Goblin Secrets, by William Alexander,
Margaret K. McElderry Books, $16.99, ages 8 and up, 240 pages. Orphan Rownie escapes a witch's home for stray children to look for his missing brother and falls in with a theatrical troupe of goblins that teaches him the craft of masking.
The Peculiar, by Stefan Bachmann,
Greenwillow, $16.99, ages 9 and up, 384 pages. Bartholmew Biddle joins forces with a bumbling member of Parliament to recover his kidnapped sister and stop a creepy lord from kidnapping changelings from the slums of Bath.
The Mighty Miss Malone, by Christopher Paul Curtis,
Wendy Lamb Books, $15.99, ages 9 and up, 320 pages. A spunky, courageous 12-year-old named Deza refuses to give up on her family's motto -- "We are a family on a journey to a place called Wonderful" -- in Depression-era Hooverville.
The Great Unexpected, by Sharon Creech,
HarperCollins, $16.99, ages 8 and up, 240 pages. Two orphan girls, Naomi and best friend Lizzie, think they know all the peculiar people in Blackbird Tree until one day a boy drops out of a tree and the Dingle Dangle man appears.
Starry River of the Sky, by Grace Lin,
Little Brown, $17.99, ages 8-12, 304 pages. In this magical companion to
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, runaway Rendi is left stranded in a remote Village of Clear Sky where the sky moans in pain and a mysterious storyteller helps Rendi work through his past.
Endangered, by Eliot Schrefer,
Scholastic, $17.99, ages 12 and up, 272 pages. When violent rebels attack her mother's wildlife sanctuary in the Congo, 14-year-old Sophie flees with orphan bonobo Otto and sacrifices everything to protect her endangered apes.
The Last Dragonslayer, by Jasper Fforde,
Harcourt, $16.99, ages 10 and up, 256 pages. Sixteen-year-old foundling Jennifer is left in charge of Kazam, a temp agency for wizards, and tries to save the last dragon from being killed in an alternate United Kingdom.
Wonder, by R.J. Palacio,
Knopf, $15.99, ages 8 and up, 320 pages. Born with a facial deformity, 10-year-old August longs to be treated as an ordinary kid, but as he enters mainstream school for the first time, his classmates can't look beyond his extraordinary face.
Shadows on the Moon, by Zoe Marriott,
Candlewick, $17.99, ages 14 and up, 464 pages. When soldiers massacre her father and cousin, 16-year-old Suzume survives by making herself invisible through the magic of shadow weaving, then sets off to seek revenge.
Three Times Lucky, by Sheila Turnage,
Dial, $16.99, ages 10 and up, 256 pages. Orphan Mo Lo Beau tries to solve the biggest crime to come to Tupelo Landing while she searches to solve her own mystery: how she came to be washed ashore in a hurricane when she was a baby.
Code Name Verity, by Elizabeth Wein,
Hyperion, $16.99, ages 14 and up, 352 pages. When her plane crashes in Nazi-occupied France, young British spy Verity is arrested by the Gestapo and faces a harrowing decision: to reveal her mission or face execution.
The One and Only Ivan, by Katherine Applegate, illustrated by Patricia Castelao,
HarperCollins, $16.99, ages 8 and up, 320 pages. A gorilla living at the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade meets a baby elephant who transforms his sad and solitary world.
Liar & Spy, by Rebecca Stead,
Wendy Lamb, $15.99, ages 9 and up, 192 pages. Seventh-grader Georges is recruited by his 12-year-old neighbor Safer to track a mysterious man in an upstairs apartment, but as Safer becomes more demanding Georges wonders what is a lie and what is a game.
Splendors and Glooms, by Laura Amy Schlitz,
Candlewick, $17.99, ages 9 and up, 400 pages. Three children fall prey to a ruthless magician and must break free of a witch's paralyzing hold in order to find the happiness that's eluded in them.
Every Day, by David Levithan,
Alfred A. Knopf, $17.99. Body jumping is a way of life for 16-year-old A -- every day he wakes up in a different body, in a different person's life. But then one day he assumes the body of Justin and forms an attachment he can't shake.
Rootless, by Chris Howard,
Scholastic, $17.99, ages 14 and up, 336 pages. In a brutal post-Apocalypic world, 17-year-old tree builder Banyan meets a woman with a strange tattoo and sets off across a wasteland in search of his missing father and the last living trees.
The Secret Tree, by Natalie Standiford,
Scholastic, $16.99, ages 8 and up, 256 pages. When Minty sees a flash in the woods, she chases after it and discovers a tree with a hollow trunk that contains the secrets of everyone in her neighborhood.
Iron Hearted Violet, by Kelly Barnhill, illustrated by Iacopo Bruno,
Little Brown, $16.99, 432 pages. When a cheeky princess named Violet and her kind-hearted friend Demetrius stumble upon a hidden room, they discover a forbidden book that threatens their mirrored world.
