Book Review: The Outsiders, by S.E. Hinton (2006 Edition, Penguin Group)

Recommended for ages 12-16

The Outsiders takes place in 1960s Tulsa, Oklahoma, and tells the story of rich kids (Socs) vs. poor kids (Greasers), as seen through the eyes of a 14-year old Greaser, Ponyboy Curtis.

The Greasers are from working-class families. They’re the kids who grease their hair and work at gas stations. The Socs – short for “Socials” – are the preppy kids from white collar families. There has been an increasing unease between the two groups, with kids from both sides being jumped.

Ponyboy, an orphan living with his two older brothers, Darryl and Sodapop; is a dreamer, and his friend Johnny, a 16-year old greaser who has never fully recovered from a savage beating at the hands of the Socs, are attacked by a group of Socs one night, culminating in a murder that sends Johnny and Ponyboy on the run. While in hiding, Ponyboy and Johnny examine their lives and wonder what makes people so different after all.

The Outsiders is a classic, often considered the first YA novel. Written when the author was only 16 years old, she wrote about what she saw lived – Greasers vs. Socs and the divide between haves and have-nots. The voice is an authentic teen’s, which is why it still resonates after 45 years. It is not dated, because the heart of the story is conflict between teens, family, and money-related problems – still very relevant issues today.

Since its first printing in 1967, The Outsiders has won numerous awards and accolades, including inclusion on the New York Herald Tribune Best Teenage Books List (1967); Chicago Tribune Book World Spring Book Festival Honor Book (1967); Media and Methods Maxi Award (1975); ALA Best Young Adult Books (1975), and Massachusetts Children’s Book Award (1979).

Author S.E. Hinton writes realistic novels for teens. Her website offers information about her books, movies made from her books, and a biography. 

Book Review: The Fault in Our Stars, by John Green (2012, Dutton)

Recommended for ages 14+.

The Fault in Our Stars follows two teenage cancer patients, Hazel and Guy, who meet at a cancer support group and fall in love.

Hazel is a 16 year-old living with cancer. A “miracle drug” helps stave it off, but her lungs are slowly turning against her. She needs an oxygen tank to breathe and she is hospitalized when too much fluid collects in her lungs. Concerned that her daughter is depressed, Hazel’s mother sends her to a cancer support group, which seems more depressing than actually living with cancer. One night at the group, she meets 17 year-old Guy (short for Augustus), who’s lost a leg to bone cancer but has been fine since the amputation. They are immediately drawn to one another, and share sarcastic cancer humor and a love of books. Guy introduces her to science fiction novels based on his favorite video game, and she introduces Guy to her favorite novel, An Imperial Affliction, by reclusive author Peter Van Houten. It’s a cancer story whose abrupt ending leaves Hazel constantly speculating on the characters’ post-novel lives.

When Hazel’s lungs worsen, Guy calls in a “wish” and takes her on a trip to Amsterdam to meet Van Houten. While in Amsterdam, they grow closer but learn that they face a difficult time ahead.

John Green gives readers a compelling read, creating characters who could be the kids we see in school hallways. Dealing with cancer gives them a sarcastic edge – they find morbid humor in everything, including death and amputation. It is their coping mechanism, and it never comes across as shocking, harsh, or tasteless. The reader may find his or herself laughing along with Guy, Hazel, and their friends. They’re kids dealing with the incomprehensible, and yet they are still kids. They love video games, books, music, and friendship. The relationships are what comes across as the most powerful part of the book.

The Fault in Our Stars was a New York Times #1 Bestseller (January 2012).

John Green is a YA author and YouTube vlogger (video blogger). His website offers links to information about his books, author events, and his YouTube vlog.

Book Review: Hush,by Eishes Chayil (2010, Walker Books for Young Readers)

Recommended for ages 14+.

What if you had a horrible secret that no one would let you tell? What if you were told to erase your best friend’s memory from your life, but never told why?

Hush is a fictional novel about the sexual abuse that takes place in insular Hasidic Jewish communities and how the communities cover this abuse up.

The story takes place in the Chassidic neighborhood of Borough Park, Brooklyn, spanning the years 1999-2008. Narrated by a young Chassidic woman named Gittel, the story shifts back and forth to tell the story of Gittel and Devory, 9-year old best friends, and Gittel’s life as an 18-year old woman, becoming a wife and mother for the first time while dealing with a painful secret.

When Devory’s behavior suddenly changes, no one understands why – she acts out at school and when her brother visits home from Yeshiva, she wants to sleep at Gittel’s house. One night, Gittel sleeps over Devory’s house and witnesses Devory’s brother sexually abuse her. She is told to say nothing when she tries to tell her parents – with her limited understanding of what sex is – and the abuse continues until Devory hangs herself in Gittel’s family bathroom. Gittel’s family reacts by removing all traces of Devory’s existence, and forbids Gittel to ever speak of her again. Years later, Gittel, still haunted, struggles with reporting the crime; she is about to be married and is afraid of bringing shame on herself and her family. Will Devory’s memory ever stop haunting her?

