-sur-Lignon and the surrounding area in southern France. In this book, we tell the true stories of some of these children. Each one came to Le Chambon on a different path from a different place. Each one found a safe haven among the inhabitants of the plateau. Each one has a different story.

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Taylor, Peter Lane and Christos Nicola. 2007. The Secret of Priest's Grotto: A Holocaust Survival Story.

I love a good Holocaust story. Especially if it's a true Holocaust story. The Secret of Priest's Grotto is a nonfiction account of how several families in the Ukraine survived the Holocaust by hiding for more than one year in underground caves. The book tells two stories. One of the stories is how Taylor and Nicola came to be researching and exploring the cave. How the men discovered that this cave had once housed Jews during World War II. Once that discovery was made, the search was on to find the survivors. To see if any of them were still alive. To see if their history could be recorded and preserved. The survivors were found. They were interviewed at length. And their stories were shared. The second of the stories is how the Jews came to find the cave(s), how they fought to survive, what life was like underground, etc. The stories are told together, bit by bit. Each one is interesting. Each one is important. I liked the behind-the-scenes approach to research. How it detailed the steps, the tiny steps, along the way finding a great story. I think it is important to show all the journey along the way. Not just the final destination. History can really come alive that way when it is at first a puzzling mystery. But the legacy--the oral history--of these survivors is amazing. One of the survivors had written an account in the seventies to preserve the family's history. And of course there were new interviews as well. Anyway, the story is incredible. And it is very nicely done. The pictures in this book--both from the past and present--are fascinating. Overall, I recommend this one highly.

http://www.geocities.com/cnico.geo/homepage/newindex4.html

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The first time I read Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer was last fall--late October, early November--it was not "winter" yet, but it was after the first frost. I remember curling up in bed and getting colder, and colder, and hungrier and hungrier. I read it at night. In one sitting. And of course, I dreamed about being cold, hungry, and afraid. And all throughout the next day, I kept thinking about their frantic grocery store trip. Of course, if you HAVEN'T read Life As We Knew It you haven't the foggiest idea of what I'm talking about. You can read my first review here.

Imagine waking up one day to find that everything had changed practically over night. All over the world massive destruction due to one natural disaster after another. And what if there was no way to turn back the clock. To wake up knowing that each day will be worse than the one before. No electricity. No phone service. No gas or oil. Limited food supplies. What is there left to hope for? How would you live your last days?

Meet Miranda your personal guide through this terrifying adventure.

The second time I "read" it, I listened to it on audio book. The narrator is Emily Bauer and I just have to say she did an incredible job giving Miranda a voice. From the beginning chapters where Miranda is your typical teen--a bit shallow, a bit whiny, a bit superficial--to the earth-shattering, life-changing depths that Miranda takes on as her character changes day by day, hour by hour. I thought the text was haunting to read, but it is even more haunting to listen to the story unfold. Emily Bauer was believable as 'Miranda' from beginning to end. That isn't always the case with audiobooks. Typically, I don't bother with audiobooks. For one thing, I read very fast. Audio just slows me down. (Not that I'm following along with a book, like those kiddie records waiting for the bell to ding.) But I am so glad that I made an exception for Life As We Knew It. It was beautifully, beautifully done. It was slower, but in some ways that made it even better. The words were able to sink in fully. The situations, the circumstances, the characters seemed to resonate more with time. Since it took about a week--maybe a week and a half--to listen to the seven discs (or is six???), I found myself lost in the story...thinking about the characters all the time. It was more emotional, more intense. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that this was my second time to read it. The first time I was too concerned about finding out what happened, too caught up in the plot to really savor each and every page fully.

Anyway, I can't recommend this one highly enough!!! And there will be a companion novel to Life As We Knew It. So we can get even more perspectives on this terrifying catastrophe.

Hint: If you want to read this one yourself, you should definitely check out her blog. Especially the post that says "Another One Dusts the Byte"

http://susanbethpfeffer.blogspot.com/

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How do you survive the tough times as a writer? What do you do when you feel, ironically or un-ironically, like the "Leave Britney Alone!" YouTube girl who channeled her frustrations into a hysterical video about a pop star, and you beg the world to Leave This Writer Alone?

No matter how over-worked or beat-down you feel, you must pick yourself up and write again. That's our job. Over the weekend, a couple readers shared their thoughts about how to survive the tough times.

Jurgen Wolff had this advice: "For me, one of the best strategies is to have several different kinds of projects going at once...I try to keep at least 3 or 4 projects going at different stages--usually the 'downs' of one will be balanced by the 'ups' of another."

Richard Grayson had a simpler solution: "I steal."

Finally, over at the MFA Blog, , M. Ramirez Talusa reminds us to relax, especially as we prepare for critical readings or reviews. Dig it: 

"I would definitely recommend not stressing out too much so that you don't end up feeling too emotionally spent afterward. I tend to use the week before workshop as a fun week... I take a break that week so that I approach the workshop enthusiastically." 

