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Swift Rivers. Cornelia Meigs. 1932/2004. Walker. 288 pages.
It was the summer that Chris Dahlberg was seventeen that he mowed the high meadow alone for the first time.
I can't say that I LOVED Swift Rivers. But I can say that I did enjoy it--most of it at least. I checked it out from the library not really knowing what to expect. My plan was to give it a chapter or two to see if it was even something I wanted to read. And it was. Chris Dahlberg is a great hero for an adventure story. After his parents' death, his Uncle became responsible for him. But this responsibility didn't include love and respect. Chris works hard day after day after day with no one to really appreciate him. Since the Uncle absolutely HATES his father--Chris' grandfather--when Chris decides to leave home for four days to check on his grandfather, the Uncle forbids him, warning him that if he leaves he shouldn't bother coming back. For he'll never, ever, ever welcome him back into his home. Knowing that the grandfather is getting older, knowing that there must be a reason why he didn't come to help the mowing this year--like he has every year since he can remember--he makes his decision. He just has to see if his grandfather needs help. He needs to see if grandfather is ready to make it through the winter. The uncle is true to his word, but that doesn't turn out to be such a bad thing. For Chris and his grandfather and a helpful neighbor or two come up with an idea. It's a bit of a risk, it's not really been done before, but if it succeeds, it will be the start of something big. Chris and his grandfather are determined to enter the logging business, to cut down trees, and float the logs down the river, etc.
Half of the novel is the adventure of the logs-down-the-river. How this journey changes Chris. So it's a coming-of-age adventure story set in the 1830s. It's an industrious novel--one that focuses on men hard at work. It's a dangerous job that requires focus and skill and determination.
I liked this one because I liked Chris. I didn't necessarily love all the descriptions of river rafting. But even though I wasn't loving each and every page, I still enjoyed it for the most part.
The Trumpeter of Krakow. Eric P. Kelly. 1928. 208 pages.
It was in late July of the year 1461 that the sun rose one morning red and fiery as if ushering in midsummer's hottest day. His rays fell upon the old city of Krakow and the roads leading up to it, along which rolled and rocked a very caravan of peasants' wagons.
Don't judge a book by its cover. Or, at least don't judge this book by its cover! For appearances can be deceiving, The Trumpeter of Krakow is anything but boring! It's an exciting adventure story with elements that reminded me of some great fantasy novels! (It stars an alchemist and his "student" who is obsessed with finding the philosopher's stone.)
The Charnetski family has come to Krakow seeking protection. The father (Andrew Charnetski) has relatives in the city, and he's hoping to find sanctuary there until he can have an audience with the King (Kazimir Jagiello). But when he arrives, he learns that his relative has died--been murdered--and that the rest of the family has fled. Knowing that his family is in great danger--especially if the man seeking to prevent him from entering the city comes back to cause trouble--he returns to the market to think out his options. Joseph, the son, happens to rescue a young woman from an attacking dog, and in doing so wins the gratitude of her uncle. An invitation is extended to Joseph and his family, and lodgings are arranged. Around the same time, Andrew meets an important man in the city, Jan Kanty, who listens sympathetically and offers great advice. Sell your horses and your cart, change your name, and become the trumpeter in the tower of the Church of Our Lady St. Mary. Andrew is happy to follow this advice closely. He even teaches his son to play the trumpet hymn (Heynal) that is to played four times every hour. There is a story about this hymn, and a legend of sorts about a trumpeter. Readers learn of this at the very beginning, for it is set several centuries before this adventure even begins.
There is never a dull moment in The Trumpeter of Krakow. For there are the neighbors above and below to keep things interesting. The most interesting, perhaps, being the alchemist, Kreutz, he is the distracted uncle of the grateful girl, Elzbietka. He has a student, Johann Tring, a young man that makes many--including Joseph and Elzbietka--nervous. The two--in varying degrees--are obsessed with finding out the secret of how to make gold, fascinated with the philosopher's stone. The niece feels that Tring is a bad, bad influence on her uncle, and that Tring is leading her Uncle into dangerous territory.
And of course, never for a minute forget that this family is being pursued. Why? Well, the family DOES have a secret, they have something in their possession that drives people mad, something that people are willing to kill to have.
The Story of the Amulet. E. Nesbit. 1906. 228 pages.
First Sentence: There were once four children who spent their summer holidays in a white house, happily situated between a sandpit and a chalkpit.
I believe that this is the final adventure of Cyril, Robert, Anthea, and Jane. The first adventure, Five Children and It, and the second adventure, The Phoenix and the Carpet, were both delightful. The novel has a sad beginning. Their father is off to Manchuria to be a war correspondent, and their mother and Lamb are recovering their health in Madeira. (Their mother has been sick, Lamb has not.) They have been left in the care of Nurse, they have been left in London.
One of the children has the idea that if they leave the house and go explore the city--on their own, with proper permission, of course--that it would cheer everyone up. And that works, in a way. For in their exploring they discover an old, old friend of theirs. Someone that they'd not seen since that oh-so-magical summer. Yes, the four children happen to find Psammead caged up and for sale in a shop. Of course, they have to rescue him. And he is thankful--to a certain extent. But though he may be grateful to be out of the shop, out of the cage, he does NOT want to become a toy for the children, a wish-granter. But not wanting to be completely mean and unsociable, he tells them of an amulet with magical powers. This amulet is also for sale, and if the children purchase it, well, they can have their heart's desire.
Sound too good to be true? Well, if they want their heart's desire they are going to have to prove themselves worthy--or clever. For the amulet they buy is only half of the magical charm. They'll have to find the second half of the charm and the pin that binds these two together in order for this charm to grant their heart's desire. What good is half a charm? Well, it's still plenty powerful! Especially if you like to travel through time! For this amulet--when magical words are spoken, when held in a certain way, in a certain direction, becomes a doorway to the past. The children can step through the amulet to the past on their quest to find the missing half.
And these time travel adventures are fun! They go to Babylon, Egypt, Tyre, Atlantis, etc. Will they ever find the missing half? Will their amulet ever be whole? While the four children may have slightly different ideas on how to go about the quest, they agree on what their wish will be, they know their heart's desire.
