The books I have read in the past few days all revolve around lying - lying to survive, lying to hide hard facts from oneself, lying to avoid confrontation - lots of untruth telling going on.
In The False Prince, by Jennifer A. Nielsen, Sage's survival depends on how well he can lie. In an attempt to save the kingdom of Carthya, (or so they are told), Sage, Tobias and Roden are being groomed to impersonate the lost prince, Jaron. Their training is a fight to the death. The boys not chosen as Prince will meet an awful fate. Trickery, dishonesty, secret passages, dungeons are followed by a jaw-dropping master stroke. This is the first in a trilogy.
In Crenshaw, by Katherine Applegate, Jackson has been homeless before and he knows that his parents are struggling, again. The return of his imaginary friend, Crenshaw, a six foot tall cat, does nothing to calm his fears. The lying in this book is the "everything is all right" kind, harmless on the surface but nasty and dangerous, nonetheless.
Dear Hank Williams by Kimberley Willis Holt, is a novel in letters. Tate P. Ellerbee decides that the rising star, Hank Williams, will be her penpal for her class penpal project. She is more than faithful in writing to Mr. Williams, and in return she receives three signed photographs. And the reader learns just how Tate spins tales to make herself feel better about her absent parents and other difficulties. All is revealed in the end, in this clever and emotionally satisfying book. Set between 1948 and 1949, this is also a well-researched look at rural America in the aftermath of WWII.
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By: bookkm,
on 11/14/2015
Blog: Books 'n' stories (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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New York Times Bestselling author, Jennifer Nielsen, was born and raised in northern Utah, where she still lives today with her husband, three children, and a dog that won’t play fetch. She is the author of The Ascendance trilogy, beginning with THE FALSE PRINCE; Book 6 of the Infinity Ring series, BEHIND ENEMY LINES, The Underworld Chronicles, beginning with ELLIOT AND THE GOBLIN WAR; and the forthcoming PRAETOR WAR series.
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By: Jen Robinson,
on 2/20/2014
Blog: Jen Robinson (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Reviews, adventure, Young Adult, fantasy, Middle School, Newsletter, jennifer a. nielsen, false prince, ascendance trilogy, Add a tag
Book: The Shadow Throne (Ascendance Trilogy, Book 3)
Author: Jennifer A. Nielsen
Pages: 336
Age Range: 10-14
As The Shadow Throne begins, King Jaron's country is at war, besieged on all sides by enemies (some who were once allies). The woman he loves (if he could but admit it to himself) has been taken hostage, and the woman he is betrothed to, a Princess, is in danger. He does have the loyalty of his core team and of his people. But it's going to take every trick in Jaron's arsenal, and then some, for Carthya to make it through the war intact.
The Shadow Throne retains the best aspects of the prior two books: Jaron's voice and Nielsen's thorough worldbuilding. Jaron retains his core determination under even the harshest of conditions. He bends, he grieves, he almost breaks, but then he's back to his sarcastic and sometimes reckless self. Here are a couple of snippets:
"Then I ran over to Imogen, whose honey brown eyes blazed with disapproval. I knew she'd be angry with me -- she often was. I rarely blamed her for that since, admittedly, I usually deserved it. But this time, it wasn't the sort of anger I could laugh off. We remained in a very dangerous situation."(Page 68)
And:
""I told you to humble him," Vargan said to his men. "Does he look humble?"
In all fairness to his soldiers, until the moment I spit on their king, I probably had looked pretty humble." (Page 105)
In addition to plenty of action (much of it centered around battles and escapes), The Shadow Throne includes a bit of romance, an appreciation for friendship, and aspects of a coming-of-age novel. One thing that I especially like in this book is the way that, despite writing about a fairly traditional, male dominated civilization (the men go to battle, the women cook), Nielsen creates strong female characters, too. Princess Amarinda is smart and tenacious, as is Imogen, though the two young women are quite different from one another. And there's a wonderful scene in which the local women turn out to protect a surrounded city. (The army captain says: "The men may have fought for this city, but it will be the women who save it.")
Nielsen's plotting is strong in The Shadow Throne, too. This would actually be an enjoyable book to re-read, knowing the ending, to review all of the clues that she has planted along the way. It all comes together in a highly satisfying finish.
I will say that The Shadow Throne, even more so than the other books in the series, is quite dark in places, and not for the faint of heart. I think it's more a middle school book, or even a high school book, than a middle grade novel. The publisher lists it on Amazon as being for ages 10-14, but I personally see it fitting better at the higher end of that range (and going up to adults). It is certainly boy- and girl-friendly.