 

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Wilson, N.D. 2007. Leepike Ridge.

Let me just say this right up front. It had me at hello. Seriously. Could there be a better first sentence?

In the history of the world there have been lots of onces and lots of times, and every time has had a once upon it.

But it continues.

Most people will tell you that the once upon a time happened in a land far, far away, but it really depends on where you are. The once upon a time may have been just outside your back door. It may have been beneath your very feet. It might not have been in a land at all but deep in the sea's belly or bobbing around on its beck.

Does this book not cry out to be read?

Thomas Hammond is an eleven-year-old boy who is about to take part in a very exciting, very dangerous accidental adventure. When he goes on his night-time stroll, he never expected this to happen. What is the this? Well, let's just say that his idea to float on a foam "raft" from the refrigerator packaging was not his brightest or his best. He was upset. He was bored. And I suppose a part of him did want to get away from it all. After all, who wants their mom to get remarried to a guy like Jeffrey Veatch...but he wasn't trying to run away, and he certainly wasn't planning on almost drowning...and getting lost in an underground cave in the mountains. But what's done can't be undone. You can't wake up and have it all be a dream--a bad dream--though Tom certainly tries. Leepike Ridge is an exciting mystery, a survival novel. One that will keep you hooked until the very last page.

Yes, I loved, loved, loved this one. I loved the style. I loved the characters. I loved the pacing.
I will definitely be recommending this one over and over again.

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If I learned one thing through reading Alas, Babylon it is this: never doubt your best friend and her taste in books. When your best friend tells you to read a book, read the book. You won't be sorry. But the truth is, I learned many things from reading Alas, Babylon.

Alas Babylon is set in 1959 in a small, rural community in Florida. In the days leading up to the Day, the day of great nuclear disaster where most major cities and all military bases were attacked, only a few people know the end is coming. One of them is Randy Bragg. Warned by his brother, Mark, who is in the military that danger is very near and extremely life-threatening, he begins to prepare for the worst and to welcome his brother's family into his own home. He may have known, but he couldn't have prepared. Not enough. How do you prepare for a disaster of such catastrophic proportions? All surrounding areas in Florida--most of Florida in fact--has been bombed. It no longer exists....not in any meaningul life-sustaining way at least. The whole state has been zoned contaminated. But this one town survived the initial attacks. But it will take teamwork and organization to survive the effects of that awful Day. With no new deliveries of food and supplies, how long can this one town survive?

You might think that reading this book would be depressing, but surprisingly enough it isn't. It is just as much about the resilience and strength of the human race as it is about the destruction of civilization as we know it. It is only in times of great struggles that human character is shaped and defined. This Day defines and redefines the community as each one person learns what they're truly made of.

My favorite parts of the book:

I liked how the Day redefined the librarian and the library. Before the Day, she felt discouraged and alone. No one in town was interested in books. Interested in reading. Of particular note, she points out that no one liked going to the library because the library didn't have enough money for air conditioning. But now, after the Day, the library is one of the central places in town to not only survive but to thrive. It is now the "best place" in town to be. People not only use it to learn, but reading is one of the few pastimes still possible. No cars (extremely limited fuel supply). No tvs. No radios. Limited supply of alcohol and tobacco. The librarian also becomes the record-keeper for the community.

I also enjoyed the several brief mentions of armadillos. For example, it mentions that since people have stopped driving, the armadillos main threat to survival has ceased...and the population is growing at unbelievable numbers. But soon these little ugly guys have a new worry: the people discover they are a tasty treat.

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Roxie and the Hooligans
Author: Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Illustrator: Alexandra Boiger
Publisher: Aladdin
ISBN-10: 1416902449
ISBN-13: 978-1416902447

Recommended for grades 2-4

Roxie Warbler is 9-years old, happy at home and miserable at school. Her uncle Dangerfoot, world traveler, adventurer and companion to the famous author and fellow adventurer Lord Thistlebottom has inspired her with his wild adventure stories of survival in the oddest of situations. Lord Thistlebottom’s book, Lord Thistlebottom's Book of Pitfalls and How to Survive Them, Roxie has committed to memory. It’s almost a bible to her. Unfortunately, the book doesn’t explain how to deal with Helvetia's Hooligans, the gang of four mean kids at her school that pick on her unmercifully because of her big, pink, cup shaped ears.

One day the Hooligans chase her into a dumpster and follow her tumbling into it. The dumpster gets taken away and Roxie and the Hooligans end up trapped on a desert island with some very scary robbers and it’s up to Roxie and her survival skills to help get them food and water, off the island and safe from the robbers.

Roxie and the Hooligans is a marvelous book for young children just starting to read chapter books. The story is fast-paced and the character of Roxie is completely both loveable and believable. You really find yourself cheering her on. It’s also a great book for children who have to deal with bullies. We learn in the story that the bullies are all too human and that there is a reason for their meanness.

The book is also a good one for sharing by reading aloud – it will keep adults engaged as well as delight the children. The illustrations in black and white are completely wonderful, whimsical and fun.

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