I enjoyed this one. I've enjoyed all three of the books very much. I'm so glad that I decided to read E. Nesbit!!!
The Search for Wondla by Tony DiTerlizzi. 2010. Simon & Schuster. 477 pages.
Eva Nine was dying. The tiny scarlet dots on her hand mirrored the glowering eyes of the snake that had just bitten her.
I didn't love The Search for Wondla. I'm not even sure I liked it. One of the reasons it didn't quite work for me was that the ending left me unsatisfied. I wanted to shout at the book, "That's not an ending!" Then again, maybe it's not fair to judge a first book in a series by the ending.
Eva Nine, our heroine, may just be the last human on the planet. She has spent her whole life underground in Sanctuary. She was raised by a robot--albeit a robot with a mothering program built right in. (Muthr is always, always nagging Eva Nine to do this or that. Little things like picking up her room, etc.) When the novel opens, Eva Nine is in the middle of a test to determine if she's ready to live Sanctuary and venture into the real world above ground. Her muthr isn't convinced that she is ready. But she's going to give her one more chance, if Eva Nine doesn't improve, well, they may just have to go back to the basics.
Six Basic Survival Skills for Humans 1. Trust technology 2. Signal others 3. Find shelter 4. Create fire 5. Procure food and water 6. Know first aid
But ready or not, Eva Nine may be forced into the cruel, ugly world of unknowns. When someone breaks into sanctuary--destroying it in the process--Eva Nine is forced to flee the only home she's ever known. She is taking a few technological items with her, like her Omnipod, but what she soon discovers is that NO technology can protect her now, keep her safe, or guide her. The whole world--the whole planet--is unknown.
But Eva Nine won't be on her own for long, though her companions are not human--not even close.
The Search for Wondla is a blending of so many genres and subgenres. It's both science fiction and fantasy, in my opinion. It's an adventure story--a survival story. And of course it's one big mystery. Where is Eva Nine? What planet is she on? How did she get there? Is she really, truly the last human? Where did all these species come from?
The world Tony DiTerlizzi created is interesting. At times I found it confusing, I had to keep telling myself to keep reading and that it would start making sense eventually if I just read long enough. And that worked, for the most part. It helped when I decided the confusion might just be intentional. Eva Nine, our heroine, is thrust into a world that is completely foreign to her. She doesn't recognize any of the trees or plants. She doesn't recognize any of the life forms. These creatures--animals--speak in their own languages. She doesn't know what's dangerous and what's safe. She's completely out of her element.
I am sorry to hear you didn't like the book. I have not read it yet and now I am not sure I will. I had the opportunity to meet Tony at a book even in Kansas City. I really enjoyed him. Thanks for sharing.
The Boy at the End of the World. Greg van Eekhout. 2011. Bloomsbury. 224 pages.
This is what he knew: His name was Fisher. The world was dangerous. He was alone. And that was all.
I definitely enjoyed Greg van Eekhout's The Boy At The End of the World. If you like survival stories or action-adventure stories or post-apocalyptic stories, then this one may be for you. Fisher, our hero, is truly the boy at the end of the world. There's a good possibility that he's the only human left on earth. At least the only human awakened from his pod. And if the other arks on earth look like Fisher's, well, the world could be in trouble.
But he's not completely alone in the world. He's guided by a robot, Click, and together they set out on a journey. To find other arks--other survivors, perhaps, and to put as much distance as possible between themselves and the bad guys--the evil robots that have destroyed Fisher's ark. (Not that it was *his* ark. But the ark that housed his pod.)
The Boy at the End of the World is imaginative. The author has created quite a world--an unfriendly world--for our hero to try to navigate. Some of the creatures that have evolved or survived-long-enough-in-the-world-to-evolve are quite interesting. (Though they take some getting used to perhaps.) I did enjoy this one. It was a quick read with plenty of action and suspense.
Your review makes it so interesting to read! Greg van Eekhout's The Boy At The End of the World" the type of books I usually.. Can't wait to grab a copy.. :)
The Throne of Fire. Kane Chronicles #2 Rick Riordan. 2011. Hyperion. 464 pages.
Carter here. Look, we don't have time for long introductions. I need to tell this story quickly, or we're all going to die.
The sequel to Rick Riordan's The Red Pyramid. Once again it is narrated by a brother-sister team, Carter (14), and Sadie (13). These two were raised apart and they're only now getting to know one another. But surviving dangerous situations one after another after another has helped these two bond a bit. Though they still bicker over who gets to tell what as the story unfolds. In this adventure, the two are looking to piece together the Book of Ra (it is in three sections, each hidden in a secret location). They're hoping the Book of Ra will help them resurrect Ra, a retired Egyptian god. A god they're hoping will be strong enough to help them defeat Apophis. And to add to the pressure, they only have a week to do it.
I'm not a big fan of how this one is told. Of how the book(s) are being recorded on audio, of how both are hoping that by sharing their stories other magicians will step forth to help the two battle the forces of evil and save the world.
And I'm not a big fan of the alternating narrators. It's not that I dislike either Carter or Sadie. It's just that I feel if it was told by one character, that maybe just maybe I'd connect more with the story? I'm not sure if it's the way the story is told or if it's just the story itself.
While I'm mentioning all the little things I didn't quite love, let me focus on the "romance." For me. It distracts from the story. To have Carter DROP EVERYTHING because he discovers the location of a certain someone?! To leave the saving the world to his sister and her friend just so that he can find her, "save" her, and maybe just maybe see if she feels the same way about him as he does about her?! I mean when I got to that section I was like YOU'RE KIDDING ME?! HE'S REALLY GOING TO DO THAT? And I felt the same way when Sadie left Carter--earlier in the novel--to go London so she could celebrate her birthday party with some friends. I mean the world is ending in less than five days and instead of finding a way to STOP it from ending, you want to party?! And Sadie's interest in Anubis and Walt?! It felt weird to me. Not necessarily her having crushes on them both. But on either one being even remotely interested in her in that way. I mean she *just* turned thirteen. And Walt is sixteen. And Anubis--well he's a god, and she's human. I thought the book had more than enough drama without Carter and Sadie being distracted by puppy love.
