The King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner. 2006. HarperCollins. 400 pages.
The queen waited.
The King of Attolia is the third novel in Megan Whalen Turner's series. The first two are The Thief and The Queen of Attolia. If you haven't read the first two books, you probably should skip this review.
Costis, one of our main narrators, hates the new King of Attolia. He is loyally serving his Queen. But. The thought of serving his new king, an Eddisian, well he hates it. Not that he's one of the men trying to sabotage Eugenides. He's not putting sand in his bed or his food. He's not releasing the hunting dogs while the King is walking by. But that doesn't mean he's completely innocent. He does do something in the heat of the moment that could just be his undoing. But Eugenides has plans for Costis, and they're not plans to harm him oddly enough. These plans will bring him even closer to the King, make him part of the inner circle. What is he to think of all this? What is he to think of this new king?
I was fascinated by this one. It is very different from The Thief and The Queen of Attolia. I liked Costis. I liked seeing the story through his eyes. Eugenides seems even more mysterious if that's possible! It's an exciting read with political schemes, adventures, intrigues. I love seeing Eugenides all grown up! In some ways he has changed so much from when we first met him. I definitely recommend this series!
© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews
Behind the Curtain: An Echo Falls Mystery
by Peter Abrahams. HarperCollins. 2006. I don't remember where I got my copy; probably the library. This review originally ran at the The Edge of the Forest.
Ingrid Levin-Hill, the mystery solving middle school student from Down The Rabbit Hole, returns in this sequel. This time around, the intrepid Ingrid finds herself in the middle of a mystery or two when she wonders about her brother's Ty moodiness and her new business associate that may be putting her father's job in jeopardy. Ingrid does what she does best – takes action! – and soon finds herself the victim of a kidnapping attempt. If only she knew who was behind it.
Behind the Curtain is a great mystery; there's no ghosts and the mysteries are ones that affect Ingrid, her friends and family – possible illegal steroid sales, shady business deals, a suspicious soccer accident. Ingrid remains a real treat; she's resourceful, gutsy, and hardworking; but she's also been known to sleep late and goof off in class.
Sixty years ago, Nancy Drew had the freedom to solve mysteries because Mom was dead and her father indulgent; Ingrid's freedom comes from two working parents. Yes, they love her; yes, the care about her; but there are bills to pay, jobs to keep, houses to sell; and while Ingrid is scheduled (soccer practice, play rehearsals, sleepovers) she also has the freedom to bike around town. Her parent's inability to pick her up on time is a running joke, allowing Ingrid the opportunity to sneak into janitor's offices and overhear suspicious things, all while still being chauffeured by Mom or Dad.
This is the second book in the Echo Falls series; and both books have stand alone mysteries. Yet, it's not all open and shut; Ty's odd behavior, the basis for one of Ingrid's investigations, was first mentioned in Down the Rabbit Hole; and Behind the Curtain does leave some questions unanswered, such as what exactly did Gramps do in the war? And why are so many people eager for the family to sell the farm? Is a new strip mall or McMansion development that important? I can't wait for the third book to find out what Ingrid is up to next – and to see if any of these questions get answered.
Edited to add: Book Three is Into the Dark (Echo Falls Mystery)
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© Elizabeth Burns of A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy
By:
Becky Laney,
on 2/16/2010
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Just In Case. Meg Rosoff. 2006. Random House. 250 pages.
David Case's baby brother had recently learned to walk but he wasn't what you'd call an expert.
David Case has been coming undone bit by bit since the birth of his baby brother. Not that his parents have noticed. But when his baby brother nearly falls out of a window, David loses it completely. Instead of realizing that he's lucky. Lucky to have been there. Lucky to have noticed. Lucky to have stopped this tragedy in the making. He feels doomed. Hopelessly doomed. Like Fate has it in for him. Like it's just a matter of time until something horrible happens. Haunted by Fate, David Case reimagines himself. Creates a new identity. Justin Case. Maybe by "being" someone else, dressing like someone else, acting like someone else, he can outwit Fate. For example, David Case is not athletic. At all. But Justin Case? Well, he just went out for the track team. He's learning that he can be good at it too. The running. It may just enable him to run away from Fate all together. (Or can it?!)
