Thursday, October 27, 2011
Scott Pilgrim
Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life Scott Pilgrim vs The World
Scott Pilgrim & The Infinite Sadness
Scott Pilgrim Gets It Together
Scott Pilgrim vs The Universe
Scott Pilgrim's Finest Hour
by Bryan Lee O'Malley
This set of graphic novels set in Toronto follow Scott Pilgrim in his pursuit of becoming the boyfriend of Ramona Flowers and, as required, defeat her evil ex-boyfriends, all seven of them. Sounds strange? Well, yes, but it makes more sense when you realize that it is set up much like a video game, with each book as a level, and the defeat of each boyfriend an objective that earns Scott points toward his final goal. Better?
That framework also helps explain the crazy fight scene between Ramona and Knives Chau, who Scott first dates briefly, that is held, of all wonderful things, in the Toronto Reference Library. Seriously. It is a delight to Toronto readers that the city figures so prominently and recognizably, but it doesn't limit the readership, either. It's a bit nonsensical, a little rambling, and a whole lot of crazy, mixed-up fun with characters you mostly like, even in their douchey moments, and they do have them.
I like the drawing style, a fairly comic style that keeps the fight scenes jokey and the characters seeming fun even when they have their moments. Having read the series, I can see that Michael Cera might just be the most inspired choice to play Scott Pilgrim, as he was cast - it's sitting on my shelf waiting for a viewing now.
Labels: 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, Canadian, friendship, graphic novel, love story, music theme, slightly weird stuff, teen
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Montmorency: Thief, liar, gentleman?
by Eleanor Updale
I had been meaning to read this book for a while, since it sounded so delicious. Suspense, set in the Victorian era, involving a man who was a thief slinking under London by night and a gentleman by day. Would he be found out as one or as the other, and what would he stand to lose?
This first book sets up the series, introducing us to Prisoner 493 and his history, walking us through his time in prison, where he nurses his bitterness and envy towards the upper class and plans his dual life in great detail.
When he is at last released, he begins by setting himself up with the tools, clothes, and lodgings he will need, and the adventure begins. The crimes are not written up in detail, which could become dull and repetitive really quickly. Instead, his plans and what he learns are outlined, his narrow misses and the things he realizes he must change are sprinkled throughout to keep a nice degree of tension, and his progress is notable, but well-paced.
By the end, he finds himself offered a legitimate job of sorts - but one perfectly suited to his skills and parts of his personality, for it is all about deception, sneaking, and the thrill of the narrow escape. This perfectly sets up the next book in the series, too, and closes the door on part of his deception while it opens a new avenue for the same sort of suspense. This neat trick to keep the series fresh doesn't even feel gimmicky, which can be tough to pull off.
It will tell you something of my opinion that having finished the book last night, I went to the teen section today to pick up the rest of the series, bumping the book I had brought to work to start today.
I had been meaning to read this book for a while, since it sounded so delicious. Suspense, set in the Victorian era, involving a man who was a thief slinking under London by night and a gentleman by day. Would he be found out as one or as the other, and what would he stand to lose?
This first book sets up the series, introducing us to Prisoner 493 and his history, walking us through his time in prison, where he nurses his bitterness and envy towards the upper class and plans his dual life in great detail.
When he is at last released, he begins by setting himself up with the tools, clothes, and lodgings he will need, and the adventure begins. The crimes are not written up in detail, which could become dull and repetitive really quickly. Instead, his plans and what he learns are outlined, his narrow misses and the things he realizes he must change are sprinkled throughout to keep a nice degree of tension, and his progress is notable, but well-paced.
By the end, he finds himself offered a legitimate job of sorts - but one perfectly suited to his skills and parts of his personality, for it is all about deception, sneaking, and the thrill of the narrow escape. This perfectly sets up the next book in the series, too, and closes the door on part of his deception while it opens a new avenue for the same sort of suspense. This neat trick to keep the series fresh doesn't even feel gimmicky, which can be tough to pull off.
It will tell you something of my opinion that having finished the book last night, I went to the teen section today to pick up the rest of the series, bumping the book I had brought to work to start today.