So what did I love? Well, I loved how compelling the second half of this novel was. I mean once the action starts, it STARTS. And it's hard to put it down once it starts getting good. Once things start to come together, I wasn't distracted by the things that didn't quite work for me. I just had to keep reading; I had to know what happened next.
The Throne of Fire has action, adventure, and drama. Also mythology--Egyptian mythology--of course.
I ordered five copies of this but will have to wait until school is over to read this. The alternating narrators didn't work for me. Have to see how it goes.
You're not the first person to mention the romance thing, though the other review I read mentioned it was because of Carter and Sadie's ages that it bothered them.
I liked it well enough, but agree it's just not the best Riordan has to offer.
Thanks for the review. I bought this book, and not knowing there was a prequel, so I haven't read it yet. I was hoping my son would read them first. But now I'm wondering if that's a great idea or not. Maybe I should read them both first.
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. C.S. Lewis. 1952. HarperCollins. 256 pages.
There was a boy called Eustace Clarence Scrubb, and he almost deserved it. His parents called him Eustace Clarence and masters called him Scrubb. I can't tell you how his friends spoke to him, for he had none.
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is one of my favorite, favorite books. There are seven books in the Chronicles of Narnia, this is the third. Yes, third. For there is NO other way to read the books then in their proper order: The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, Prince Caspian, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, The Silver Chair, The Horse and His Boy, The Magicians Nephew, and The Last Battle.
This third adventure stars Lucy and Edmund Pevensie and their cousin, Eustace Scrubb. These three are transported to Narnia--much to Lucy and Edmund's delight and Eustace's horror and disbelief--through a magical painting. Lucy remarking one day that the ship in the picture looks Narnian, that those waves look like they're moving. Once on board this ship, they meet King Caspian. They join him on his quest to find his father's missing friends, these "seven lost lords": Lord Bern, Lord Octesian, Lord Restimar, Lord Rhoop, Lord Mavramorn, Lord Revilian, and Lord Argoz.
The book is a series of adventures; these adventures being loosely tied together by their one mission, one quest, of discovering the fate of these seven lords. They are NOT out to save the world, NOT out to save Narnia from a dark and evil threat. They are adventuring for the sake of adventuring. They are facing risks, yes, because they are curious and brave and loyal. But they are not facing risks because there is evil lurking and threatening to destroy everything they know and love. Why mention this? Well, if you saw the movie, you might have gotten a different idea of their adventures.
What do I love about this one? The characters and the stories! I love to see how Eustace is turned into a dragon. I love, love, love how he's restored and healed by Aslan. That scene being oh-so-magical! (And the movie? Well? They don't quite capture it the way the book did. They changed things throughout.) There are so many elements that I just loved in this one! Lucy "helping" the invisible dufflepuds, Dark Island and the albatross, etc. And then, of course, there is Reepicheep!!!
So do I recommend this one?! Yes!!! How did I feel about the movie? Well, there were places I enjoyed it. But they rearranged things; they changed things; they added and subtracted. And there were a few scenes that just felt tedious. (The big scene that is supposed to be the climax; the big battle). But it was a beautiful movie. It was compelling even if it was different. Were the changes necessary? I'm not convinced they were. Especially how they felt the need to add conflict and tension between the characters--when there wasn't any in the book. But it wasn't a horrible adaptation.
I agree with you. Although I enjoyed the movie, it couldn't compare with the movie in my mind. And the reason I like this one is, as you said, they're looking for adventure because they can, not because "Narnia depends on it." I thought there were a couple of nice additions to the film, but there was a lot that was glaringly obvious that it had been tacked on by an inferior storyteller - it just wasn't the same.
I haven't seen the movie version yet, but I really want to. I haven't read the Narnia series in ages, not since I was a kid (Maybe 7 years old?), so my perception of the stories has been tainted by the Hollywoodized movie adaptations and my lack of memory of the books themselves I'm afraid.
I haven't seen the movie version yet, but I really want to. I haven't read the Narnia series in ages, not since I was a kid (Maybe 7 years old?), so my perception of the stories has been tainted by the Hollywoodized movie adaptations and my lack of memory of the books themselves I'm afraid.
I read the book as a young child but enjoyed it more when I read it recently. The movie was pretty enjoyable but, like you said, not a great translation of the book.
Nice blog. I also have this one http://bestseller-books-reviews.blogspot.com What do you think about a LINK EXCHANGE? Send me a mail [email protected] See for your reply. Bye. Richard
cool review and i love the cover ( i mean who dosn't like Dragons). i hope you will enjoy my blog as much as i enjoyed yours. :) Paper Dolls - Teen and Tween Book Reviews
In Too Deep (The 39 Clues #6) Jude Watson. 2009. Scholastic. 206 pages.
The sound of rushing water filled Amy Cahill's ears. If she kept her eyes closed, she could imagine she was standing under a beautiful tropical waterfall. Unfortunately, she was hiding in an airport bathroom.
The mystery continues to unfold as this brother-sister team (Amy and Dan) search the world for the remaining clues. In Too Deep brings us to Australia. We're introduced to several new characters--Isabel Kabra and Uncle Shep--and mysteries--how is Amelia Earhart connected to their clues?
But the search for clues isn't all that is occupying their minds. No, Amy is starting to have flashbacks, have memories, of the fire that killed her parents. And she's not sharing these with her brother, Dan. Can Amy's memory help them know who to trust now?
In Too Deep isn't my favorite of the series. But. I'm still happy to continue on with the series.
Peter and the Sword of Mercy. Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson. 2009. Hyperion. 528 pages.
From the prologue: Charlemagne, Conqueror of Europe, knelt before the stone altar. He was seventy, but with his reddish beard and full head of hair, he looked much younger. From the second prologue: Queen Victoria lay dying. From chapter one: James Smith, surrounded by a throng of home-bound commuters, climbed the steep stairs leading out of the South Kensington Underground station.
This is the fourth novel in the series. The first three are: Peter and the Starcatchers, Peter and the Shadow Thieves, and Peter and the Secret of Rundoon. This fourth book is set twenty years after Peter and the Secret of Rundoon. This one bridges the gap between these newer books and the original book Peter Pan. Wendy, Molly's daughter, is one of the main characters.
