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
Friday, August 06, 2010
Sold
by Patricia McCormick
A book about a girl tricked into leaving her parents and sold into human slavery in the sex trade is, as you might imagine, not a topic for the young or faint of heart. This definitely belongs in the teen range with its content, though I do think an older child, say a grade 6 with some sophisticated reading habits, could handle it, because while Lakshmi is in a horrific situation, the writing of it is handled gently.
The story is told slowly, so that the circumstances that led to her mother allowing her to leave the home become clear, and the mother is not painted as someone who has easily abandoned her child to the mercy of others. The manipulations used by the various traders along the way are revealed, so the reader can see how people are tricked by them. Lakshmi's introduction into the sex trade, even, is handled carefully, never using shock value or graphic description, but couching it more in the language of the child the Lakshmi is, since she is telling her own story here.
This is a worthwhile read for an older child or a teen who can handle it, who is interested in what is happening in the wider world, because this is very real, but of course, it is a topic that makes this book one to recommend carefully to the right child. for all that I picked it up worried that I would be horrified, I was pleased to find that McCormick has managed admirably the tricky balance of cushioning the brutality and horror without downplaying the truth of what happens to girls in this situation.
A book about a girl tricked into leaving her parents and sold into human slavery in the sex trade is, as you might imagine, not a topic for the young or faint of heart. This definitely belongs in the teen range with its content, though I do think an older child, say a grade 6 with some sophisticated reading habits, could handle it, because while Lakshmi is in a horrific situation, the writing of it is handled gently.
The story is told slowly, so that the circumstances that led to her mother allowing her to leave the home become clear, and the mother is not painted as someone who has easily abandoned her child to the mercy of others. The manipulations used by the various traders along the way are revealed, so the reader can see how people are tricked by them. Lakshmi's introduction into the sex trade, even, is handled carefully, never using shock value or graphic description, but couching it more in the language of the child the Lakshmi is, since she is telling her own story here.
This is a worthwhile read for an older child or a teen who can handle it, who is interested in what is happening in the wider world, because this is very real, but of course, it is a topic that makes this book one to recommend carefully to the right child. for all that I picked it up worried that I would be horrified, I was pleased to find that McCormick has managed admirably the tricky balance of cushioning the brutality and horror without downplaying the truth of what happens to girls in this situation.
Labels: 2006, good stuff, growing up, issues, middle grades, set abroad, teen
Sunday, May 02, 2010
It's Kind of a Funny Story
by Ned Vizzini
Craig is suffering from clinical depression, and feeling the tiredness, the inability to eat, the insomnia, and the disheartened emotional state that go with it. Like being a teenager isn't sucky enough, especially when your best (and maybe only) friend is with the girl you're in love with and you have to watch them together all the time.
Then one night, it just all seems too much, and he seriously contemplates suicide. The suicide hotline tells him to go to the nearest emergency room, where he then goes to an adult psychiatric wing and stays for several days. While there he talks to other patients and to doctors, and learns some things about himself, his medications, his friends and that girl, and other people's problems. He starts to feel connected again, more like himself, and feel like here are some changes he has to make to keep the positive momentum going. By the time he gets out, he's ready to try the world again, ending on a positive, or at least cautiously optimistic, note.
At the end of the book it notes that Vizzini spent five days in a psychiatric hospital as a young man, and started writing this book one week later. That did not come as a complete surprise, as everything about life on a psych ward rang true in this book - something I know from visiting a close relative there on more than one occasion.
It all adds up to a really great teen novel - one with parts about finding yourself, about growing up, about stuff that teen boys think about, and that throws in a real experience, though hopefully one not too many teens will have to live themselves.
Craig is suffering from clinical depression, and feeling the tiredness, the inability to eat, the insomnia, and the disheartened emotional state that go with it. Like being a teenager isn't sucky enough, especially when your best (and maybe only) friend is with the girl you're in love with and you have to watch them together all the time.
Then one night, it just all seems too much, and he seriously contemplates suicide. The suicide hotline tells him to go to the nearest emergency room, where he then goes to an adult psychiatric wing and stays for several days. While there he talks to other patients and to doctors, and learns some things about himself, his medications, his friends and that girl, and other people's problems. He starts to feel connected again, more like himself, and feel like here are some changes he has to make to keep the positive momentum going. By the time he gets out, he's ready to try the world again, ending on a positive, or at least cautiously optimistic, note.
At the end of the book it notes that Vizzini spent five days in a psychiatric hospital as a young man, and started writing this book one week later. That did not come as a complete surprise, as everything about life on a psych ward rang true in this book - something I know from visiting a close relative there on more than one occasion.