Much more than a tale of sexual abuse, Hush offers a glimpse into the lives of the Chassidic community. We learn how they live, what they learn, and about their family lives. It allows readers to understand people that live and work side by side with us, but who are strangers in many ways – and with this, may begin understanding.

Hush can be a difficult book to read because of the compelling portrait of sexual abuse’s effect on an insular society, poisoning it from the inside. Written by an anonymous author influenced by events in her own life, Eishes Chayil chose her pseudonym based on the Yiddish term for a woman of valour in order to step forward and pierce the veil of secrecy with which the Chassidic community surrounds itself. Teen readers should readHush and understand what silence in any matter can do to a community.

Hush has received the William C. Morris YA Debut Award Nominee (2011) and has been designated a Sydney Taylor Honor Book.

Eishes Chayil is a pseudonym of a Chassidic author living in New Jersey and working as a journalist in Brooklyn, New York. Hush is her first novel. The Bloomsbury Kids website offers a book detail page with reviews.

Book Review: For the Win, by Cory Doctorow (2010, Tor Teen)

Recommended for ages 14+

Play video games. Earn money. It sounds almost too good to be true, doesn't it? It is.

For the Win is a lesson global economics and labor as seen through the eyes of teens playing MMORPGs (Massively Multi-player Online Role Playing Games) and “gold farming” – acquiring gold and magic/rare items in the games, and selling them to players for real-world currency. The gamers are from poor families in third-world countries: India, China, and Singapore, working in deplorable conditions, and exploited by sweatshop bosses who pay pitiful wages. The players form a labor union to gain fair working conditions and pay and attempt to join forces with factory workers, often exploited by the same bosses and working in similar conditions; the retaliation they encounter forms a major part of the conflict.

The story follows several teen gamers: exploited game farmers Matthew, in Shenzhen, China; Mala, in Mumbai, India; and Leonard, a wealthy California teen who goes by the name Wei-Dong when he’s gaming online. Big Sister Nor, a union organizer, approaches Mala via the gamespace to discuss unionizing and Mala resists, feeling that her situation is better than it would be if she weren’t working for her boss. Her friend, Yasmin, decides to join forces with Nor and the union, calling themselves the Webblies after the Wobblies, or the International Workers of the World formed in 1923. Together, they plan to bring down the game economies. Leonard/Wei-Dong ships himself to China in a shipping container to help the Webblies blackmail Coca-Cola Games, owner of the biggest MMORPGs, into allowing their workers to farm gold and sell it to the players. Coca-Cola Games Command Central agrees to their demands and they work together to stabilize the game economy.

The book has a layered narrative, which begins with promise but has trouble maintaining the pace. At times, Doctorow lectures on global economics and trade unions via his characters, and readers may lose interest.

MMORGs are a great way to bring the idea of globalism, economics, and unionization to high school students. This is a group that is spending greater amounts of time online than any previous generation; they’re well-versed in online economies, and there is a chance for them to relate to the younger characters in the story. But even set in the world of online gaming, some readers may struggle to cut through the density of the text, especially when Doctorow begins preaching.

For the Win was a finalist for the 2010 Prometheus Award.

Cory Doctorow is a journalist, blogger and author; he is co-editor of the blog Boing Boing and an advocate for liberalizing copyright law.He offers his books for free on his website under a Creative Commons agreement. His site links to his podcasts, blog, articles and stories.

Book Review: The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak (2007, Alfred A. Knopf)

Recommended for ages 13+

Would you be surprised to learn that Death is as unsettled by humans as we are by Death?

Set in Nazi Germany, The Book Thief is narrated by Death and follows young Liesel Meminger as she moves in with a foster family after her mother, a Communist sympathizer, goes on the run from the Nazis. Liesel’s younger brother dies on the trip, and she takes a book, The Grave Digger’s Apprentice, drops in the snow. Although unable to read, Liesel keeps the book.

The story deals with the day-to-day lives and struggles of the Hubermann/Meminger family and their neighbors during the Nazi regime. Hans, a house painter, is a gentle man who teaches Liesel to read and write and showing her affection. A Nazi party outsider, he finds work harder to come by and has earned the disgust of his older son, a staunch Nazi sympathizer. A World War I veteran, he keeps a promise to a Jewish soldier who saved his life during the war by hiding his son, Max, in his basement for two years. Rosa, a crude, verbally and sometimes physically abusive woman, is a laundress who sends Liesel to collect laundry as a way to garner pity from her customers. Liesel befriends a neighborhood boy, Rudy, and the two become neighborhood thieves. This helps feed Liesel’s growing addiction to books.