Our narrator is very strange. And yet for some reason I found Just In Case to be a compelling read. (You can find a sample chapter here.) It's a strange book, and you might have to appreciate the strange in order to like it. But I think this one works for the right kind of reader.
© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews
Romeo's Ex: Rosaline's Story. By Lisa Fiedler. 2006. Henry Holt. 256 pages.
Such a season as this one Verona hath ne'er known. It is the year of our Lord 1595, summer.
A fervent heat has settled upon the city, baking the trodden dirt in the market square. I am comforted only by my own whimsy: the belief that in such heat, all manner of magic is possible, for men cannot think straight, and women dream chilly dreams. In the orchard, the defeated fruit falls to the warm grass, and the smell of it is lush and dangerous.
Equal to the heat is the hatred in which the city simmers; 'tis a selfish conflict begun long before this summer. A feud so great that it has carved a chasm of anger, like a moat, around the city of Verona.
What did I think of this retelling of Romeo and Juliet? I liked it. In fact, I really liked it in some places. (There were only a few places here and there where I didn't like it.) The story is told through multiple narrators. We've got Rosaline as our main narrator. But we also get sprinklings of Tybalt, Benvolio, Mercutio, and Romeo. (Juliet is not one of our narrators. Though through Rosaline's portions, we do hear from Juliet in dialogue.) Fiedler introduces a few twists to Shakespeare's story. And I won't begin to tell you about all of them.
Who is Rosaline? Well, she's the young woman that Romeo is sick with love over at the beginning of the play. He just can't understand why Rosaline would ever turn him down. Why did she turn him down? Well, for a couple of reasons really. One, she wants to be a healer. She wants to learn, to get an education. Two, she thinks Romeo "loves only with the eyes" and that his love is not love at all. Three, she just doesn't believe all that much in love and marriage.
I honestly didn't know what to expect from this one. But as soon as I read this bit from Benvolio's narrative, well, I knew it would work out well.
A man approaches. The pale glow of sunrise surrounds him, glinting off his hair. But e'en the breaking dawn cannot brighten this fellow's general aura of gloom.
No wonder. 'Tis Romeo.
Romeo here, in this veiled grove, accepting the morning as it spills in slanted ribbons of light upon the leaves, refracting the joy of it in his own despondent prism.
Romeo is sulking. Romeo is heartsick.
Romeo is nothing if not predictable. (31)
Love is in the air that summer. Will Rosaline have a change of heart? Will she have the happily ever after denied to her cousin, Juliet?
Even if you're not a fan of
Romeo and Juliet, you might enjoy this one.
© Becky Laney of
Becky's Book Reviews
God Gave Us Christmas by Lisa Tawn Bergren. Illustrated by David Hohn. 2006. Waterbrook Press.
Mama and Little Cub are back for another adventure in God Gave Us Christmas. (They also star in God Gave Us You, God Gave Us Two, God Gave Us Heaven, and God Gave Us Love.) In this holiday picture book, Little Cub, inquisitive as ever, asks who invented Christmas. At first, Little Cub is convinced that Santa had to be the one who invented Christmas. After all, he is the one who brings all the toys. But Mama Bear lets Little Bear know that Christmas is all about God. The two, in fact, set off on a journey to see how God gave us Christmas. By looking at His creation, Little Bear soon accepts that God's gift is amazing. This is enthusiastic Christmas tale starring a lovable bear family.
© Becky Laney of Young Readers
Merry Christmas. Susan K. Leigh. 2006. Concordia Publishing House. (Board Book)
This little board book is just right for your little ones at Christmas. It tells the real story of Christmas in simple sentences. It is very Jesus-focused. (Something that I just love, love, love!) Here's how it starts off:
Christmas is here.