Labels: 2004, action/adventure, good stuff, historical fiction, loved it, suspense, teen
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Once Upon a Curse
by E.D. Baker.
This girly fantasy revolves around a family curse that makes the girls in the family turn ugly and nasty when they touch a flower after their 16th birthday. This is a family of witches, so nasty is REALLY nasty. The youngest in the line is about to turn 16, and is betrothed to a boy she loves, but she is determined to end the curse or stay single so as not to put him through it.
So she pursues an answer, using magic, traveling back through time, and so on. Doing something with that answer when she returns is another story, because her aunt is making it difficult, not to mention throwing other wrenches in the birthday celebration that must be dealt with. She and her fiance work together and come a long way, but it looks like hope is lost until a surprise twist.
This took me a while to read, because it doesn't pull you along, the way some fantasy-type books do, with adventure. So although the character is a smart, strong young lady, and I like her relationship with Eadric, this was really just sort of lukewarm. A real fan of princess-y books might love it, though.
This girly fantasy revolves around a family curse that makes the girls in the family turn ugly and nasty when they touch a flower after their 16th birthday. This is a family of witches, so nasty is REALLY nasty. The youngest in the line is about to turn 16, and is betrothed to a boy she loves, but she is determined to end the curse or stay single so as not to put him through it.
So she pursues an answer, using magic, traveling back through time, and so on. Doing something with that answer when she returns is another story, because her aunt is making it difficult, not to mention throwing other wrenches in the birthday celebration that must be dealt with. She and her fiance work together and come a long way, but it looks like hope is lost until a surprise twist.
This took me a while to read, because it doesn't pull you along, the way some fantasy-type books do, with adventure. So although the character is a smart, strong young lady, and I like her relationship with Eadric, this was really just sort of lukewarm. A real fan of princess-y books might love it, though.
Labels: 2004, girly, lukewarm, slightly weird stuff, witches and wizards
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Missing Abby
by Lee Weatherly.
Emily was best friends with Abby. The two used to play fantasy games and draw dragons and aliens and other worlds, and had a great time. But when a popular bully turned her sights from Abby, who ignored her, to Emily, who was truly tormented, Emily decided to change schools and escape all of it, transforming herself into someone who could fit with the popular girls, someone who would never be into something as freakish as fantasy.
She even had an uncomfortable run-in with Abby on a bus one day, when it became clear that Abby was a little bitter that she had changed and totally cut off their lifelong friendship. Emily was only thinking of leaving it all behind, pretending to be someone else... until the news came on. Abby was missing, and Emily, as it turned out, was the last person to see her.
Emily is torn between trying to keep a good face on for her new friends, to pretend she didn't really know this goth-y girl that well, and feeling really terribly guilty and worried about Abby. She falls in with Abby's "freak" friends, trying to help them find her, and even gets herself into serious trouble with her parents when she brushes off her friends and disappears when she thinks she knows where Abby might have gone.
In the end, she finds herself a hero of sorts, which helps mend fences with her parents, and finds that her new friends are actually real friends, who don't care if she is into fantasy as well as fashion. In fact, they had met that bully from Emily's old school, and thought she was a major bitch. Emily finally finds a place for herself - a blend of the Ems who like trendy clothes and cute boys and the Emily who likes to dream up crazy, magic-filled worlds. It's a nice ending, something I'd wish for for any teen, to discover that they can be who they are and still be accepted.
Emily was best friends with Abby. The two used to play fantasy games and draw dragons and aliens and other worlds, and had a great time. But when a popular bully turned her sights from Abby, who ignored her, to Emily, who was truly tormented, Emily decided to change schools and escape all of it, transforming herself into someone who could fit with the popular girls, someone who would never be into something as freakish as fantasy.
She even had an uncomfortable run-in with Abby on a bus one day, when it became clear that Abby was a little bitter that she had changed and totally cut off their lifelong friendship. Emily was only thinking of leaving it all behind, pretending to be someone else... until the news came on. Abby was missing, and Emily, as it turned out, was the last person to see her.