The Book Thief is a book with many layers, many stories, under one cover. Narrated by Death, the reader has a bird’s eye view of all the players, but learns a bit about the Narrator himself. He is not portrayed as a cold, cruel being but is objective, doing what he must and taking no pleasure in it. He is sympathetic, carrying children and concentration camp victims as gently as he can when he comes for them. He takes soldiers in his hands, but he understands innocence and slaughter. His confession to Liesel is the most revealing thing about Death and about humanity that the reader can take away from this book.

The narrative can be dense and the subject matter is not light, but the author’s gift for description is undeniable – the reader can smell the burning city of Molching; can feel Max’s hunger and pain as he struggles to stay alive, and will ache with Liesel’s grief.

The Book Thief is a critically acclaimed book that has received numerous honors, including Horn Book Fanfare (2006); Kirkus Reviews Editor Choice Award (2006); School Library Journal Best Book of the Year (2006); Publisher’s Weekly Best Children’s Book of the Year (2006); Booklist Children Editors’ Choice (2006); American Library Association (ALA) Best Books for Young Adults (2007); Michael L. Printz Honor Book (2007); and Book Sense Book of the Year (2007).

Australian author Markus Zusak’s Random House webpage offers links to excerpts from both The Book Thief and  I Am The Messenger; readers can also find discussion questions and download a reading guide on The Book Thief, and a discussion board allows readers to discuss Zusak’s books together in a moderated forum.

The Complete Persepolis, by Marjane Satrapi (2007, Pantheon)

Recommended for ages 14+

Marjane Satrapi grew up in Iran during a time of revolution – a time most people only saw on television. What she saw and experienced changed her forever.

Persepolis is an autobiography, told in graphic novel form,  of author Marjane Satrapi’s childhood and adolescence in Iran during the Islamic Revolution in the late 1970s. The English translation was originally released in two volumes in 2003 and 2004; in 2007,The Complete Persepolis released both volumes under one cover.

Ms. Satrapi’s story begins with her childhood and the progressive education she received in a non-religious French school until 1980, when boys and girls were separated and the girls began wearing veils. She remembers seeing her mother protesting at anti-fundamentalist demonstrations and recalls the desire to grow up and be a revolutionary; she also remembers her conversations with God. She provides eyewitness accounts of the violence in Iran, which took the lives of neighbors, family friends, and some who were just home at the wrong time.

When Marjane turned 14, her parents sent her to Austria, hoping to give their daughter a better life. Originally expected to live with her mother’s best friend, Marjane goes through a series of homes and personality conflicts, falls in with a group of pampered, post-modern intellectuals who have no concept – or interest – in Marjane’s reality. She ultimately ends up living on the street and becoming ill before returning to a fundamentalist Iran at age 18. No longer connecting with her friends or family, she experiences a bout of depression. She works through her years in Vienna, recreates herself, and marries a fellow university student by age 21. The marriage fades quickly, and they ultimately divorce. Marjane realizes that she needs to leave Iran once again, this time for France to continue her education in 1994.

Ms. Satrapi uses Persepolis to weave together many different threads using narrative and art – the story of a girl growing up; the history of Iran; the fear of daily life under fundamentalist rule; the pain of being separated from one’s family and in a different culture, a different world from the familiar.

Marjane is a smart young girl who, from an early age, told things as she saw them. Her intelligent, politically aware parents made sure she understood what was going on around her at a very young age; this would later allow her to communicate with a younger and older audiences alike. Her voice rings clearly throughout the text and the artwork and allows readers to understand an often complex back story of a nation by making the story personal. The graphic novel is a great way of telling complex stories. 

Persepolis has received numerous awards and accolades, including designation as a New York Times Notable Book; Time Magazine “Best Comix of the Year”, a bestseller on both the San Francisco Chronicle and Los Angeles Times lists, and the American Library Association (ALA) Alex Award.

Marjane Satrapi is an Iranian-born writer and artist currently living in France. Her autobiographical graphic novel, Persepolis, has also been made into an animated film that shared a Jury prize at the Cannes Film Festival in 2007 and was nominated for a Best Animated Feature Academy Award in 2008. Her biography page on Random House’s website tells readers about her other graphic novels, her thoughts on Persepolis, and prompts visitors to sign up for author alerts.

Book Review: Lockdown: Escape from Furnace, by Alexander Gordon-Smith (2010, Farrrar Straus Giroux)

Recommended for ages 13+

Recommended  by my then-12 year-old, this book has received strong critical and consumer praise and is a strong entry in  dystopian/post-apocalyptic teen fiction.

