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Nothing like a good old-fashioned family medical emergency to throw your schedule out of whack for a while. My…

*** One They said it couldn’t be done. Well, that’s not exactly true. They said it couldn’t be done by a 17-year-old girl sitting alone in her bedroom on a Saturday morning. Well, that’s not exactly true, either, since it’s not like there’s some physicist out there who specifically made that prediction—“A seventeen-year-old girl in [...]

by Terry Spear

Don't you love the cover? It's actually a picture I took of woods by a stream in Scotland. It was magical, really. And I thought it would be perfect for COURTLY MASQUERADE. :)

I loved reading fantasy when I was growing up. The world of royalty, the treachery and deceit, magical and mythical creatures. I've written several books that deal with the various worlds of a fantastical nature. In this one, it's strictly a magical world. In some of the others, I enjoyed adding the creatures that caught my imagination--centaurs, ogres, griffins, dwarves, Amazons, and a couple of my own mythical creations.

Today, most of my work is more of a urban fantasy nature--the fantastical living in our contemporary every day society. But I still love to fall into a purely historical fantastical world too. What about you?

Courtly Masquerade

Last week, I featured historical fiction author, Clara Gillow Clark, on my blog on Tuesday and Wednesday. We had a great discussion about historical fiction, and we both appreciate all your comments. This week, I am featuring YA fantasy writer, Ellen Jensen Abbott, and her book, Watersmeet. Please leave a comment below about the book or a question for Ellen for your chance to win a copy. You can also follow me on Twitter for an extra entry and/or subscribe to my RSS Feed. Just make sure to leave it in a comment that you did one of those things! The contest runs until Thursday, January 28, 8:00 p.m. CST. Now on to the book. . .

*Young adult fantasy novel
*14-year-old girl as main character
*Rating: Abisina, the main character, catches your heart from page one, and you can’t stop cheering her through her journey even after you read the last page!

Short, short summary: Abisina is an outcast in her village of Vranille because of the way she looks–no light skin, blue eyes, or blonde hair. She has dark skin and dark hair and no father around. She is only tolerated because her mother is the only healer in Vranille. She is made to feel worthless on a daily basis. Unbelievably, things get worse for Abisina when a powerful, mythic leader (Charach) comes to her village, disguised. However, Abisina can see him for whom he truly is. The villagers cannot, and they become violent against the outcasts. Abisina runs for her life, barely escaping. This starts her on a great journey to find her father and the one place where she might be accepted–Watersmeet. Along the way, she comes into contact with some fantastical creatures such as dwarves and centaurs. Her opinions of these creatures are biased because of her childhood in Vranille where these creatures are thought of as not worthy and even vile. On her adventure to find her father and who she truly is she must face her prejudices and learn to accept others as she wants to be accepted.

So, what do I do with this book?

This section is going to look a little different today because Ellen Jensen Abbott has already come up with some great activities with her teachers’ guide, and so I would love for you guys to check out her guide. Here are a few highlights from her guide:

*Questions to go with each part of the book about Vranille and prejudice, Abisina and her parents, etc.
*Reading skills practice such as comparing and contrasting Vranille and Watersmeet, making personal connections with the plot/characters, and character studies like how Abisinia is or is not heroic.
*Projects and activities like reenacting the council meeting, building a model or drawing a map of a place in the novel, or writing a scene from Watersmeet in another character’s point of view.

Click here for the complete teacher’s study guide.

Don’t forget to leave a comment for a chance to win a young adult fantasy novel that explores the themes of family, racism, adventure, friendship, and trust; and tune in tomorrow for an interview with the author. She’ll tell us where she got the idea, challenges of writing fantasy, and about a sequel in the works!

*Young adult contemporary fantasy
*Fifteen-year-old girl as main character
*Rating: If you are a fan of the Twilight series, you will love City of Bones and its sequels. Check them out now!

Short, short summary: I know why I love City of Bones by Cassandra Clare. School Library Journal said it was “Buffy-esque.” That’s good enough for me! Clary Fray’s life changes when she is at a nightclub with her best bud, Simon, and she sees three tattoo-covered teenagers kill another teen, who then disappears. This immediately puts her into the world of the Shadowhunters (humans who kill demons), and she soon finds out that she has some Shadowhunter blood, too. Her mother, Jocelyn, is missing because she is the only Shadowhunter who knows where the Mortal Cup is, and a powerful Shadowhunter named Valentine wants it at any cost. This is all new to Clary, who had her memories erased when she was young, and she is quickly introduced to this new “magical” view of New York City by Shadowhunter teenagers: Jace, dreamy and mysterious; Isabelle, beautiful and graceful; and Alec, broody and the only homosexual character in the book. Twists and turns happen in every chapter, and teen fantasy lovers will enjoy this first book of the series.

So, what do I do with this book?

1. Teens will most likely read this book at home or as part of an independent reading assignment. One of the activities they can do is compare and contrast themselves with one of the characters: Clary, Simon, Jace, Isabelle, or Alec. All of these teenagers in the book have strengths and weaknesses that readers can relate to. Students could write several journal pages while reading as they get to know the characters better.

2. The setting of City of Bones is present day New York City. Could this book take place in another city? Does it matter that it is New York? Ask students to think about this question. If they think this novel could take place in another large city such as Los Angeles, ask them to write or discuss how this would change certain plot points. Why do they think Cassandra Clare chose New York City for the setting?

3. Why is City of Bones believable even though it is fantasy, or is it? Ask students to debate or write about this question. Does Cassandra Clare stick to the rules of her fantasy world? What are some of the rules? Why is this important when writing fantasy?

Have you read City of Bones? What did you think?