Tuesday, March 04, 2008
Alcatraz Smedry Versus the Evil Librarians
by Brandon Sanderson.
This book is a fantasy mixed with a comedy, a sort of Harry Potter meets Daniel Pinkwater. Throw in a smidge of Lemony Snicket, for the evil conspiracies and because Alcatraz often addresses the reader in asides about writing conventions and about what sort of person he really is, after all. But the book, or Alcatraz, that is, insists that it is in fact non-fiction, an autobiography and record of true events, and written to set the record straight, although he acknowledges that librarians will bill it as fantasy to keep the lid on the true nature of their nefarious world domination.
It's silly, it's postmodern, it's rife with action and discovery of new views of the world, which is apparently run by evil librarians who obfuscate the truth to keep the people under their control. (I'll never tell if that is true or not.)
But whatever the case, it is an fun, fast-paced, and quite enjoyable read, and one I can see recommending especially to a boy who is ready to move into chapters in terms of reading level, but reluctant to move into heavier books. One who loved Jon Sceisczka or Dav Pilkey would be a perfect bet.
This book is a fantasy mixed with a comedy, a sort of Harry Potter meets Daniel Pinkwater. Throw in a smidge of Lemony Snicket, for the evil conspiracies and because Alcatraz often addresses the reader in asides about writing conventions and about what sort of person he really is, after all. But the book, or Alcatraz, that is, insists that it is in fact non-fiction, an autobiography and record of true events, and written to set the record straight, although he acknowledges that librarians will bill it as fantasy to keep the lid on the true nature of their nefarious world domination.
It's silly, it's postmodern, it's rife with action and discovery of new views of the world, which is apparently run by evil librarians who obfuscate the truth to keep the people under their control. (I'll never tell if that is true or not.)
But whatever the case, it is an fun, fast-paced, and quite enjoyable read, and one I can see recommending especially to a boy who is ready to move into chapters in terms of reading level, but reluctant to move into heavier books. One who loved Jon Sceisczka or Dav Pilkey would be a perfect bet.
Labels: 2007, action/adventure, good stuff, humour, middle grades, slightly weird stuff, witches and wizards
# posted by kittenpie @ 12:43 PM 