Set in dystopian England, Lockdown is the first in the Escape from Furnace series; horror novels set in a science fiction universe. It speaks to fears that teenagers have today, namely, fears of being wrongfully accused and the loss of freedom – within a fantastic setting. Readers meet Alex, a 14 year-old petty thief. When he and his friend Toby break into a home one night, it’s anything but business as usual when they find themselves confronted with a group of men in suits. Alex witnesses in horror as they shoot Toby dead, framing Alex for his murder. He’s sentenced to Furnace, a hellish underground youth prison constructed years earlier when gang wars escalated into mass violence.

Furnace, located a mile below ground, is a one-way trip – inmates are sentenced for life, which doesn't usually last long. Alex learns quickly that Furnace’s gangs are the least of his problems: nightly raids by creatures in gas masks drag inmates off for purposes unknown; vicious dog-like animals can attack at any moment, and something is going on deep in the tunnels of Furnace. The warden is conducting genetic experiments on the inmates taken in the middle of the night.

Alex and a group of inmates he befriends, stick together to stay alive and plot their escape from Furnace. The night before they are to escape, Alex’s cellmate, Donovan, is taken in a nightly raid. Shaken but undeterred, Alex promises to come back for him. The next day, the boys manage to blow a hole in an old passage using gas-filled gloves they collected from kitchen duty and jump to their freedom. But are they really free of Furnace?

Alex is a normal, if flawed, teenager. Essentially good, he is the moral compass of the book; he yearns for his family, for friendship, and for the chance to change. Told in the first person, Alex becomes the voice of the reader. 

Lockdown: Escape from Furnace has been selected as an American Library Association (ALA) Quick Pick for Young Adults and is on the Georgia Peach Book Award Master List.

Alexander Gordon Smith’s website offers information about the author, his books, downloadable wallpapers, and links to extras including a novella based on his Escape from Furnace series; there is also a link to his blog. The publisher also provides an Escape from Furnace website where visitors can play an Escape from Furnace video game, watch book trailers, and read character profiles.

Hi there, remember me?

It's been a while, I know. I blame this guy:

Okay, he's not totally to blame. This is, too:

Not the Asgardian on the right, the schoolwork on the left.

For those of you who haven't heard, read, or hang out on Facebook, Wee Boy joined us in June, two weeks after my semester ended - very considerate of him. He is adorable, he is amazing, and he is a time suck. In a good way. But what little time I've got these days is going to finishing up my LAST TWO CLASSES of library school - can I get an amen? A hallelujah? A cup of super-caffeinated coffee? My last semester of grad school is coming - the ePortfolio, my final project - and I'm in the crush to finish my last two classes by December 13th, which will also be the world's greatest birthday present. I'm excited and a bit amazed, because over the last 3 1/2 years, I've become used to being a perpetual student. Now that the paperwork's been filed and approved, grades pending, I'm still a bit amazed that there really is a light at the end of the tunnel. Now, I just need to get through the next 4 weeks.

There will be book reviews again. I promise. And there will be knitting again - I promise that, too. I can't wait for that, to be honest, because I really, REALLY miss knitting. I've got a blanket for Dude in my closet that's about 3/4 of the way done. And my row-counter app reset when I updated my iPod. So his blanket is going to have a few rows that looked like some drunk knit on it until I figure out what row I was on. But that's still in the future.

So bear with me - I am still here in the blogosphere, just in a holding pattern at the moment.

Book Review: The Uglies, by Scott Westerfield (2005, Simon & Schuster)

Recommended for ages 12-16.

Fifteen year-old Tally lives in a post-apocalyptic society where boys and girls from the ages of 12 to 16 are “Uglies”. Upon turning 16, everyone undergoes surgery to become “Pretties” – enhanced, beautiful people whose sole responsibility is to be beautiful, attend parties, and enjoy life. Tally has waited to be Pretty and join her friends in New Pretty Town when she meets Shay, who shares her birthday – but not her desire to be Pretty. Shay tells Tally about a place where they can run away and avoid the surgery, but Tally refuses to go, leaving Shay to run off on her own. On the day of Tally’s operation, the department of Special Circumstances informs her that she must find them and turn them in or they will see to it that she will be Ugly forever. As Tally learns about the secrets behind the Pretty operation, she has decisions to make – but will time run out before she can make the right one?

The Uglies is a morality tale in a post-apocalyptic setting. The society frowns upon the previous society, referred to as “Rusties”, for bringing about environmental catastrophe by abusing metal and other natural resources, but their society is built on the artificial, from the materials consumed to the people themselves. The “pretty” surgery takes place at age 16, what we consider a volatile age when many young men and women have body and image issues. Natural beauty no longer exists. When Tally is offered a choice – to betray her friend or remain ugly forever, she initially chooses betrayal; through her experiences, she learns that beauty is skin deep.