It all adds up to a really great teen novel - one with parts about finding yourself, about growing up, about stuff that teen boys think about, and that throws in a real experience, though hopefully one not too many teens will have to live themselves.
Labels: 2006, family, friendship, good stuff, growing up, issues, teen
Saturday, March 20, 2010
American-Born Chinese
by Gene Luen Yang
This teen graphic novel was recommended to me by a bookstore clerk, who saw that I had picked it up and told me it was good stuff. He wasn't wrong.
The book features three stories that seem separate, yet address the same theme of fitting in and knowing who you are. The first story is from the Chinese legends of the Monkey King, the second is about a young boy who is growing up as a Chinese-American, and the third is about a white American boy whose annoying, over-the-top stereotype of a Chinese cousin is visiting and ruining his life at school.
The blend of fantasy and reality here works well, though it did have me for a while wondering why we had these three separate stories and where we were going. It resolves nicely, though, and at the end, the three stories suddenly entwine in an interesting and unforeseen way to drive the point home, without becoming all message-y.
Being a graphic, this is a quick read, and it's fun, but it's a solid book, too, with things to say about racism, accepting yourself, and growing up. While it's about a boy from Chinese heritage, it's applicable to a huge number of kids growing up in North America right now from different places, and I bet a lot of them would identify with parts of it. To me, that makes it a great thing to have on the shelf, so people get a better sense of what they or someone else might be facing.
and of course you can't talk graphic novel without talking about the drawing style. it's cartoon-y, of course, but a more conventionally western style of comics, not manga-style. it's got bold lines, yet manages a good amount of detail. To be honest, while I'm not a big graphic novel reader, I really liked the look and the way this novel worked.
-loved the style
This teen graphic novel was recommended to me by a bookstore clerk, who saw that I had picked it up and told me it was good stuff. He wasn't wrong.
The book features three stories that seem separate, yet address the same theme of fitting in and knowing who you are. The first story is from the Chinese legends of the Monkey King, the second is about a young boy who is growing up as a Chinese-American, and the third is about a white American boy whose annoying, over-the-top stereotype of a Chinese cousin is visiting and ruining his life at school.
The blend of fantasy and reality here works well, though it did have me for a while wondering why we had these three separate stories and where we were going. It resolves nicely, though, and at the end, the three stories suddenly entwine in an interesting and unforeseen way to drive the point home, without becoming all message-y.
Being a graphic, this is a quick read, and it's fun, but it's a solid book, too, with things to say about racism, accepting yourself, and growing up. While it's about a boy from Chinese heritage, it's applicable to a huge number of kids growing up in North America right now from different places, and I bet a lot of them would identify with parts of it. To me, that makes it a great thing to have on the shelf, so people get a better sense of what they or someone else might be facing.
and of course you can't talk graphic novel without talking about the drawing style. it's cartoon-y, of course, but a more conventionally western style of comics, not manga-style. it's got bold lines, yet manages a good amount of detail. To be honest, while I'm not a big graphic novel reader, I really liked the look and the way this novel worked.
-loved the style
Labels: 2006, friendship, good stuff, graphic novel, growing up, issues, slightly weird stuff, teen
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Sara's Face
by Melvin Burgess
Melvin Burgess has an incredible knack for dreaming up situations that sound like they could only lead to the cheesiest book in the world, yet making them entertaining and easy to buy into by virtue of his fantastic writing. His book Lady, for example, is about a teenaged girl who turns into a dog. Ridiculous? Sure. But he writes it so that the experience of being a dog seems like it must be realistic, it is so plausible.
So here, he writes about a rock star who has, teaming up with a gifted but unscrupulous plastic surgeon, pushed the boundaries of surgery well past normal or accepted. As a result, after years of constantly morphing his appearance, his face has collapsed. Still, he won't be kept down, and reinvents himself with a mask that propels him to even greater heights of global fame.
Sara, who considers herself a piece of performance art in her own way, is awestruck. She takes to wearing a mask of his face as much as she can, even before she burns her face with an iron. As she recovers, the great star Jonathon Heat visits her in the hospital, taking her under his wing and into his home, where he says he will nurture her talent, fix her face, and make her a star. The question is - is that what he really wants? Sar begins to have suspicions that he and his surgeon want her for a whole different reason, and that she may not even be the first.
The book has good suspense, an ending horrible enough to satisfy but not as bad as it could be, and a premise of evil plotting that leaves you with some delicious little chills. At the same time, for those who are inclined to a good think or good discussion, there is plenty here for that, too.