Christmas is Jesus' birthday.
Jesus is the Son of God.
The Bible tells us about Jesus.
I love the simplicity of it. Yet at the same time I love how much substance there is. Each sentence says something important, something significant. If you're looking to share a non-Santa message with your little ones to prepare for Christmas, then this one might work for you.
© Becky Laney of
Young Readers
Prevost, Guillaume. 2007. The Book Of Time. Translated into English by William Rodarmor. Scholastic. 224 pages.
Sam is a young boy who's about to stumble into a great adventure. Curious about his dad's mysterious disappearance, he is snooping around his dad's bookstore--he specializes in antique and rare books--he discovers a secret room. And here the adventure begins, when Sam accidentally finds himself shuffling through time. Each destination he finds himself in turns out to be dangerous. Some locations the danger is immediate and obvious, but at other times, it takes a while for the action to begin. He's not quite sure what he's doing. And he definitely has no clue how to travel where he wants to go. He just knows that this time travel business has something to do with a statue and something to do with round coins with holes in the middle. He also has more than enough clues to guess that his father is a time traveler and that he's somehow been trapped in his travels. Sam takes it upon himself to save his father. To master this time travel thing, find his father, and save them both. Can he do it? What do you think? If you guessed that all that would be impossible in just one book, you'd be right. This is the first in a series. I'm not sure how many books there will be. But I do know there are at least two books.
How do I feel about this one? Well, it's incomplete in some ways.
Semi-
S
P
O
I
L
E
R
It's an obvious first-book-to-a-series, we have more setting up than actual action. That's not quite true, we do see some action. We see Sam discovering time travel. We see him shuffled to four different locations not including his two trips back home. We see him discover 'the book of time' and work on solving this riddle with his cousin, Lily. But we don't really reach a true climax of the action. We're still working on the rising action when the book ends. What we have is an interesting premise that hasn't really fully been presented. It's enough to give the reader an idea if they want more though.
The books were originally published in France.
© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews
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Myers, Walter Dean. 2006. Jazz. Illustrated by Christopher Myers. Holiday House.
This week I'm in with a review of a poetry book/picture book entitled Jazz. I just love the cover. How about you? There's something so vital about it, so expressive. Which gives you just a glimpse of what the book has to offer readers. The book presents jazz as a living, vital, emotional experience. About as far from boring as you can get! The book is a collection of fifteen poems. And they're good. My personal favorite is "Jazz Vocal." A poem that is just perfect for Valentine's Day.
"Jazz Vocal"
by Walter Dean Myers
A sultry love song, sassy as a summer day,
goes dancing from my heart and fills my mind
with such sweet things to say,
Like I love you oh so much
and I tremble when you touch my hand.
Can you understand?
Or can't you really see
what your beauty does to me
and your every word to me is my command?
It's our song. Our love song.
Can you hear it just beginning
Or am I just imagining those precious sounds?
it's a warm night, and much to my delight
my heart beats like a cool jazz bass,
making a special place for us to follow
as we walk on the edges of a dream
or is that horn man painting the edges of a love moonbeam?
Are those chords the heart of reason
or is this just the silly season to fall in love?
The melody and beat are blending
to a happy-ever-ending for you and me.
It's a love song. A sultry love song. All right.
The book includes a glossary of jazz terms and a time line.
© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews
Reeve, Philip. 2006. A Darkling Plain. (The Hungry City Chronicles #4). HarperCollins. 559 pages.
Theo had been climbing since dawn; first on the steep roads and paths and sheep tracks behind the city, then across slopes of shifting scree, and up at last onto the bare mountainside, keeping where he could to corries and crevices where the blue shadows pooled.