Emily is torn between trying to keep a good face on for her new friends, to pretend she didn't really know this goth-y girl that well, and feeling really terribly guilty and worried about Abby. She falls in with Abby's "freak" friends, trying to help them find her, and even gets herself into serious trouble with her parents when she brushes off her friends and disappears when she thinks she knows where Abby might have gone.
In the end, she finds herself a hero of sorts, which helps mend fences with her parents, and finds that her new friends are actually real friends, who don't care if she is into fantasy as well as fashion. In fact, they had met that bully from Emily's old school, and thought she was a major bitch. Emily finally finds a place for herself - a blend of the Ems who like trendy clothes and cute boys and the Emily who likes to dream up crazy, magic-filled worlds. It's a nice ending, something I'd wish for for any teen, to discover that they can be who they are and still be accepted.
Labels: 2004, good stuff, growing up, issues, suspense, teen
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Starseeker
by Tim Bowler
A boy who has lost his father two years ago has been having a difficult time ever since. Although he is a sensitive boy, a nice boy, an incredibly gifted and musical boy, he is not and in no way wants to be in touch with his own emotions over the whole thing. He and his mother have never really talked about his father, and he says he doesn't want to. Instead, he's been hanging around with the village gang of yobbos and is starting to get himself into real trouble with them. This in turn results in him stumbling into the lives of a reclusive old woman and a damaged young girl she's caring for, who will only really respond to his music. Add his mother's burgeoining relationship with a man from the village, and he is starting to spin out of control. As this is going on, he also finds himself more and more sensitive to sounds most of the world can't hear, and is beginning to see an image with them - something he is told his father experienced, too.
It all comes to a head one day, culminating in the gang trying to kill him, and him seeking help from the man he hates for just being near his mother. In the end, he ends up bringing people together and feeling acceptance of others in a way he hasn't for a long time, partly in thanks to his being so strangely attuned to the music of the universe.
This is a lovely book, one written so beautifully that I didn't want to put it down, and every one of the characters drew me into their stories and made me care deeply about the outcomes. The boy's struggle with his own grief and anger are handled in a very real way, and the eventual reconciling of many stories, with all plotlines coming to nice, rounded out conclusions doesn't feel false, but hopeful. This was really wonderful to get lost in.
A boy who has lost his father two years ago has been having a difficult time ever since. Although he is a sensitive boy, a nice boy, an incredibly gifted and musical boy, he is not and in no way wants to be in touch with his own emotions over the whole thing. He and his mother have never really talked about his father, and he says he doesn't want to. Instead, he's been hanging around with the village gang of yobbos and is starting to get himself into real trouble with them. This in turn results in him stumbling into the lives of a reclusive old woman and a damaged young girl she's caring for, who will only really respond to his music. Add his mother's burgeoining relationship with a man from the village, and he is starting to spin out of control. As this is going on, he also finds himself more and more sensitive to sounds most of the world can't hear, and is beginning to see an image with them - something he is told his father experienced, too.
It all comes to a head one day, culminating in the gang trying to kill him, and him seeking help from the man he hates for just being near his mother. In the end, he ends up bringing people together and feeling acceptance of others in a way he hasn't for a long time, partly in thanks to his being so strangely attuned to the music of the universe.
This is a lovely book, one written so beautifully that I didn't want to put it down, and every one of the characters drew me into their stories and made me care deeply about the outcomes. The boy's struggle with his own grief and anger are handled in a very real way, and the eventual reconciling of many stories, with all plotlines coming to nice, rounded out conclusions doesn't feel false, but hopeful. This was really wonderful to get lost in.
Labels: 2004, issues, loved it, slightly weird stuff, teen
Thursday, August 09, 2007
Teen Idol
by Meg Cabot.
Yup, it's another chicklit book by Meg. In the same voice as her Princess books and pretty much all of her teen chick books. But you know what? I like the voice. Maybe it's because I can relate to it - and everygirl voice, the voice of someone who feels kind of awkward, but isn't that badly off, the voice of someone who is neither popular nor unpopular. A voice I bet thousand of young girls can totally understand, because they hear it in their own heads, too. Sometimes it's nice to have company.