Not the kind of book I'd say you have to read, but a good little thriller, and just shocking enough to make you want to.
Melvin Burgess has an incredible knack for dreaming up situations that sound like they could only lead to the cheesiest book in the world, yet making them entertaining and easy to buy into by virtue of his fantastic writing. His book Lady, for example, is about a teenaged girl who turns into a dog. Ridiculous? Sure. But he writes it so that the experience of being a dog seems like it must be realistic, it is so plausible.
So here, he writes about a rock star who has, teaming up with a gifted but unscrupulous plastic surgeon, pushed the boundaries of surgery well past normal or accepted. As a result, after years of constantly morphing his appearance, his face has collapsed. Still, he won't be kept down, and reinvents himself with a mask that propels him to even greater heights of global fame.
Sara, who considers herself a piece of performance art in her own way, is awestruck. She takes to wearing a mask of his face as much as she can, even before she burns her face with an iron. As she recovers, the great star Jonathon Heat visits her in the hospital, taking her under his wing and into his home, where he says he will nurture her talent, fix her face, and make her a star. The question is - is that what he really wants? Sar begins to have suspicions that he and his surgeon want her for a whole different reason, and that she may not even be the first.
The book has good suspense, an ending horrible enough to satisfy but not as bad as it could be, and a premise of evil plotting that leaves you with some delicious little chills. At the same time, for those who are inclined to a good think or good discussion, there is plenty here for that, too.
Not the kind of book I'd say you have to read, but a good little thriller, and just shocking enough to make you want to.
Labels: 2006, good stuff, issues, slightly weird stuff, suspense, teen
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Publisher Review: London Calling
by Edward Bloor. Reviewed for Random House. Find more information about this book on their website here.
This book is a fascinating blend of historical fiction, family issues, and the supernatural. In it, Martin is hating school and weighed down by the accepted order of things based on history in both his school and his family. He begins to be angered when it is clear that nothing will change as long as this version of history remains entrenched, and he sinks into a depression. It is only the arrival of an antique radio that seems to connect him to a past time and give him a mission that finally shakes him into some action. He begins to research, at first to figure out if he is crazy or dreaming, then because of growing interest, and finally, to also create some temporary solution to his issues at school by doing independent research projects from home. Through his feverish dedication, he wins over his sister, his father, and his mother, and is allowed to go on the errand of a lifetime, creating a healing on many fronts that in fact changes quite a few things in the end.
(And first, a word about publisher reviews on kittenpie reads.)
This book is a fascinating blend of historical fiction, family issues, and the supernatural. In it, Martin is hating school and weighed down by the accepted order of things based on history in both his school and his family. He begins to be angered when it is clear that nothing will change as long as this version of history remains entrenched, and he sinks into a depression. It is only the arrival of an antique radio that seems to connect him to a past time and give him a mission that finally shakes him into some action. He begins to research, at first to figure out if he is crazy or dreaming, then because of growing interest, and finally, to also create some temporary solution to his issues at school by doing independent research projects from home. Through his feverish dedication, he wins over his sister, his father, and his mother, and is allowed to go on the errand of a lifetime, creating a healing on many fronts that in fact changes quite a few things in the end. I'm not giving too much away here because it is a wonderful book to watch unfold, not in terms of suspense, so much as watching Martin grow and learn, and seeing how he inspires changes in others around him. There are in this book subplots that are skillfully woven directly into the main thrust of the book, rather than being distractions as subplots can be when handled less deftly. While doing his research and following his intuition, Martin is also dealing with issues of identity, of the weight of expectations, and with an alcoholic father, all of which fold back into what he is uncovering and his pondering about what he can and cannot change. By the end of this, Martin has grown in amazing ways, and has helped everyone around him grow, too. Quite a feat for a young man just coming of age, really.
What I am most impressed with about this book is how it successfully blends enough action (in both his school struggles and the wartime setting of his time travels) to keep it interesting with a mystical quality that is not pure fantasy and with an inward-looking, serious look at self. This is pretty rare stuff, especially in a book with true boy appeal. I can think of few that manage such a balance, though I think that Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life may be a contender as well. Plus, it warms a librarians heart to see research become so important and life-changing to someone! All in all, this was a great book, and while I think it is decidedly a teen work, I wouldn't hesitate to give it to anyone but the most struggling of readers.
Labels: 2006, family, good stuff, historical fiction, issues, Publisher Reviews, slightly weird stuff, teen
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Hello, Groin
by Beth Goobie.