So what is it about? Lord Ombra is back. Again. This time he is possessing the body of one of the Prince's advisors, Baron von Schatten. And he's working with some cruel people. And he has a plan. A BIG plan that is very bad news for the few remaining Starcatchers (and their allies, like the four "lost boys" who returned to England). Of course, if he succeeds it's bad news for everyone. Once Molly has been kidnapped, it is up to Wendy to find her way to Peter and find a way to save the world.
I liked this one. I didn't love it. I think I am just tired of this villain. It had action and adventure. It was a good fantasy, with fairies and mermaids. But it didn't thrill me. Perhaps if I'd read it closer to the others, then I'd be more enthusiastic. But. Every book doesn't have to be thrilling.
Beyond the Grave: The 39 Clues #4. Jude Watson. 2009. Scholastic. 192 pages.
If Amy Cahill had to list what was wrong with eleven-year-old brothers, their habit of disappearing would be numero uno. Or maybe the fact that they existed in the first place. And then there was the whole burping the alphabet thing...
The search for the 39 clues has taken this loosely-supervised brother-sister team to Egypt. How much trouble can Dan and Amy get into while exploring tombs, shops, and museums? Quite a bit as you might guess.
Beyond the Grave has a good bit of substance--much more than I was expecting. Dan and Amy explore their feelings about their grandmother Grace's death. They talk about her. They talk about what she meant to them. About the memories. About the legacies. I know an adventure book that explores emotions! I wasn't expecting that either. But I must say I liked seeing the human side of the team.
There is plenty of action and adventure within this fourth adventure.
The Sword Thief (The 39 Clues #3). Peter Lerangis. 2009. March 2009. Scholastic. 160 pages.
They were toast. Amy Cahill eyed the battered black duffel bag rumbling up the airport conveyor belt. It bulged at the corners. The sign above the belt said THANK YOU FOR VISITING VENICE! RANDOM PIECES OF CHECKED-LUGGAGE WILL BE SEARCHED in five languages. "Oh, great," Amy said. "How random is random?"
The search is on in this third novel in the 39 Clues series. Amy and her brother, Dan, are still pursuing the clues with the "supervision" of their nanny. But things aren't getting off to the best of starts. And these two might just have to trust one of their enemies--a family member of course--if they're to continue in their quest. Will trading secrets with one another be enough motivation to stay a team for a whole clue? You'll just have to see for yourself.
I actually liked this one better than One False Note. I'm not quite sure why. (It could be a timing issue. It could be I knew more what to expect since I'd just read the second book.) While I don't love this series, while I don't even really like this series, it does have a few good things going for it. The books are short. The books are well-paced. They're packed with action and adventure and mystery. And for the target audience--kids--I think the series has plenty of appeal.
One False Note. Gordon Korman. 2008. Scholastic. 160 pages.
The hunger strike began two hours east of Paris.
One False Note is the sequel to Rick Riordan's The Maze of Bones. In the first book, readers are introduced to Dan and Amy Cahill. These two children are just two of the people who accept the strange challenge set forth in Grace Cahill's will. They are just part of the mad clan dashing frantically around the globe trying to unearth the family secrets and piece this puzzle together. Time matters. Loyalty does not. Can any person be trusted?
In this second adventure, the two are trying to puzzle out how Mozart figures into the family secret. Where is the clue hidden? And why do they need to go to so many boring--at least boring-to-Dan--museums to solve the mystery?
I'm not the biggest fan of this series--well the two I've read so far. But I am not the target audience for this one. I think they are quick reads. I think they're well-paced. I think there is enough action and adventure and mystery involved to keep readers reading. (At least if readers are initially hooked.)
I agree with you on this one--I read the first but none of the others (I wanted to get a flavor for it, but I wasn't that interested in finding out what happens!) But they've done really well with the target audience, and I do like the way they tapped different authors to write the different volumes; maybe that way the kids will look at other books by that writer. It does create a problem for where to put them in the library though! It seemed to me that enjoying that series means also playing along with the games on the website, something that didn't interest me but I'm sure is a big hit with the tweens.
The Phoenix and the Carpet. E. Nesbit. 1904. 224 pages.
It began with the day when it was almost the Fifth of November, and a doubt arose in some breast--Robert's, I fancy--as to the quality of the fireworks laid in for the Guy Fawkes celebration.
The Phoenix and the Carpet is the sequel to Five Children and It. It stars Robert, Anthea, Jane, Cyril, and Lamb. (Though Lamb isn't a big star in the novel, he does manage to steal a few scenes in this one!) If you thought the magical adventures for these children were over--now that they've returned to the city and are far from their Psammead--you'd be wrong. (The Psammead is the "It" from the previous book.) For the delightful-sometimes-dangerous adventures are just beginning. After an "accident" in the nursery ruins the carpet, the carpet is replaced with a magical one. And this magical carpet holds another secret--for within it was an egg. Not just an ordinary egg. No, the Phoenix hatches from this egg--once another "accident" lands it in the nursery fireplace. The children now have THE Phoenix and a magic carpet--so you see the adventures are just beginning. Do you think these children are any wiser this time around? Do you think their wishes will lead them into trouble? Or into trouble that they can't think themselves out of?
Some of my favorite passages:
On this particular Sunday there were fowls for dinner, a kind of food that is generally kept for birthdays and grand occasions, and there was an angel pudding, when rice and milk and orange and write icing do their best to make you happy. (52)
and
Mother was really a great dear. She was pretty and she was loving, and most frightfully good when you were ill, and always kind, and almost always just. That is, she was just when she understood things. But of course she did not always understand things. No one understands everything, and mothers are not angels, though a good many of them come pretty near it. The children knew that mother always wanted to do what was best for them, even if she was not clever enough to know exactly what was the best. (73)
There were many things I loved about this one. I loved the trouble that comes about when the wishing carpet makes its own wish--and brings back one-hundred and ninety-nine Persian cats. Of course, that is only the start of that particular mishap...