The Uglies has received numerous awards and designations, including the American Library Association (ALA) Best Book for Young Adults (2006); Chicago Public Library’s Best of the Best for Teens (2005); Kirkus Editor’s Choice (2005); New York Public Library’s “Books for the Teen Age” (2005); School Library Journal Best Books of the Year (2005); Texas Lone Star Reading List (2006-2007); VOYA‘s Top Shelf Fiction for Middle School Readers (2005); Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) Best Books For Young Adults (2006); YALSA Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults (2006); and YALSA Quick Picks Nominee (2006).

Author Scott Westerfeld’s website offers information about the author, his books, book trailers, and a discussion forum.

Book Review: The Pigman, by Paul Zindel (HarperTeen, 2005 edition)

Recommended for ages 12-16

High school sophomores John and Lorraine make prank telephone calls to amuse themselves and their friends. One day, they call Angelo Pignati pretending to be a charity looking for donations; Mr. Pignati, a lonely man, starts a conversation that leads to an unlikely friendship. Mr. Pignati - called the Pigman both for his last name and his collection of pig figurines - is a widower grieving the loss of his wife, and spends his days going to the zoo to feed a baboon named Bobo and spending time (and money) on his new friends.

John is too eager to let the Pigman spend money on him, but Lorraine has a slightly greater moral center and expresses some guilt and hesitation over the Pigman's gifts. They both find themselves developing affectionate feelings for the Pigman, but when he is hospitalized after a heart attack, they make themselves too comfortable in his home, eating his food and ultimately throwing a party that ends up with the destruction of the Pigman's property. The Pigman arrives home from the hospital and witnesses the destruction just as the police arrive. The events of the party lead to an aftermath that leads John and Lorraine to write their story in the hopes of easing their own consciences.

Published in 1968, The Pigman remains relevant, with characters who act and speak like believable teens. Told in a first-person narrative John and Lorraine alternate chapters, giving readers insight into who they are: John is sarcastic and witty; Lorraine is John's guilt-ridden foil. The Pigman, a lonely old man in search of human contact, generates sympathy in the reader. The difficult relationships each of the teens have wiith their parents will resonate with readers.

The Pigman has been designated as an American Library Association (ALA) Notable Children's Book, ALA Best of the Best Books for Young Adults, a Horn Book Fanfare Honor List (1969), New York Times Outstanding Children's Books of 1968, and Book World's Best Children's Books of 1968.

Author Paul Zindel's website offers information about the author, all of his books, and information for teachers, including links to several study guides.

Book Review; Breadcrumbs, by Anne Ursu (Erin McGuire, ill.) (Walden Pond Press, 2011)

Recommended for ages 9-12

Fifth graders Hazel and Jack are best friends until the day Jack decides he wants to be around boys more than a girl. Hazel is miserable at the loss of her friend, but when Jack disappears, she is the only one who ventures into the mysterious woods to find him, and get him back from the White Queen – whether or not he wants to come home.

Breadcrumbs is a trip through fairy tales and middle-grade stories that many readers will be familiar with, all surrounding a retelling of the classic tale of the Snow Queen. The characters are fifth graders who actually act their age; they are fully fleshed out with backgrounds that touch on issues that many readers will be familiar with – multiculturalism, adoption, divorce and remarriage, depression, and the pain of loss and how to move past it. There is a little bit of magic in every world, and Breadcrumbs brings that to life in the form of the main characters’ imaginations and in the more literal, magical forest sense. Erin McGuire’s black and white illustrations bring the chill of the cold forest, particularly the Snow Queen, to life and enhance the text. Compulsively readable, the book also provides numerous opportunities to enhance classroom discussions on topical issues or on a fairy tale unit.

Breadcrumbs is a 2011 Cybils award nominee for Middle Grade Science Fiction/Fantasy. Author Anne Ursu’s webpage offers information about Breadcrumbs and all of Ms. Ursu’s books, plus updated news and appearance information and links to social media.

Book Review: The Cheshire Cheese Cat: A Dickens of a Tale, by Carmen Agra Deedy & Randall Wright (Barry Moser, ill.) (Peachtree Publishers, 2011)

Recommended for ages 9-12
Skilley is a street cat who finds himself hired by Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese, a pub in Victorian London where writers like Charles Dickens find themselves inspired to write. Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese makes some of the best cheese in the kingdom, and they’ve got a bit of a mouse problem. It should be a dream job for Skilley, but he has a secret – he doesn’t like to eat mice. He prefers cheese, truth be told. Skilley and the mice of Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese, led by young Pip, work out an arrangement that should keep the staff at the Cheese fooled and Skilley’s belly fed until Pinch – a nasty street cat who’s had run-ins with Skilley before – shows up. Afraid that Pinch will discover his secret, Skilley finds his friendship with Pip at risk and Maldwyn, another guest of the Cheshire, in danger.