The key to enjoying The Shadow Throne, I think, lies in trusting in Jaron's cleverness and resilience, which keeps even the darkest situations from seeming impossible. Don't even think of reading this book out of order. But for those who like dashing adventures with kings and pirates, leavened with humor, The Ascendance Trilogy is not to be missed. Fans of the series will be pleased with The Shadow Throne, I think, particularly the last 2/3 of the book.
Publisher: Scholastic (@Scholastic)
Publication Date: February 25, 2014
Source of Book: Review copy from the publisher
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© 2014 by Jennifer Robinson of Jen Robinson's Book Page. All rights reserved. You can also follow me @JensBookPage or at my Growing Bookworms page on Facebook.
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By: tara,
on 11/5/2010
Blog: Tara Lazar (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Children's Books, Middle Grade Fiction, Children's Writing, Writing for Children, Jennifer Nielsen, PiBoIdMo 2010, Elliot and the Goblin War, Jennifer A. Nielsen, Add a tag
by A great road trip game is called “No, It Wasn’t.” It’s played with partners. One begins telling a story—any story. The other interrupts as often as desired with, “No, it wasn’t”—or any grammatically-correct contradiction.
It may sound like this:
1: One morning, Jane went for a walk.
2: No, she didn’t.
1: That’s right. It wasn’t a walk. She was running. For exercise.
2: No, it wasn’t.
1: Actually, it was because someone was chasing her. A bad guy.
2: No, it wasn’t.
1: No, it was the police. Jane is the bad guy.
And so on. The challenge to the storyteller is to instantly change direction, as often as they’re prompted. As the story continues, the predictable story lines usually fall away, and the requirement to make changes opens the doors to great creativity. A new story begins to emerge, one that goes in radical new directions. In the example with Jane above, it would’ve originally been a story about her going to visit her friends. In only three twists, Jane is on the run from the police.
This can be a useful brainstorming game for writers too. Maybe you won’t end up writing the story in the direction the game led you, but it does force you to explore more options than Jane simply being out for a walk.
If you’re already working on a premise, write a quick logline for it. In your first sentence, try a “no, it wasn’t,” and see where it leads you.
Or start fresh. Choose a main character, any main character, then give them something to do. And so your game begins.
Need a prompt?
Here it is: When (Main Character) came home that day an old friend was waiting.
No, it wasn’t.
Jennifer A. Nielsen’s debut novel Elliot and the Goblin War was released in October 2010. And it comes with a warning–as of today, only 7 children who have ever read this book have lived to tell about it. If you’re very brave, perhaps you’re willing to take your chance with it.
The next book in the series, Elliot and the Pixie Plot will be released in May 2011. It’s pretty much like the first book, except it has a different plot. Different artwork too. Because that’d be pretty lame if they just used the same art all over again.
10 Comments on PiBoIdMo Day #5: Go on a Road Trip with Jennifer Nielsen, last added: 11/5/2010
What a great idea, thanks
Great brainstorming idea, I learned some brainstorming activies in the fiction writing courses I’ve taken, but none as fun as this. Your books sounds fabulous.
This is great! Taking a road trip tonight actually. Wonder how my 5 year old will do trying to play this game! (This is totally the opposite of what I learned in my improv training — to “Yes and” someone’s ideas. . . hope I can be contradictory!)
This is an excellent idea. I had never considered it–though as much as my daughter and I argue you would think it would have come to mind. thanks for the great idea.
Cheryl
I love it when something so simple is just such a good idea. I never played “No, It Wasn’t” before but I will very soon. Thanks for a great creative prompt!
I am in love with this game! I used to play story-telling games with my Grandma, so I know how fun they are for children. Now that I am an adult, I can see all the benefits of this game – amusement, expansion of creativity. The benefits are probably endless and snowballish.
No they aren’t! Snowballish isn’t a word!
Jennifer, this is such an interesting way to brainstorm.
No, it isn’t.
No, it’s actually the perfect antidote to this stuck place I’m in.
You’re no place.
That’s right! So I’m off with a notebook on this beautiful Texas morning to chronicle the contraries. Thanks so much.
I agree.
This is outstanding! It’s easy to feel painted into a corner with some stories…searching for a new direction…it’s good to be reminded that new direction can take place anywhere within the story. Thank you for this wonderful post!
What an excellent idea, I thought story boarding helped change your story, now I have two ways to change it up a little. Thanks!
What a great way to get out of a rut and think outside the box – thanks!