I also LOVED Lamb's scenes in this novel. In particular when this little one crawled onto the wishing carpet and started babbling. The carpet, of course, understands all languages--even baby ones--and Lamb and the carpet vanish. This puzzles the children, how will they get their baby brother back?! How can they ever explain to their mom what happened?! I won't tell you how this one resolves, but I just loved it!
I loved this one. I don't know that I love it any more than I do Five Children and It. I just know that I love E. Nesbit. I love her narrative style. I love her descriptions. And I am so very thankful I've discovered her! And I'm looking forward to reading more of her books.
Have you read any Nesbit? Do you have a favorite book? Which do you think I should read next?
Ryan and Regan Resnick were sure their lives had been ruined forever.
Yesterday I reviewed Trapped, the first in the Prometheus Project series by Douglas Richards. Captured begins six months after the close of Trapped. And it follows the adventures of this brother-sister team as they continue to explore an underground alien city. (Their parents--both brilliant scientists--are part of this secret project too.)
One night Ryan and Regan decide to have a sleepover in their parents' lab. (They want to skip the boring-to-them dinner party their parents are hosting.) When they awake, they learn that everyone on the project--well, everyone in the secret-city--has been captured. The alien leader--an escapee from prison--is unaware that there are two children on the loose. Can these two children save the adult members of the team? Can these two children defeat the alien threat?
I enjoyed this one. It may not be the most sophisticated book ever written. But it sure is entertaining. And is it really any more unbelievable than the series books I was reading as a kid? Not really. I think both books would be a good introduction to the science fiction genre for the younger crowd.
Trapped (The Prometheus Project #1) by Douglas E. Richards. 2010. (May 2010). Paragon Science Fiction. 192 pages.
Ryan Resnick sat on the floor of the attic and examined the contents of yet another cardboard storage box in the dim attic light--a magnifying glass, a pair of high-powered binoculars, an old phone and various picnic supplies. He shook his head and frowned.
Ryan and his sister, Regan, are two bright children, for the most part. After overhearing their parents talk about their secretive jobs--a conversation that oh so conveniently mentions passwords for the security system--curiosity gets the best of them, and these two decide to sneak into their parents' workplace to find out the truth. At first they are just looking for the real reason why the family had to move across country on such short notice--just six weeks. Especially since their parents have always refused other job opportunities saying that they were happy to stay put. But the truth is bigger than Ryan and Regan can imagine.
What is the Prometheus Project? Well, you'll have to read and see for yourself...
I liked this one. It was a quick read--a fun read. If I'd read this one as a kid, I'm sure I would have become a science fiction fan at a much younger age!
The Sign of the Beaver. Elizabeth George Speare. 1983. Random House. 135 pages.
It took me less than an hour to read this Newbery Honor book. What did I think about it? Well, it's flawed for one thing. With its use of words like "savage" and "squaw" etc. to describe American Indians. (One of the things that I noticed throughout was the broken English used by the Indian characters.)
The book stars a young boy named Matt. He's twelve or thirteen. And his father has left him in the family's new cabin in the wilderness of Maine. His father needed his son's help in building the cabin and planting the corn. And now he needs his son's help in "protecting" this new home while he returns to his family to bring back his wife and daughter.
Should Matt have been able to survive on his own? Maybe, maybe not. Certain circumstances come about leaving Matt's survival in question--his gun is stolen, much of his food is destroyed. Fortunately, there are a few local Indians who go out of their way to befriend the young boy. Through the months as he waits for his family to return, Matt slowly but surely sees Attean--the Indian boy--as a friend, a true friend, almost a brother. There are layers of distrust and hatred--on both sides--that must be overcome for this friendship to work. That doesn't mean Attean trusts white men. That doesn't mean Attean is happy that white settlers are moving onto his people's hunting grounds. That he is happy to be moving because of all this "progress."
One of the interesting aspects of this one is that Matt shares with Attean Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe. He reads--albeit an edited version of the tale--aloud to him. Matt's commentary--his observations--on Robinson Crusoe are interesting--to me. His little asides, his little realizations. His friendship with Attean lead him to question (though perhaps not drastically enough) his favorite book. Though Matt has his flawed moments--he is meant to represent (I believe) a thinking person.
The novel is flawed in my opinion. I think readers should think about the way Attean is presented, how he is portrayed. To consider that this is Matt's story, his perspective. And that Attean's story would be different.
He opened Robinson Crusoe at the first page and began to read. I was born in the year 1632, in the city of York....He stopped. He remembered suddenly how the first time he had tried to read this book he had found that first page so dull he had come close to giving up right there. He had better skip the beginning and get on with the story if he wanted to catch Attean's attention. "I'll read the part about the storm at sea," he said.
I read this one when I was much younger. I had forgotten that I read it. I remember liking the descriptions of trapping and hunting. And didn't they read Robinson Crusoe?
I think this is a wonderful portrayal of someone from that time period coming to a realization that is different from that of his society/generation. What other words than savage and squaw were these white settlers using at that time? I've read this book several times with both my boys and have found it to be an incredible story both have enjoyed very much (my older son talked about it for years) and great for discussions.
The disclusion of or "tossing of" books like this from curriculum and libraries is the equivalent of banning books, imho.
I totally disagree with that first article you posted. It's a bunch of political correctness, which I have no time for. It also pulls the reverse racist card in saying an author can only write about their own race.
Of course, I don't agree with pretty much anything that goes on in today's educational system. PC-ism being only one of the many concerns.
Alcatraz Versus the Knights of Chrystallia. Brandon Sanderson. 2009. October 2009. Scholastic. 336 pages.
So there I was, hanging upside down underneath a gigantic glass bird, speeding along at a hundred miles an hour above the ocean, in no danger whatsoever. That's right. I wasn't in any danger. I was more safe at that moment than I'd ever been in my entire life, despite a plummet of several hundred feet looming below me. (Or, well, above me, since I was upside down.)
Alcatraz Versus the Knights of Chrystallia is the third in the Alcatraz series by Brandon Sanderson. The first two are Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians and Alcatraz Versus the Scrivener's Bones. If you're familiar with the first two books, then you know what to expect from this third installment--more of this "true" story of Alcatraz Smedry. If you haven't read the first two, then Alcatraz will tease you and tease you until you do. He's just like that, you know.