Anyhow, Jenny Greenley is the Girl Next Door. The Nice Girl. The Smoother Over of Problems. And she is entrusted with not only the anonymous school advice column, but also being the student guide for the undercover visit of movie star Luke Striker. Things go awry, but before he takes off, he tells her he thinks she could be more. Be less passive, and use her position as everybody's friend to make high school less vicious. In the end, it turns out he's at least as astute as she is, and shows her some things about herself. And of course, since this is chicklit and all, there's a boy and a happy ending for everybody. The end.
Yup, it's another chicklit book by Meg. In the same voice as her Princess books and pretty much all of her teen chick books. But you know what? I like the voice. Maybe it's because I can relate to it - and everygirl voice, the voice of someone who feels kind of awkward, but isn't that badly off, the voice of someone who is neither popular nor unpopular. A voice I bet thousand of young girls can totally understand, because they hear it in their own heads, too. Sometimes it's nice to have company.
Anyhow, Jenny Greenley is the Girl Next Door. The Nice Girl. The Smoother Over of Problems. And she is entrusted with not only the anonymous school advice column, but also being the student guide for the undercover visit of movie star Luke Striker. Things go awry, but before he takes off, he tells her he thinks she could be more. Be less passive, and use her position as everybody's friend to make high school less vicious. In the end, it turns out he's at least as astute as she is, and shows her some things about herself. And of course, since this is chicklit and all, there's a boy and a happy ending for everybody. The end.
Labels: 2004, fluff, girly, good stuff, love story, teen
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
Mable Riley: A Reliable Record of Humdrum Peril and Romance
by Marthe Jocelyn.
It's 1901, and Mable accompanies her sister to Sellerton, where Viola will be the new school mistress. There, she discovers the power of gossip and reputation at the same time that she discovers Ms. Rattle, a bloomer-clad suffragette who leads the local cheese factory girls in the town's first strike. Mable is often in trouble and Viola's position in a precarious situation because of her, but in the end, she sorts out everything to such a satisfactory end as to have her missteps excused.
Interspersed with her journal entries are the chapters of a silly serial adventures story she writes to entertain her friends back home.
This book and its heroine owe a massive debt to Anne of Green Gables and Josephine March, the daydreaming victorian spitfires that came before her. And because of that, I can see fans of those books loving this one, which doesn't stray too far from their fine example.
It's 1901, and Mable accompanies her sister to Sellerton, where Viola will be the new school mistress. There, she discovers the power of gossip and reputation at the same time that she discovers Ms. Rattle, a bloomer-clad suffragette who leads the local cheese factory girls in the town's first strike. Mable is often in trouble and Viola's position in a precarious situation because of her, but in the end, she sorts out everything to such a satisfactory end as to have her missteps excused.
Interspersed with her journal entries are the chapters of a silly serial adventures story she writes to entertain her friends back home.
This book and its heroine owe a massive debt to Anne of Green Gables and Josephine March, the daydreaming victorian spitfires that came before her. And because of that, I can see fans of those books loving this one, which doesn't stray too far from their fine example.
Labels: 2004, Canadian, girly, good stuff, middle grades
Monday, March 26, 2007
Chanda's Secrets
by Allan Stratton. Michael Printz honour book (the teen equivalent of a Newbery honour).
I had heard a lot of buzz around this one, and sometimes that ruins a book (or movie, for that matter) for me. But I was also expecting something heavier, something less optimistic, so the turn for the positive was a nice surprise.