I don't know if A Darkling Plain was all that much longer than the previous three books in the Hungry City Chronicles, or if it just felt like it. The book is a direct sequel to Infernal Devices. In many ways this is where it all happens, where it all goes down. All the books leading up to this point, this big showdown between warring powers. More action, less set-up. And action is good, right? But here's the thing, I personally liked the less climatic but funnier books which set this one up. That's just me.
There are so many characters--some we've known all along like Stalker Grike, Tom Natsworthy and Hester Shaw; others are newer to us like Wren Natsworthy, Fishcake, and Theo; some have been renamed like Lady Naga; others are completely new. (And let's not forget my personal favorite, Pennyroyal). And the plot is so complex. I'm not even going to try to go there. Needless, to say the "fate" of Earth is to be decided upon in this final book in the Hungry City Chronicles.
I will spend a few minutes, however, trying to convince you that you should read the series for yourself. I liked this series for the most part. The characters were well done. No character was all good or all bad. Most of the 'bad' guys had something about them that made them just a smidgen likable. If not likable, at least understandable. I don't know about you, but one of the things that drives me crazy is when bad guys are bad for no reason. When writers fail to develop these villainous characters, when they expect us to buy into the idea that they're evil incarnate pure and simple and without any humanity at all. The characters are complex. And that's a good thing. No where is that truer than in the case of Hester Shaw, a true love-to-hate, hate-to-love mess of a character. We're conflicted because she's conflicted. The characters are also memorable. Good, bad, or somewhere in between, I don't think I'll be forgetting Pennyroyal or Grike anytime soon. I liked the humor. Yes, this was serious end-of-the-world type drama, but there were enough purely funny moments that it was a delight to read. Mind you, I wouldn't want to live in this world! Bad things can and do happen. The books also had plenty of action and drama. I'm not all-about-action, I'm more character driven than plot driven...but I know plenty of readers who want fast-moving plots--action and adventure and danger and the like. This book had it and then some.
© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews
Anderson, M.T. 2006. The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing: Traitor to the Nation: Volume 1: The Pox Party.
Let's see...what can I say about Octavian Nothing. It's an award-winning book--winner of the National Book Award, winner of a Printz Honor. It's historical fiction--set in the Colonies right before the American Revolution. It's more literary than your typical teen book--it's heavy in semicolons and rich in detail.
So what is so astonishing about the life of Octavian Nothing? Many things. Many many things. For starters, he's a slave who doesn't quite realize he's a slave. He has little inkling just what he is...or who he is. Who is he? He's a human experiment. He's being studied to determine if Africans are inferior (or equal to) to Europeans. Everything about him is being observed and measured. He's been given the finest clothes, housed in a luxurious way (at least comparatively speaking), taught to play musical instruments, taught in a classical way--learned in many diverse subjects including English, French, Greek, and Latin. He is a child who had a very strange, very odd, very out-there upbringing. Who is raising him the members of the College of Lucidity. Strange men who are fascinated by science, math, philosophy, art, music, etc.
There are several events that change everything for Octavian. That turn his whole world, his whole life, his very being upside down and inside out. Through the course of the book, Octavian goes from a privileged boy who is clueless about the oppression of slavery to a full-grown man who has experienced the oppressive wrath and cruelty of his masters. A man who now longs for freedom.
Even that isn't quite a fair assessment of what this book is about...of what it has to offer readers.
I can't promise you that you'll love it...or even like it. You may, of course, respond that way. But this is a book that requires you to be engaged, to connect emotionally and intellectually with the text. It's a book that requires you to wear your thinking cap.
It's a book that I'd love to use for my Reading With Becky google group. I haven't gotten any response from that group yet whether they'd be interested. But I *do* hope that I can sway some to read it. If you're interested in reading this as a group, come and join the group (there's a box in the sidebar; or email me at my google address also in the sidebar)...let's make this happen :)
© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews
Root, Phyllis. 2006. (2008 Paperback). Looking for a Moose. Illustrated by Randy Cecil.