This book sees Alcatraz (and friends) returning to Chrystallia, one of the Free Kingdoms. Well, it's a return for everyone else. For Alcatraz who was raised in the Hushlands, everything is brand new. But the city--the kingdom--is in danger. And it may be up to Alcatraz (if he can keep himself from getting a big head) to save the day. You see, Alcatraz never knew he was famous (in the Free Kingdoms), that he was the star of a series of books. (I love that the books play a theme song when you open them!) Of course, those adventures of Alcatraz were pure fiction. But it doesn't seem to keep Alcatraz from losing focus--at least not in the very beginning. Can Alcatraz remember what is most important in time? (What's most important? Remembering that librarians are evil and out to rule the world, of course. And the librarian threat is much closer than they know!)
I enjoyed this one. I didn't love, love, love it like I did the first book in the series. But I still found it to be great fun. I still love the humor. I still love the narrator.
Summarizing is when you take a story that is complicated and interesting, then stick it in a microwave until it shrivels up into a tiny piece of black crunchy tarlike stuff. A wise man once said, "Any story, no matter how good, will sound really, really dumb when you shorten it to a few sentences." For example, take this story: "Once there was a furry-footed British guy who has to go throw his uncle's ring into a hole in the ground." Sounds dumb, doesn't it? I don't intend to do that. I intend to make you experience each and every painful moment of my life. I intend to prove how dreadful I am by talking about how awesome I am. I intend to make you read through a whole series before explaining the scene in which I started the first book. You remember that one, right? The one where I lay tied to an altar made from encyclopedias, about to get sacrificed by the Librarians? That's when my betrayal happened. You may be wondering when I'm finally going to get to that most important point in my life. Book five. So there. (107-108)
Characters in books, you may have noticed, rarely have to go potty. There are several reasons for this. Many books--unlike this one--simply aren't real, and everyone knows fictional characters can "hold it" as long as they need to. They just wait until the end of the book before using the restroom. In books like this one, which are<
1 Comments on Alcatraz Versus the Knights of Chrystallia (MG/YA), last added: 6/1/2010
Crispin: The End of Time. Avi. 2010. June 2010. HarperCollins. 240 pages.
Bear was dead. That sweet and kindly man, the wisest I had ever known, the one I considered friend, teacher, and even father, was gone. Would I could be half so fine. God keep his saintly soul! Though I no longer had a father or a mother, I had, thanks be to God and Bear, a name: Crispin. And since I was bound to no land, kin, lord, or for that matter, any man, I considered myself free. As long as I could keep myself out of bondage, I'd be true to Bear's teaching. And so it was that beyond all else, I was determined to keep my freedom.
This concludes the trilogy. The first two books are Crispin: The Cross of Lead and Crispin: At The Edge of the World. These three are set in the fourteenth century. And reading about medieval wanderers may not be for every reader. (I always find it amusing to see the kinds of comments these two posts receive.)
While I enjoyed the first one, I can't say that I enjoyed the other two as much. Not even close. It's not that I stopped caring about Crispin exactly. It's just that with Bear being put through so much in the second book (and then dying), well, it was a joyless read. (If that makes sense.) And it's hard to like a book like that. I will say this about the third book, in some ways, the worst is over. Now that Bear is gone, what more can they do to me?
Can Crispin learn to be more like Bear? Can Crispin find his place in the world? Can Crispin find trustworthy companions to help him along the way? Is his dream of going to Iceland even possible? You know since he has no idea where it is or how to get there? How much is Crispin willing to sacrifice to live his life according to the What Would Bear Do philosophy?
I wanted to like this one more. I wanted to find it more interesting than I did. More compelling. But I struggled with this one here and there. It just wasn't holding my interest. It could be a mood thing. Maybe you have to be in a certain mood to read about wandering boys who've lost their way. I don't know. Or it could be a case of trying to read this one after reading Megan Whalen Turner's oh-so-compelling Queen's Thief series.
The Red Pyramid. (Kane Chronicles #1) Rick Riordan. 2010. May 2010. Hyperion. 528 pages.
We only have a few hours, so listen carefully. If you're hearing this story, you're already in danger. Sadie and I might be your only chance. Go to the school. Find the locker. I won't tell you which school or which locker, because if you're the right person, you'll find it. The combination is 13/32/33. By the time you finish listening, you'll know what those numbers mean. Just remember the story we're about to tell you isn't complete yet. How it ends will depend on you. The most important thing: when you open the package and find what's inside, don't keep it longer than a week. Sure it'll be tempting. I mean, it will grant you almost unlimited power. But if you possess it too long, it will consume you. Learn its secrets quickly and pass it on. Hide it for the next person, the way Sadie and I did for you. Then be prepared for your life to get very interesting.
The Red Pyramid is narrated by Carter and Sadie, a brother-sister team who hold the fate of the world in their hands. Carter has spent most of his life traveling the world with his father, Dr. Julius Kane, an archaeologist who specializes in Ancient Egypt. Sadie, his sister, has spent most of her life living in England with her grandparents--the Fausts. She only sees her dad and her brother a couple of times a year. (It's been like that since their mother's tragic death). But one Christmas Eve, everything changes. Because that is when Dr. Kane accidentally-on-purpose explodes the Rosetta Stone in the British Museum. And life is never the same for these two after that.
Carter and Sadie discover many things in The Red Pyramid. For starters that Egyptian gods and goddesses are very real. And that they can be unleashed in the modern world with great big consequences. Sometimes for good, sometimes for evil. One god, Set, is out to destroy the world. And it falls to these two kids to stop him. Of course, they aren't working all on their own. But just who is helping, well, I'll let you discover that on your own! Then there are the family secrets--details about just who these two children really are...and their connection with the House of Life, a secret order of magicians.
If you're a fan of Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, chances are you'll pick this one up no matter what I say, no matter what any reviewer says. How do I think these two compared? Well, that's tough.
I think The Red Pyramid is a bit longer than The Lightning Thief. I felt it to be a bit weightier as well. So much time is spent setting everything up. The little details here and there that give a richness, a depth, to this fantasy world, but at the same time slow it down just a bit. (Not enough that I would ever stop reading, stop caring. Just that I wasn't able to speed through this one.)