The Cheshire Cheese Cat is one of those stories that is just a fun, great read. The authors managed to create a morality tale and a story of friendship that has appeal to a huge age range. It would be a great read-aloud to younger grades, with anthropomorphic characters to keep them interested, and older readers will appreciate the dilemmas Skilley finds himself confronted with: unlikely friendships and looking “cool” in front of one’s peers among them. The characters, human and animal alike, are fleshed out and their interactions have depth. Inserting historical characters like Charles Dickens, who finds himself interested in the goings-on at the Cheese – goings-on that human patrons seem to miss – make the tale more fun, as does the visit from the “surprise guest” teased at the beginning of the book. Black and white illustations by Barry Moser add to the enjoyment and give the readers a little more grease for the imagination’s wheels.

The Cheshire Cheese Cat website offers information about Victorian London, Charles Dickens, The Cheshire Cheese, and more historical references found in the book. A fun page on Cheshire Cheese, thought to be the oldest cheese in England, provides the history of the cheese and recipes and would be a fun addition to any classes reading the book. Author Carmen Agra Deedy maintains a blog where she also maintains a list of events and appearances, awards and nominations, and her other books.

Book Review: A Monster Calls, by Patrick Ness (Candlewick, 2011)

Recommended for ages 11-13

A Monster Calls is one of those books that will tear your heart out while you're reading it, but when you're done, you're glad that you went through the experience. It's that good.

Conor is a 13-year old boy who lives in Britain with his single mother, has a strained relationship with his father, who has his own life and new family in the States, and is bullied at school. His mother is fighting a battle with cancer, and losing. Around this time, Conor starts receiving visits every night, just after midnight, from a monster in the guise of a yew tree in his backyard. The monster tells him stories - truths - whose outcomes really play with perspective, and he tells Conor that the fourth story will be Conor's, telling the monster his own truth. It's a truth that Conor doesn't want to think about, but that gives him nightmares every night.

The story, originally an idea by author Siobhan Dowd, whose own life was cut short by cancer, is gorgeously written. Ness' words bring the reader right into Conor's fear, grief and anger at his mother's battle, his grandmother's fussiness, his father's distance, and the numbness he feels as he endures the bullies at school. When the monster allows Conor's rage an outlet, the reader feels it, viscerally. Jim Kay's stark black and white illustations add to the moody feeling of Ness' prose.

A Monster Calls has been shortlisted for several awards including the Galaxy British National Book Award, the Red House Children's Book Award, and the Cybils Award in Middle Grade Fantasy. The author's website features his blog, an FAQ, and information about his books and events.

Book Review: Tuesdays at the Castle, by Jessica Day George (Bloomsbury, 2011)

Recommended for ages 9-12

Princess Celie lives with her brother, sister and parents at Castle Glower, a castle that's alive much in the way Hogwarts is - rooms crop up when they're needed, and new staircases and passages appear seemingly at will. When her parents, King Glower and Queen Celina leave to attend their eldest son's graduation from wizard school and are reported missing after their carriage is attacked, Councilors and foreign dignitaries show up and start ordering Celie's brother Rolf - the heir to the throne - around. The Glower children, the castle staff, and Castle Glower itself all sense that something's wrong, and work together to get rid of the evil prince that's trying to take over Castle Glower - and bring their parents home safely.

Jessica Day George is great at writing princess books without all the saccharine included- her heroines are smart, funny, and can keep their heads about them when things are going crazy. Celie is no different, nor is her older sister, Lilah, which is a pleasant change from the "one beautiful and dumb, one smart and resourceful" sister that tends to pop up in YA and 'tween literature. Their brother, Bran, is an intelligent boy who can defend himself verbally and allies with his siblings and staff to brainstorm solutions and make things happen. Ms. George provides good character development and the action is well-paced. While mostly girls will likely gravitate to this book, there are strong male and female characters for young readers to be inspired by.

Jessica Day George's website has a section dedicated to Tuesdays at the Castle, in addition to her other books, appearances and news.

Book Review; Icefall by Matthew J. Kirby (Scholastic, 2011)

Recommended for ages 10-14

Reading Matthew Kirby's Icefall is like reading an old Norse tale -there is suspense, there is heroism, there are storytellers, and there is battle. The author puts the reader in the banquet hall with the characters, invites you to take a seat and listen in.

Solveig, the middle daughter of a viking king, her older sister and younger brother, are in hiding at a frozen fortress while their father fights a war at home. The king's warriors protect them, joined later by a group of berserker warriors that he sends as additional protection. Shortly after the berserkers arrive, though, things start going wrong - livestock disappears, food is poisoned, and it becomes all too clear that someone in the group is a traitor. Solveig and her siblings have to figure out how to survive the winter until the spring thaw, and Solveig works to discover who the traitor is before he - or she - destroys them all.