Essentially, this is a book about Africa, about the stories of family breakdown, of the way young girls can become used and abused so easily, about the destructive powers of gossip, and, mostly, about the deep and terrifying impact of AIDS in Africa. Chanda's family is doing well, until her father is killed in a mine explosion, after which her mother finds herself with another man, who they leave after he rapes Chanda. Her next partner leaves them somewhat better off, leaving his house to Chanda's mother when he dies, but the last man, Jonah, runs around and brings home the dreaded disease to Chanda's mother before he leaves and then dies himself. Chanda's friend Esther, having lost her parents, is also at risk, having started to sell her young body in an attempt to earn enough to bring together her siblings again. By the end, Chanda's mother is sick and leaves her to care for her siblings. Chanda goes after her, and finds her dying alone, of AIDS. She decides at this point that she is sick of the shame and knows that she and her mother have nothing to be embarrassed about. She brings her mother home to die with her family around her. With the house and her siblings left to her care, she invites her friend to bring her siblings and live with them, too, sharing chores and the safety of their own home and scorning the gossip that has spread about Esther. When Esther tests positive, Chanda continues to hold her head high, going to the clinic with her in support, despite what people may say. Indeed, her attitude changes the opinion of the neighbour gossip, who gets off her high horse and throws her own weight behind Chanda in the end.
There is a lot here about how superstition and ignorance and fear of people's talk contribute to the spread of both disease and refusal to deal with it. Close to the end, Chanda and her friend go to a clinic, having decided they were sick of the shame and the stigma, and they see a sign: Everyone is either infected or affected. The virus' impact runs deep, not only killing thousands so that new graveyards are full almost before they are opened, but isolating and dividing, as the stigma and fear is enormous.
I love that this book, despite taking on a serious and tragic story, one all too common, manages to end on a lovely note. Not a light, everything's-going-to-be-just-fine note, which wouldn't work, but a hopeful note, with a heroine who finds a way to do what she knows to be right, a way to cope and go on, a way to work towards a future for herself and those she loves. I'm a sucker for an optimist, and I love a strong, pragmatic main character, so this just worked for me.
I had heard a lot of buzz around this one, and sometimes that ruins a book (or movie, for that matter) for me. But I was also expecting something heavier, something less optimistic, so the turn for the positive was a nice surprise.
Essentially, this is a book about Africa, about the stories of family breakdown, of the way young girls can become used and abused so easily, about the destructive powers of gossip, and, mostly, about the deep and terrifying impact of AIDS in Africa. Chanda's family is doing well, until her father is killed in a mine explosion, after which her mother finds herself with another man, who they leave after he rapes Chanda. Her next partner leaves them somewhat better off, leaving his house to Chanda's mother when he dies, but the last man, Jonah, runs around and brings home the dreaded disease to Chanda's mother before he leaves and then dies himself. Chanda's friend Esther, having lost her parents, is also at risk, having started to sell her young body in an attempt to earn enough to bring together her siblings again. By the end, Chanda's mother is sick and leaves her to care for her siblings. Chanda goes after her, and finds her dying alone, of AIDS. She decides at this point that she is sick of the shame and knows that she and her mother have nothing to be embarrassed about. She brings her mother home to die with her family around her. With the house and her siblings left to her care, she invites her friend to bring her siblings and live with them, too, sharing chores and the safety of their own home and scorning the gossip that has spread about Esther. When Esther tests positive, Chanda continues to hold her head high, going to the clinic with her in support, despite what people may say. Indeed, her attitude changes the opinion of the neighbour gossip, who gets off her high horse and throws her own weight behind Chanda in the end.
There is a lot here about how superstition and ignorance and fear of people's talk contribute to the spread of both disease and refusal to deal with it. Close to the end, Chanda and her friend go to a clinic, having decided they were sick of the shame and the stigma, and they see a sign: Everyone is either infected or affected. The virus' impact runs deep, not only killing thousands so that new graveyards are full almost before they are opened, but isolating and dividing, as the stigma and fear is enormous.
I love that this book, despite taking on a serious and tragic story, one all too common, manages to end on a lovely note. Not a light, everything's-going-to-be-just-fine note, which wouldn't work, but a hopeful note, with a heroine who finds a way to do what she knows to be right, a way to cope and go on, a way to work towards a future for herself and those she loves. I'm a sucker for an optimist, and I love a strong, pragmatic main character, so this just worked for me.
Labels: 2004, good stuff, issues, set abroad, teen