I think it's an interesting choice to have two narrators with different strengths and weaknesses. Interesting to have biracial narrators facing their own challenges--you know in addition to facing the powers of evil. (Carter is darker than his sister, and sometimes people don't realize that these two are brother-and-sister. Especially since their mom's death. And he has faced some discrimination in his life. And Sadie, well, Sadie has some issues with her dad's lack of involvement in her life.)
I can't say I feel as connected with either Sadie or Carter as I did with Percy Jackson upon first reading it. That's not to say that these two may not grow on me with further reading. (Bast just isn't
3 Comments on The Red Pyramid (MG), last added: 5/15/2010
I just stole The Lightning Thief off of my son's bookshelf. If I enjoy that series (which I probably will looking at all of the reviews out there), then maybe I will give this one a try. Thanks!
This sounds like a good book. If you are interested I just started doing what you do (write reviews about books) and I don't have many readers yet so go check it out http://jagteenbookreview.blogspot.com/
I am looking forward to reading this one. I like Egyptian mythology so I'm sure it will hold my interest. I did wonder if maybe this one would skew a little younger than the Percy Jackson series but I've read so many positive reviews (including your own) that I think I should enjoy it. Great review!
Any Which Wall. Laurel Snyder. 2009. May 2009. Random House. 256 pages.
Have you ever stumbled onto magic? Maybe while you were trudging to school one drizzly day, or in the middle of a furious game of freeze tag? Has anything odd ever happened to you? If you're shaking your head right now, if you think that nothing out of the ordinary ever happens, you might be mistaken. Because it's possible that you stumbled onto magic and missed it--that you were teetering on the edge of a strange and wonderful adventure but then turned the other way. This happens all the time. I know a boy (we'll call him Horbert, though that isn't his name, thank goodness), and for years he lived in a house where the bathtub had a magical drainpipe that led straight to the lost city of Atlantis! But Horbert was always in such a hurry to get where he was going that he never lingered in the bath. Whenever he got really filthy, and his mother nagged him to wash, he just jumped in and briefly splashed at himself. Then he'd spring right from the tub, and out the door he'd fly, afraid that his older brother Noah was beating his high score on Super-Space-Zombie-4000, his very favorite video game. Though mermaids sang in the plumbing, he never heard their call.
Why the long quote? Well, I wanted to share the opening paragraphs of this one simply because they begged to be read. Once I read the prologue of this book, I had to take it home with me. I just had to read this one. I wanted to know what kind of magical adventures were to be had. I shared them in the hopes that they would hook you like they had hooked me!
Henry, Emma, Susan, and Roy are about to have a very uncommon common adventure. One summer day, these four kids discover a wall in the middle of a corn field. One of them oh-so-innocently wishes to be somewhere else. (Susan wishes for a root beer float at Annabelle's Diner.) And well, what happens next is quite extraordinary. These children have a magical summer before them as they discover just where this wishing wall will take them.
This book reminded me (in a good way) of Five Children and It by E. Nesbit. (I suppose other children's fantasy books could be mentioned as well.) There's something satisfying about this fun fantasy. I really enjoyed reading it.
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!
The Queen of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner. 2000. HarperCollins. 288 pages.
He was asleep, but woke at the sound of the key turning in the lock.
Things are not looking so good for Eddis' Thief, Eugenides, for he has been caught by the Queen of Attolia. The queen first met Gen in The Thief. And he didn't exactly make the greatest impression by telling her she was beautiful but not all that kind. It may have been true. (The Queen is not known for her mercy.) But it's not the kind of flattery that will win him royal friends. What will she do now that she has him? What is the best way to hurt him? To hurt his Queen, the uglier-but-kinder Queen he serves?
Queen Eddis is angered when Eugenides is returned. Oh, she's thankful enough that he is still alive. But to see her thief now one-handed, well, it hurts. She's rightfully worried about him. She cares about what this will mean to him. Can Eugenides accept what has happened to him? Can he find the will, the strength he needs? Can he prove just how valuable he is to his Queen, to his country?
The Queen of Attolia is the sequel to The Thief. It is different from The Thief in quite a few ways. It is more focused on politics, on royal intrigues than on adventure-for-the-sake-of-adventure. I am liking this series very much!
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang by Ian Fleming. 1964*. Random House. 160 pages
Most motorcars are conglomerations (this is a long word for bundles) of steel and wire and rubber and plastic, and electricity and oil and gasoline and water, and the toffee papers you pushed down the crack in the backseat last Sunday.
This is a children's book about a magical car named Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. It stars an eccentric family by the name of Pott. Commander Caractacus Pott (explorer, inventor), his wife, Mimsie, and their eight-year-old twins Jeremy and Jemima. After selling his Crackpot Whistling Candies to the Skrumshus candy factory, the family has enough money to buy a car. They could have bought any car--they certainly were rich enough now--but Commander Pott wanted a special car, a unique car, so he bought one that would take some work. He bought the car that would become Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Owning this car will lead to a few adventures.
How does the book compare with the movie? Well, they have very little in common. For example, they take poor Mimsie out all together and add in a 'Truly Scrumptious' who will ultimately prove the love interest to this lonely not-so-old widower. Now was that very nice to kill off the poor kids' mother? (Grandpa is also a movie addition.) Besides changing characters, the movie also changes plenty when it comes to the plot, the story. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang does transform into a boat and plane (when necessary) and there is promise of so much more in the book as to what it could do. It's truly a magical car in the book. With a mind of its own. In the movie, the "magical" aspects are really just found in the story-sequence. I have a few little problems with the story-sequence in the movie.**
*This edition published 2003, the new cover art is by Brian Selznick. The inside illustrations are by Ian Cunliffe. **Like the fact that Caractacus Potts is telling this story. And he conveniently writes in a love song for Truly to sing about how much she loves him.
I have never read the book of this but have glanced through it in a bookstore and was very surprised to see how little I recognised. I have to agree that the "Lovely lonely man" song does not fit in a story that Pott(s) is telling to his children - and the lady who is supposed to be singing it. That would surely cause a lot of embarrassment?