It is a compelling read with complex characters and a tense situation - a siege tale from within. Solveig is the middle daughter - she is plain, unlike her beautiful older sister Asa; she is not an heir, unlike her younger brother Harald; she is merely Solveig. But Solveig is smart and figures things out quickly. She strives to be a storyteller - a skald - like Alric, the skald in her father's court, but she learns that being a skald means giving your loyalty to those who may not always warrant it. Solveig finds herself angry at Asa for doing nothing during their days in captivity and she protects Harald as if he is one of her own. The story is told in Solveig's voice, interspersed with Solveig's anecdotes involving different characters from before the time of the seige, to further flesh out the players. There are layers and layers to this story; as each layer peels back, the revelations keep the reader turning the pages to discover more.

This book crosses genres - it can be considered fantasy, it can be historical fiction, or it can be mystery (it was just nominated for an Edgar award). While the main character is female, there is plenty here to pique both boys' and girls' interests: battle, complex relationships, and the frustration of family ties are only part of what this well-written tale has to offer all readers.

Matthew J. Kirby's blog, Kirbside, offers information about his books (with hyperlinked titles to bring you directly to points of interest) and contact information. The Scholastic site for Icefall allows readers to download a sample chapter.

Icefall has also been nominated for a Cybils award in Middle Grade Fantasy.

Book Review: Dragon Castle by Joseph Bruchac (Dial, 2011)

Recommended for ages 10-13

Prince Rashko, a 14-year old prince, is frustrated by his family. They're so dumb. His parents are kind, but simple; his older brother Paulek, while a near-perfect warrior, is content to let Rashko do all the heavy thinking. They all live in Hladka Hvorka, a castle rumored to have magical origins, and there is peace in Rashko's parents' land - until Rashko's parents disappear, and the Baron Temny shows up, expecting his young hosts to accommodate him and his entourage. The Baron also brings his 'daughter' with him as a potential bride for Paulek, who is thrilled to have company. Rashko suspects that neither there is more to both the Baron and his daughter, and works to find his parents and keep Hladka Hvorka in his family's name.

Running parallel to Rashko's story is the story of the legendary warrior Pavol, a hero in Rashko's land. Orphaned when an evil king took his parents' land and murdered them, Pavol is raised by a husband and wife living in the magical woodlands on the outskirts of the castle, and trained for the day he will avenge his parents' deaths. This legend eventually converges with Rashko's story, and he learns that Hladka Hvorka holds even more secrets than he imagined.

Author Joseph Bruchac is Native American and Slovakian, and draws upon his Slovakian heritage for Dragon Castle. The book contains phrases and words in Slovakian, always reinforced in English, and includes a glossary in the back. It is a great way to introduce younger readers to a new language within a fantasy setting.

The story is woven like a classic hero's tale, with adventure and humor in equal parts. Rashko comes across as a bit petulant and stuck-up at times, particularly in the beginning of the book when he spends most of his time lamenting his superior intelligence and his parents' and brother's abject stupidity, but he's an adolescent - he's written well. He also realizes, as he gets deeper into his family's background, that there is more to his parents - and possibly, his brother - than he ever thought possible, and this gives him pause.

Having two male main characters is a great way to bring this adventure fantasy to male readers; supplemental female characters will not draw any female readers in that weren't planning on reading it already, but Dragon Castle is a strong fantasy tale that should appeal to boys and girls who enjoy fantasy, complete with evil sorcery, dragons, and castles.

Joseph Bruchac's website focuses mainly on his music and poetry and features .mp3 files for listeners to enjoy. There is some information about his books and schedule available.

Book Review: The Inquisitor's Apprentice by Chris Moriarty (Harcourt, 2011)

Recommended for ages 10-14

The Inquisitor's Apprentice is the first book in a a science fiction/fantasy adventure series, taking place in an alternate New York City around the turn of the 20th century. Magic exists in this world, and each immigrant group has their own magic that they bring to the New World with them. Inquisitors, a branch of the New York Police Department, patrol to make sure magic is not being abused.

Thirteen year-old Sacha Kessler, who lives in the Lower East Side with his family, has the gift of seeing magic; for this, he is recruited into the NYPD, as an apprentice to Inquisitor Wolf; his fellow apprentice, Lily Astral, is from a wealthy New York family and is an entitled snob who rubs Sacha the wrong way almost immediately.

Inquisitor Wolf, Sacha and Lily are put on a case involving death threats to Thomas Edison, who is creating a witch-detectiing machine - every magician in New York City has a reason to want him dead, but as they delve deeper into the case, things become more complicated for Sacha, who sees the case leading back to his neighborhood - and possibly, his own family.