The Spindlers, by Lauren Oliver, illustrated by Iacopo Bruno,
HarperCollins, $16.99, ages 8 and up, 256 pages. When spiderlike creatures steal her brother's soul, Liza ventures into an underground world of talking rats, greedy trologods and an evil queen to rescue him.
Gammons, Karen. (2011). Prince Andy and the Misfits: Shadow Man. Mustang, OK: Tate Publishing. ISBN 10-9781616636197. Litland.com recommends 14+, appropriate for younger advanced readers.
Publisher’s description: Andy thought he was just an average sixteen-year-old kid… But one day his world is completely turned upside down as he learns the unbelievable truth of his identity: he is the prince of a faraway kingdom called Filligrim in the Valley of the Misfits a magical place where pixies, elves, wizards, and dragons are just as likely to be inhabitants as humans. He was brought to this world following his birth the only way to keep him from being murdered by his evil malicious grandfather. Sounding more like a fairytale than reality, Andy at first thinks he must be dreaming. But then his aunt Gladdy reveals even more astonishing news: his mother, the Queen of the Misfits, is in trouble; she’s been captured by goblins, and it’s up to Andy to rescue her. Still in shock, he makes a decision that will forever alter life as he’s known it. He will return to Filligrim and, with the help of six heroic Misfits, will embark on a mission to save the kingdom from the clutches of evil. In Prince Andy and the Misfits: Shadow Man, Andy encounters one adventure after another as he works to uncover a traitor, rescue the queen from goblins, retrieve a stone of immense power, and solve the mystery surrounding the Shadow Man the sinister mastermind behind it all. And perhaps most importantly, he must ultimately discover if he has the heart to become a true prince.
Our thoughts:
Land of the free, home of the brave. Now nearly forgotten, these words from our national anthem once were as commonly used as any slang today. And thanks to our free market economy, we aren’t compelled to only read shallow tales mass-produced by a few publishing moguls. We now have many independent authors who are quite good. Which brings us to Prince Andy and the Misfits, another “good ol’ fashioned” story of chivalry, honor, and a dash of romance.
The story’s main character is a popular 16-year old, so this makes the book likeable and of interest to older readers, especially reluctant ones. However, the story line isn’t about high school and so its content is appropriate for all ages.
This doesn’t mean the action scenes are lame by any means. Early on, Elsfur beheads three knockers with his sword! However, in the style of the best of classic literature, our author goes beyond gore, distinguishing for readers a “just” battle. Authority and hierarchy are realistically portrayed, as is clear leadership. The characters experience life lessons that are easily applicable to our own real lives too. And after all, traditionally that was a purpose to good children’s literature :>)
As we fol
Since I changed my mind about perusing this story right now I thought I'd post what I have done so far. The idea was to do a fun fantasy story drawn quickly. I was really inspired by Trondheim's art for Dungeon, expressive and loose. I've decided instead to work in my free time on a series of ghost stories, rendered in my more detailed style. Although I learned a lot doing this and may return to this style at some point.
There's nothing more satisfying to a nerd than making a place up and then drawing maps of it. Here's a map I drew. This map actually goes back to a short story I had published in Startling Adventures called Atha Brew And The Green Tower which was a sort of dark arctic fantasy. And when I've done fantasy drawings since I usually consider it to be the same world. The idea behind the world is that
Here's a new pen and ink drawing that will accompany an interview in
Onspec magazine, Canada's best science fiction and fantasy magazine.
Some sketches done on the streetcar in marker. I was reading ghost stories.
Here's the pencils for a new pen and ink drawing I'm working on.
MONSTERMANIA
Hi folks:
In honor of the month of October I am planning to post a glossary of monsters that can be used in children's Halloween picture books and poems. Every day I will post two monsters and their definition/description.
Accompanying each post will be a photo of moi, in Halloween poses. Come back each day, just to see who I will be.
Bwah-ha-ha-ha-ha!!!!!
- Ghoul - a monster of folklore associated with graveyards and consuming human flesh, often classified as undead, a.k.a. – zombie
- Goblin - a mischievous, annoying creature, described as grotesquely evil. Their favorite past time is to annoy your pets. Some soak their hats in blood. These are called REDCAPS and should be avoided at all costs.
Here's a villain from Harry and Silvio, one of the goblins from the Goblin Gang. They keep trying to unlock the mysteries of the Cloudscape.
Today is Word On The Street here in the cities of Canada. I'll be checking out the booths today rain or shine.
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The Last Dragonslayer, by Jasper Fforde, Harcourt, $16.99, ages 10 and up, 256 pages. Sixteen-year-old foundling Jennifer is left in charge of Kazam, a temp agency for wizards, and tries to save the last dragon from being killed in an alternate United Kingdom.
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Your work never ceases to amaze me!!!
Thanks so much, David!
This is fab, especially the narrating crow.
Thanks Fearless!