I actually didn't like this book much, but I think that it is because the movie is so beloved to me. I grew up with it, so it's one of those "I'm blind to it's faults things" I guess.
The Timekeeper's Moon by Joni Sensel. 2010 (March 2010). Bloomsbury USA. 352 pages.
The moon refused to hush or come down, so Ariel Farwalker was forced to climb up.
The Timekeeper's Moon is sequel to Farwalker's Quest, a book I just loved last year. Ariel and her friends have found the Vault and answered a few of the questions, but the adventure, the quest, is far from over! More adventures await this Farwalker. What kind of dangerous adventure will her feet lead her on this time around?
Ariel is a Farwalker. That's her "calling" if you will. Her gift, her power, (everyone has one) is to follow where her feet lead her. Lately, Ariel has been haunted by the moon, she hears it calling for her, taunting her, daring her almost. Her dreams have been upsetting as well. She feels this urgency to go, and quickly. But this time Zeke won't be along on the journey. She'll be meeting new people along the way: an older-but-not-particularly wiser, girl, Sienna, and a mute-but-oh-so-cute young boy, Nace. (And Scarl, of course, will be by her side to protect and encourage her as well.)
I'm not quite sure how to classify The Timekeeper's Moon. It's a mostly technological-free future-world that Sensel has created. But it is the future. There are glimpses of a world-gone-wrong, a world-gone-mad, traces of what led to the downfall of society. The people we meet, the villages we encounter, are proof that life continues, that you can emerge from the darkest 'dark ages' if you will. So that speaks of science fiction, in a way. Future worlds. The building and rebuilding of societies. As far as the 'gifts' people have, well, that's a bit of fantasy, very light fantasy though. No matter what category (and why does it have to be in a category to begin with?) you put this one in, it is good and satisfying just like the first. Joni Sensel knows how to tell a good story.
The Magician's Elephant. By Kate DiCamillo. 2009. (September 2009). Candlewick Press. 208 pages.
At the end of the century before last, in the market square of the city of Baltese, there stood a boy with a hat on his head and a coin in his hand. The boy's name was Peter Augustus Duchene, and the coin he held did not belong to him but was instead the property of his guardian, an old soldier named Vilna Lutz, who had sent the boy to the market for fish and bread.
I loved this one. I did. It's Kate DiCamillo. If you're not familiar with her children's books, you should be*. You really should be. Because she is just that good, that amazing. Will everyone find this book to be the most-amazing-book-ever, no, I'm not even sure (as much as I loved it) that I'd go that far, get that carried away. But chances are one of her books will be the right book for you, and you'll have discovered something wonderful.
In this delightful book, we meet Peter. A young boy with a few tough decisions to make. When a fortuneteller appears (out of nowhere it seems), he must decide whether to spend his guardian's coin as he should or as he could. He's tempted, you see, by this promise: The most profound and difficult questions that could possibly be posed by the human mind or heart will be answered within for the price of one florit.
It would be a very short book indeed if Peter just bought fish and bread like he was told. So it shouldn't come as a great surprise when he gives into temptation and does what he barely dares....to visit the fortuneteller to find out the answer to a question that has been haunting him for years.
"Ask me your question." Peter felt a small stab of fear. What if, after all this time, he could not bear the truth? What if he did not really want to know? "Speak," said the fortuneteller. "Ask." "My parents," said Peter. "That is your question?" said the fortune-teller. "They're dead." Peter's hands trembled. "That is not my question," he said. "I know that already. You must tell me something that I do not know. You must tell me of another--you must tell me..." The fortuneteller narrowed her eyes. "Ah," she said. "Her? Your sister? That is your question? Very well. She lives." Peter's heart seized upon the words. She lives. She lives! "No, please," said Peter. He closed his eyes. He concentrated. "If she lives, then I must find her, so my question is, how do I make my way there, to where she is?" He kept his eyes closed; he waited. "The elephant," said the fortuneteller. "What?" Peter said. He opened his eyes, certain that he had misunderstood. "You must follow the elephant," said the fortuneteller. "She will lead you there."
But what kind of an answer is that? What elephant?! It's not like elephants are to be found on every street corner! There are no elephants in Baltese! But she tells him (the fortuneteller that is) that the truth is forever changing. What's a young boy to do? Can the unexpected happen? Is something remarkable about to happen?
As I said, I loved this one. I thought it was beautifully told. I also enjoyed the illustrations by Yoko Tanaka.
*Because of Winn Dixie; The Tale of Despereaux, The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, and The Tiger Rising. There's also a series of books for much younger readers, Mercy Watson, but I have a feeling these wouldn't translate as oh-so-amazing for adult readers. Though I could be wrong. I *haven't* read any of these Mercy Watson books myself.
I loved this one too. In fact, I have the urge to read it again, and that rarely happens to me. Usually I read it and I'm done and that's that. But this one, I feel like I want to read to study how she DOES that - how does she make us believe an elephant actually fell through the roof? :)
I'm so glad that you enjoyed it Becky!! I think that this one became my new favorite DiCamillo after I finished it...there was just something about the atmosphere of this one that was so wonderful. Just loved it!
Ha! Mercy Watson is the only DiCamillo I consistently enjoy. Her stuff usually doesn't click with me for some reason. But, you have to like a porcine wonder who eats a lot of buttered toast.
I read this book during the summer, and as much as I love Kate DiCamillo, I could not bring myself to love this book. So, I appreciate reading your review and the positive points you make. Maybe I need to reread this book.
I've just been reading about The Tale of Despereaux - didn't know about it before (my kids are younger), but having read about it, The Magician's Elephant certainly sounds like a good bet too for when my kids are a little older :-)
Anonymous said, on 1/10/2010 10:40:00 AM
I am still not feeling all that for this book. The artwork is very nice, but the story was just ok.
Swift Rivers. Cornelia Meigs. 1932/2004. Walker. 288 pages.
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Awesome review, I got a great feel for the book! Sounds good, I'll check it out.
~Grace
graciesbookreviews.blogspot.com
Sounds like an awesome book, thanks for the recommendation, I'll definitely read it.
This is my first time i visit here. I found so many entertaining stuff in your blog, especially its discussion.