Before I read Looking for A Moose, I admit that I never thought it could be that fun to look for a moose. But this playful (and repetitive) book has made a believer out of me. The fun Root has with language is contagious. Really contagious. Here is how it begins, "Have you ever seen a moose--a long-leggy moose--a branchy-antler, dinner-diving, bulgy-nose moose?" "No! We've never, ever, ever, ever, ever seen a moose. And we really, really, really, really want to see a moose." So these four kids (and a dog) go on an adventure to search one out. Do they find one? You'll just have to read for yourself and see! It's fun, you'll just have to trust me on that.
I thought the illustrations were great. I loved the tone and colors of the book.
Dines, Carol. 2006. The Queen's Soprano. (Released as paperback in 2007).
Set in seventeenth century Rome during the rule of Pope Innocent XI, The Queen's Soprano is the story of Angelica Voglia, a young woman, a talented woman, who ultimately ended up taking refuge in Queen Christina's court when it became too dangerous for her to remain with her own family. At the time, women were forbidden by the Pope to sing in public. For a woman to take the stage--no matter how talented--would be the undoing of men. Even women singing sacred songs--religious ones--led men to feel "lustful" thoughts or so the Pope's argument went.
Angelica's story is simple really. She's just a young woman who wanted to sing, who loved to sing, who couldn't imagine going through life without singing. She didn't want to entangle men. It was her mother's crafty plans to use her voice to ensnare a rich husband, a noble husband. Angelica didn't want that, didn't need that. She wanted someone to love, yes, but not be possessed by someone she didn't love, could never love.
The Queen's Soprano is rich in detail. Angelica's story is fascinating especially in the realization that this--while fiction--is based on a true historical figure. What we actually know of her we learn from Queen Christina's records. Of course fiction has been blended in as well. But still it makes for a good read, an enjoyable read.
For those that love historical fiction, I'd definitely recommend this one.
© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews
By: Jennie,
on 12/31/2007
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First off, if you want to waste some time by seeing what happens when LOLcats take on Presidential Politics, check out Ron Paul Can Has Cheezburger? After all, the American Dream is for every person to have a bukkit of their own...
Anyway, it's the last day of 2007, so let's talk about all the books that I read in 2006 and haven't talked about yet. La la la la la la la la.
First off, a book I really, really loved.
CHERUB: The Recruit Robert Muchamore
James can't catch a break. His mother is awful (and a major dealer in stolen goods) his sister's father isn't any better. Then he gets suspended for fighting in school and his mom dies.
Enter CHERUB. Founded over 50 years ago, CHERUB is a division of MI5--British Intelligence. No one ever suspects a kid, so that's who they send--kids.
James will be a spy and receive a top-notch education, but only if he can survive the training period.
And then, if he does, the real work begins.
A fun and gripping adventure story, I'm really looking forward to reading the rest of the books in this series...
College Girls: Bluestockings, Sex Kittens, and Co-Eds, Then and Now Lynn Peril
This is a well-done, not overly academic look at the history of women's high education. It's a pretty balanced account with a lot of pull-out boxes about various aspects of female college life and lots of "Femorbilia" looking at different items marketed to the college girl. I especially enjoyed the "College Girls Book Shelf"-- a running thread of literary treatments of college girls throughout history.
I Am the Messenger Markus Zusak
I liked this book.
Ed is a slacker cab driver with no future. After foiling a bank robbery, he starts to recieve playing cards with messages on them.
With nothing to lose, he starts following them, discovering problems to be solved, some are easy and heartwarming, such as a church with no congregation and some are dangerous and chilling, like a woman being raped every night by her drunk husband.
Through solving these problems, he starts to find direction in life.
Zusak is an awesome writer. It's about as different from
The Book Thief as can be, but that just shows his range.
White Is for Magic Laurie Faria Stolarz
A fun guilty-pleasure type read.
Stacey has nightmares about people being murdered--nightmares that have an awful habit of coming true. It's been a year since she saved her best friend last year (in the first of the series,
Blue Is For Nightmares. Now the target of her nightmares is... herself. Luckily, she's a witch with an arsenal of spells to help her find the strength and courage she needs.
