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Jones, Carrie. 2008. Love (and other uses for duct tape.)

Love (and Other Uses for Duct Tape) is the sequel to last year's Tips On Having A Gay (Ex) Boyfriend.

You think you know people and then it turns out you don't.
You think you learn this and then it turns out you didn't.
People keep changing who they are and defining themselves by their own choices, and that's cool most of the time, but not all the time. No, it's not cool all the time.

My favorite list-making heroine is back. Belle. When the novel opens, Belle is facing The Problem. What is her problem this time, you wonder, well, in a way it's both simple and complex. The problem of the moment is that Belle wants to be having sex with Tom. But Tom is happy taking things nice and slow. She's weirded out by the fact that her boyfriend isn't wanting to "do it" and also slightly perplexed as to why he hasn't used the L-word yet. Why hasn't Tom--this wonderfully nice guy--told her he loves her? His actions all show that he does. But he hasn't said it. This problem is viewed alongside the fact that her best friend, Em, and her boyfriend, Shawn are going strong. Not to mention the fact that even her mother has a steady boyfriend. It seems like everyone is having sex but her. That's the simple side of things.

Belle, lovable heroine that she is, is still having some problems that even she's not fully aware of. Things that make her who she is in part. But things that tend to annoy her friends and family.

If you're expecting Love (and Other Uses for Duct Tape) to be strictly romance, then you might be disappointed. This novel isn't all about the love and lust of Belle and Tom. It is a novel beyond labels and easy definitions. It's a novel about life, about love, about friendships, about knowing and loving yourself, about accepting others. It's about friends. It's about family. And it's about love. The love between friends especially.

This novel explores relationships of all sorts and varieties.

Little Willow's review.

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Dashner, James. 2008. The 13th Reality: The Journal of Curious Letters.

I wanted to love, love, love The 13th Reality. And for a while it seemed inevitable. From the very beginning:

"Norbert Johnson had never met such strange people in all of his life, much less two on the same day--within the same hour even. Odd. Very odd indeed. Norbert, with his scraggly gray hair and his rumpled gray pants and his wrinkly gray shirt, had worked at the post office in Macadamia, Alaska, for twenty-three years, seven months, twelve days, and--he looked at his watch--just a hair short of four hours. In those long, cold, lonesome years he'd met just about every type of human being you could imagine. Nice people and mean people. Ugly people and pretty people. Lawyers, doctors, accountants, cops. Crazies and convicts. Old hags and young whippersnappers. Oh, and lots of celebrities, too. Why if you believed his high-falutin' stories (which most people quit doing about twenty-three years, seven months, twelve hours, and three hours ago), you'd think he'd met every movie and music star in America. Though exactly why these famous folks were up in Alaska dropping off mail was anybody's guess, so it may have been a slight exaggeration of the truth." (1-2)

Norbert isn't our main character. But he serves as a good introduction to the odd (and slightly wacky) adventures that are to come. That day in the post office, Norbert met a man and a woman. One good, one evil. Both odd as can be. The man, Master George, was mailing hundreds of letters. Our main hero (and a few of our sidekicks) is the recipient of one of those letters.

Here is our introduction to our hero, "Atticus Higginbottom--nicknamed "Tick" since his first day of kindergarten--stood inside the darkness of his own locker, cramped and claustrophobic." (11). Tick is picked on by the school bullies. And school would be a fairly miserable place for him if it wasn't for the teachers--one teacher in particular, Mr. Chu. He's got nerd tendencies (minus the greasy hair and glasses) and a birthmark on his neck. (He keeps a striped scarf around his neck 365 days a year.) He's socially awkward, of course, a good many seventh graders are, but he's a good hero-in-the-making. And that process begins when he receives a curious letter in the mail that was postmarked in Alaska. Someone writing him under the initials "M.G." Someone who is calling him to be brave and to accept a challenge and to help save the world and save lives. It's a call Tick is happy to answer.

The Thirteenth Reality is an interesting book built on a good premise. The idea that there are alternate realities and a way to travel between them is a good one. The idea that the villains from one alternate reality would want to try to dominate and/or destroy the others also is intriguing enough. This book is the first in a series. And I think that is part of the problem. What can sometimes happen in novels that are first in the series is that they serve more as a prologue to the series, a prologue to the action. It's all about setting things up, getting ready for the real adventures to start in subsequent books. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying I disliked the novel. But I didn't love, love, love it either. For me, it suffered from a bit of uneven pacing. The beginning and the ending was strong, really strong. But in the middle, it was easier to lose interest. I'm not sure if kids would feel that way about it or not. Tick was waiting for the exciting adventures to start, and so were we. We were both waiting and waiting and waiting. And once the big day arrived, it was exciting again. And it was worth it, I think. I'm definitely interested in reading more from this series, from this author.