The book is compulsively readable, with well-drawn characters and an interesting alternate New York setting. Moriarty offers a new way of glimpsing life into the Jewish immigrant experience in turn of the century New York; this book would be good companion reading to a unit on immigration in America as it allows for many areas of discussion wrapped within a solidly enjoyable fantasy setting. Some may struggle with the many Yiddish terms, but context should answer most questions. A paperback edition may consider a guide to terms for some readers. Black and white illustrations by Mark Edward Geyer add to the moody feeling that permeates much of the novel.

Chris Moriarty has an Inquisitor's Apprentice website set up that provides information on the series and on the actual New York City of the time, with photos and information about key individuals that appear in the series, like Harry Houdini and Thomas Edison. There is author event and contact information as well. He blogs at SFness.com about his own books, other author's books, and offers writing advice. His website features his writing about science fiction and cyberpunk, along with other science fiction subgenres.

Book Review: Nerd Do Well by Simon Pegg (Century, 2010)

Nerd Do Well is actor-director-writer Simon Pegg's "journey from a small boy to a big kid". As a Pegg fan, I was really looking forward to diving in and reading about his Star Wars fandom (he wrote his college thesis on the films) and all about the making of some of my favorite movies including Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz.

Pegg is all over the place with this book. He spends an exhaustive amount of time on his childhood, particularly some early romantic entanglements. He tangents frequently, usually to discuss Star Wars or Doctor Who - and those were the parts that made me say, "Finally!", sit down to dig in, and two pages later, be right back to his latest teenage paramour. Interspersed between random chapters is a James Bon-esque fantasy adventure novel Pegg seems to really want to have written - with himself in the title role, naturally, and accompanied by a robot butler - that reads like it was a page taken from his high school notebook. I ended up skimming those interludes after a while, then skipping them entirely.

Overall, I felt a bit let down by Nerd Do Well. I guess I was expecting more about Pegg's work and less about his childhood. He addresses this to a degree in his book, claiming that he didn't want to write a conventional autobiography. He mentions his wife and child only in passing, choosing to focus more on his dog when he feels trapped into talking about either of them. Another key area lacking in the book was on his relationship with Nick Frost, who plays his best friend in Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, and Paul. Frost is mentioned, and Pegg is effusive in praise for his close friend, but I didn't really come away from this book feeling like I knew anything more about Simon Pegg than I did when I began the book - and maybe that's the way he wanted it.

Book Review: Darth Paper Strikes Back, by Tom Angleberger (Amulet, 2011)

Recommended for ages 9-12

After reading Angelberger's first book in his "Origami" series, The Strange Case of Origami Yoda, I had to get the sequel. I am pleased to say that the sequel matches up to the original.

The McQuarrie Middle School gang is back, but the happy beginnings we saw at the end of Origami Yoda are nowhere to be found; to top it off, Harvey shows up at school with Darth Paper, his answer to Origami Yoda. In no time, Harvey's managed to get Dwight suspended and under the threat of being sent to a special school for troubled children. Origami Yoda asks Tommy to put together another case file, this time, to show Dwight in a favorable light and get his suspension overturned. With Harvey threatening to throw a wrench in their work at every turn, can Tommy and his friends make everything right again - this time, without Origami Yoda's advice?

If readers enjoyed Origami Yoda, they will enjoy Darth Paper Strikes Back. The book is written in the same fun, first-person style as the original, and the conflict with love-to-hate-him Harvey (and Darth Paper) adds a fun counterpoint to Origami Yoda's sage advice while adding some unexpected depth to the book, particularly at the conclusion.

For more information about The Strange Case of Origami Yoda and author Tom Angleberger, you can see my original post.

 

A Guide to Quality, Taste & Style by Tim Gunn & Kate Moloney (Harry N Abrams, 2007)

I know! It's a grown-up book! After my Materials for 'Tweens class ended last semester, I wanted to dig into my seemingly never-ending "to read" pile, and this seemed as a good a start as any. I tend to like style guides when I'm not feeling my best to help give me some ideas. As a fan of Project Runway and Tim Gunn, I figured this would be a fun, relaxing read to transition me into my winter break.

Sadly, I just didn't connect with this book. One failing that many "style guides" tend to have is that they are written for people with no concept of a budget. They try to circumvent this by exhorting readers to "invest" in one designer piece, but for most people reading this book, even that is too much to consider.

The overall tone of the book tends toward the high-handed, with hardly any of the wry humor that made Tim Gunn so popular on Project Runway. It was an overall disappointing read. I think I'll stick to the Chic Simple series, which visually presents style concepts and choices and allows readers to visualize more budget-conscious fashion choices.