I couldn't put it down, but I also have no desire to read the rest of the series. The spells felt really, really hokey.
Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic Alison Bechdel
This is a graphic novel memoir of small town America, literature, coming out, and family secrets.
It was really, really good, but the amount of literary allusion and quotations got old after awhile--that aspect was a bit overdone.
Mermaid Park Beth Mayall
Amy hates her family--her jerkwad of a step father, her perfect sister... so she is very much not looking forward to a long weekend on the Jersey shore at her mother's godmother's motel.
But, she finds a boy, and a waterpark of mermaids. (A forbidden waterpark of mermaids.) She talks her mother into letting her stay for the summer, and talks her way into a job at Mermaid Park, unraveling a few family secrets along the way.
A perfectly lovely book, although it didn't stay with me for long.
By Christine Mix
Bookslut has an article on titles from 2006 which have been challenged. Read the article by Chris Zammarelli for full details of what happened with these challenges.
The Well by Mildred Taylor
"...removed from an elementary school reading list for Black History Month in Absecon, NJ because of a racial epithet used in the book...."
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
The mother of a high school freshman in Annapolis, MD asked that it be banned because of its mature themes.
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
The superintendent of the Judson School District Board, San Antonio, TX ordered the book taken out of the advanced English curriculum when a parent complained it contained sexual and anti-Christian content.
Vamos a Cuba by Alta Schreier
Cuban exiles requested Miami-Dade School Board, FL ban this children's book because it portrayed an unrealistic portrait of life in Cuba. School board member Frank Balanos had the book pulled from classroom shelves, although the book stayed in the library.
Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
Laura Mallory spent much of 2006 trying to get Harry Potter banned from Gwinnett (GA) County Public Schools because of its theme of witchcraft.
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
Parents of students at Apalachee High School in GA had an edition of Lord of the Flies removed because it contained an essay by E.L. Epstein that commented on the rape-like nature of the pig-slaying scene.
Beloved by Toni Morrison and eight other titles
Board member Leslie Pinney in Arlington Heights, IL called for such titles as Toni Morrison's Beloved and Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five to be banned because of their obscene content.
Sex Kittens and Horn Dawgs Fall in Love by Maryrose Wood and nine other titles
The Hernando County (FL) County School Board removed 10 titles from the library's book order, including Sex Kittens and Horn Dawgs Fall in Love by Maryrose Wood and The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver. School board member Sandra Nicholson requested the titles removed because they contained offensive language.
The Learning Tree by Gordon Parks
Fleet Belle of the Mobile County (AL) school board requested The Learning Tree be removed from LeFlore High School summer reading list because of its offensive language and sexual content.
The Joy of Gay Sex by Charles Silverstein and Felice Picano
The Nampa (ID) Public Library Board voted to retain The Joy of Gay Sex, but ordered the book and 60 other books about sex be placed on the top shelves on the library.
And Tango Makes Three by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson
Some people in Shiloh, IL and Charlotte, NC objected to this children's book about two male penguins raising a baby penguin because, well, it's about two male penguins raising a baby penguin. It's based on the true story of two male penguins at the Central Park Zoo.
What's Eating Gilbert Grape? by Peter Hedges
The superintendent of Carroll (IA) Schools pulled Peter Hedges's What's Eating Gilbert Grape? from a class about books made into movies because a parent complained about an oral sex scene in the book.
Take the Banned Book Challenge. Watch for details to be posted here next week.
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I love, love, love these books. I've read all 3, and they are just made of awesome. :)
Aren't they great? I still have to read the third one.
I thought the 3rd one was a little darker than the first 2, but I still loved it.
Have not read any of this series ... something I tend to correct shortly. I love a good mystery and one that does not depend on paranormal stuff to engage the reader. Thanks for sharing. As always a wonderful review.