428 pages.

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Martin, Ann. 2006. The Babysitter's Club. Graphics by Raina Telgemeier.

The Babysitters Club. I admit it. I read them as a child. I can't say I read all 131 books and 12 Super Specials, but I read more than a few. I believe I grew out of them by the early to mid-thirties. (Not my age. The number in the series.) The first book in the series, Kristy's Great Idea, was published in August of 1986. When I discovered the series, the first three or four were already published. I believe I bought them all at the same time. (I think. It's been a while. But I do remember that I had to wait after that for each new release.) Why the emphasis on how old it is? Because it says something both about the book and about me.

The graphic novel--for me--just didn't do this book justice. I'm biased. I'm not really "into" graphic novels. I'm not. I've read most of the Babymouse and I love them. I do. But that is really the exception. The others? I look at the covers. I might open one now and then. But overall, I'm just not that interested. Why did I pick this one up? The Young Adult Reading challenge (host Shady Glade) has a requirement of a graphic novel. And I wanted to reread Kristy's Great Idea for the Heart of A Child challenge. (And the actual novel-novel was checked out.)

For those who haven't read any of the novels and have no idea what's going on (if you're patient enough to get this far), The Babysitters Club is started by Kristy. It is her "great idea." She teams up with some of her closest friends, Claudia and Mary Anne, and invites a new girl into the club as well, Stacey. The Club is to help parents find a babysitter in one quick and easy call. One call, 4 sitters at their disposal. The series alternates narrators between each member of the club. (And more than four do eventually join.)

I haven't read the book in at least fifteen years. But a lot has changed in fifteen years. The book has no computers, no internet, no email, no cell phones. And things like nail polish and make-up are "forbidden" to girls their age (seventh grade, I believe) and having a phone in one's bedroom (or one's own phone line in general) is a complete novelty. Claudia's extra-extra cool because she does. But the references to Rainbow Brite and G.I. Joe date the novel further. (While you could argue that G.I. Joe is relatively timeless, they're certainly not the HUGE thing they were in 1986. I remember watching the end credits to the cartoon show every week day. I was always early for the next show. Now I can't quite remember what that show was.)

I don't know if the lack of technology would bother modern readers or not. But not having it certainly makes starting the club more work for the kids. And that's not necessarily a bad thing. It gets them thinking; it gets them into being creative.

There is more than just babysitting involved as well. The big "issues" of the book being Kristy dealing with her parent's divorce and her mother's dating again and Stacey's issues with coming clean about her diabetes to her friends. (Claudia's issues are with her parents not wanting her to wear make-up. Mary Anne's issues are with her father's strictness in general.)

I was surprised by how much I remembered. The small things. The little details. The snippets of dialogue. Each character's pet peeves. The mundaneness of siblings' names even. This is neither a good or bad thing. Just something to think about. I wonder how much essentially useless knowledge is stored in my brain???

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Dessen, Sarah. 2008. Lock and Key.

"And finally," Jamie said as he pushed the door open, "we come to the main event. Your room."

That first sentence springs you right into the action, the drama that is unfolding as Ruby comes into her new home. Ruby's first thoughts, I was braced for pink. Ruffles or quilting or maybe even applique. Which was probably kind of unfair, but then again, I didn't know my sister anymore, much less her decorating style. With total strangers it had always been my policy to expect the worst. Usually they--and those that you knew best, for that matter--did not disappoint.

Ruby hasn't seen her sister in ten years. Since the day her sister went away to college. Yet now, in Ruby's seventeenth year, the two are reunited. On Ruby's part it isn't voluntary. Ruby's mother has left her. Perhaps gone off drinking. Perhaps gone off with one of her boyfriends. Perhaps gone off drinking with one of her boyfriends. Ruby doesn't know. She doesn't want to know. She just knows that her mother disappeared without a word, without a note. And as far as Ruby was concerned, that's okay. She could manage on her own well enough.

But when the authorities find out that she is all on her own, they feel the need to place her in a home. Luckily her sister, Cora, and her wealthy husband, Jamie, are more than willing to take her into their own home and provide for her in a way that no adult ever has.

Ruby doesn't trust this new family. She doesn't trust anyone. She doesn't even know how to trust. It's a foreign concept to her. But over time and with much patience, Ruby may just start to realize what a family is and what a family does. It's a good thing too. Since that is one of her school assignments. Define the word "family." What she learns is well worth reading about.

I love Sarah Dessen. I do. She has an incredible gift with characters. They're always real. Always developed. Always human. Always flawed. And the style, the language, are equally wonderful. (She has such a gift with words. Her books are just quotable.) While Lock and Key lacks some of the emphasis on romance that her other novels have, there is plenty there to satisfy readers. I wouldn't say it's my favorite Dessen novel--it would be hard to knock The Truth About Forever from that place--I will say it was definitely enjoyable and definitely worth while.

It's never something huge that changes everything, but instead the tiniest of details, irrevocably tweaking the balance of the universe while you're busy focusing on the big picture. (38)

Everyone has their weak spot. The one thing that, despite your best efforts, will always bring you to your knees, regardless of how strong you are otherwise. For some people, it's love. Others, money or alcohol. Mine was even worse: calculus. (261)

Through my tears, I could hear her, saying it was all going to be okay, and I knew she believed this. But I was sure of something, too: it's a lot easier to be lost than found. It's the reason we're always searching, and rarely discovered--so many locks, not enough keys. (373)

Other reviews: Little Willow, Amanda.

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Ernest Gary Gygax, co-creator of the Dungeons and Dragons role-playing games, passed away today at age 69. Mr. Gygax helped construct the tools with which countless worlds of adventure were built. Gaming, the web and our culture would not be the same without his influence. Many of us in the creative community, artists and writers alike, owe an enormous debt to what this man’s legacy inspired us to achieve.

The Ajan Warriors salute you, sir. Godspeed.

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“Su– sugoi…”

“That’s the ring. That’s the ring we found in the jewelry box in Jessica’s attic.”

“It’s made of sapphires.”

“Miss Shannon picked it up. I wonder if we’ll be finding that ring again soon?”

“My ring?”

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“This is our new logo that we got. It’s called the ‘Winged Crimson Heart’ and it’s the fourth logo that we made. This one is different cause it’s the first one that’s had different wings, and they’re also a whole different shape. It’s also the first logo with new colors like yellow and pink which are two of my favorite colors so I like this new logo a lot. It’s also got my new sword with the little tiny alto clef on it and the little sun flames all around. I hope you like it as much as me!”

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“This is gonna be my sword when I get my warrior form and learn about all my powers. It has a golden blade and gives me all kinds of powers like being able to make the sun shine anywhere I want. See the little alto clef in the ricasso? That’s the symbol of the Warrior of the Sunrise. There’s a place in the pommel for little gems too, but we don’t know what kind of gems go there yet, ’cause we haven’t found Aria. But we have to find all the treasures so we can all be warriors, huh? Be sure you don’t miss out on our stories!”

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“Sugoi-desuuuuu….”

“Oh my…”

“I have no idea what to say.”

“I agree with Hoshi. Sugoi.”

“Well, since nobody is going to talk, I’ll just say here’s the new Warrior of the Storms Page. Tons of new stuff. Have fun.”

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It’s been a long road, and we’ve done our best, but LadyStar may have reached its limits. Nearly 300,000 people have visited the Magical and Mysterious World of LadyStar and hopefully they have enjoyed what we’ve all worked so hard to present.

We would like to continue the adventures of the Ajan Warriors, but we’re going to need time to figure out what this project wants to be, and whether we can build it or not. What we do know at this point is that LadyStar is not growing, the books, even though they are free, are losing 75%-90% of their readers after the first chapter, and our illustrations, both manga and color, are obsolete, having been developed for an adventure game that was discontinued almost four years ago.

Thanks very much for all of your nice e-mails and comments about LadyStar. It means a great deal to us to know you have appreciated what we’ve built so far. If you have questions, please e-mail Jessie’s Letters. Or you can comment on this article.

We hope to return soon.

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Hello, folks. We’re really going to try and keep the “author rant” stuff to a minimum, but this is kind of important.

After taking a second look at the numbers, we find we’re losing 90% of our readers from Chapter One to Chapter Two of Dreamspeaker, and another 70% from Chapter Two to Chapter Three. Palace in the Sky is doing a little better, and a lot more people are finishing Palace in the Sky than are finishing Dreamspeaker.

I’ve never been entirely happy with Dreamspeaker, because it is carrying around chapters and scenes from two other projects: the zStory Adventure and the Visual Novel. Dreamspeaker is kind of a kludge, and this may explain why it’s not doing as well as Palace in the Sky.

Palace in the Sky was a much more focused project than Dreamspeaker. It was started and finished in less than three months. It reads better. It makes more sense, and it doesn’t have any bolted-on chapters like Dreamspeaker does.

Fortunately this is the Intarwebz, where, if something doesn’t work, we can fix it. So that’s what we’re going to do, if we can. LadyStar needs a better start than “90% of readers quit after chapter one,” don’t you agree?

Please comment. We’re always interested to hear your thoughts.

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