Somehow, I had not read any of Goobie's other acclaimed teen novels, but this one had so much buzz, I couldn't miss it. And the buzz? Was not unwarranted. Goobie is one powerful writer, and she brings Dylan Kowolski's inner struggles to life so vividly, brings the reader into the story so deeply, that I found myself crying at Dylan's turning point, both for the pain it was causing her and for pride in her for facing it at last.
You see, Dylan is dating one of the school stars. A jock without the jock mentality, Cam is a great guy, and she loves him with her whole heart and her whole mind. The problem is, her body doesn't seem to agree. It keeps just turning off, and he's been waiting patiently for it to be right for her, long past the typical waiting period for couples in their school. It frustrates her, the fact that her groin and head can't match up, but slowly she lets herself realize in a deep, hidden place that it's because her body wants a girl, no matter how much she cares for Cam. and once that starts to bubble up, there's no stopping the secret for long. Within a couple of months, she finds herself unable to carry on the lie, facing suspicion at school, slight pressure from Cam, and the growing needs of her own body. So in one wrenching weekend, both awful and relieving, she faces the truth, and tells Cam, her parents, and the best friend she loves in every way - including the way she can't love Cam.
Cam, being the wonderful, thoughtful, mature guy her is, backs off, but ultimately deals and helps her, too. He may hang with jocks, but he's no meathead himself. Her best friend Joc, fortunately, has been read right, and the two move towards something deeper. The parents are okay, though Joc's brother is not so cool - her mother, though, lets him know that he'd better step up. The only problem left is a girl that has been semi-stalking Dylan since the single kiss they shared weeks ago. Feeling braver now, she calls her to talk, too, and wraps up the ends before she starts moving forward with what is now her new life.
The book is wonderfully written, and the struggle between what Dylan thinks she wants and what her body is telling her sounds like it could be written by someone who knows. Her confusion, her fear, her longing are palpable, and leap off the page. My only complaint is a minor one - there are parts of the language that feel repetitive, which I find slightly distracting. Still, I can see how it can happen that you have a turn of phrase that you feel works well for something, and it's hard to move past it, feels false to grope for something else. Overall, this is one hell of a stellar book, and one that I would recommend for anyone growing up. Because even if it's not the sexuality thing, most teens have something in themselves they are wrestling with that wants to come out, and should be able to identify with this on some level. And this story? Ends on the sort of lovely, hopeful note you hope these stories always could.
Somehow, I had not read any of Goobie's other acclaimed teen novels, but this one had so much buzz, I couldn't miss it. And the buzz? Was not unwarranted. Goobie is one powerful writer, and she brings Dylan Kowolski's inner struggles to life so vividly, brings the reader into the story so deeply, that I found myself crying at Dylan's turning point, both for the pain it was causing her and for pride in her for facing it at last.
You see, Dylan is dating one of the school stars. A jock without the jock mentality, Cam is a great guy, and she loves him with her whole heart and her whole mind. The problem is, her body doesn't seem to agree. It keeps just turning off, and he's been waiting patiently for it to be right for her, long past the typical waiting period for couples in their school. It frustrates her, the fact that her groin and head can't match up, but slowly she lets herself realize in a deep, hidden place that it's because her body wants a girl, no matter how much she cares for Cam. and once that starts to bubble up, there's no stopping the secret for long. Within a couple of months, she finds herself unable to carry on the lie, facing suspicion at school, slight pressure from Cam, and the growing needs of her own body. So in one wrenching weekend, both awful and relieving, she faces the truth, and tells Cam, her parents, and the best friend she loves in every way - including the way she can't love Cam.
Cam, being the wonderful, thoughtful, mature guy her is, backs off, but ultimately deals and helps her, too. He may hang with jocks, but he's no meathead himself. Her best friend Joc, fortunately, has been read right, and the two move towards something deeper. The parents are okay, though Joc's brother is not so cool - her mother, though, lets him know that he'd better step up. The only problem left is a girl that has been semi-stalking Dylan since the single kiss they shared weeks ago. Feeling braver now, she calls her to talk, too, and wraps up the ends before she starts moving forward with what is now her new life.
The book is wonderfully written, and the struggle between what Dylan thinks she wants and what her body is telling her sounds like it could be written by someone who knows. Her confusion, her fear, her longing are palpable, and leap off the page. My only complaint is a minor one - there are parts of the language that feel repetitive, which I find slightly distracting. Still, I can see how it can happen that you have a turn of phrase that you feel works well for something, and it's hard to move past it, feels false to grope for something else. Overall, this is one hell of a stellar book, and one that I would recommend for anyone growing up. Because even if it's not the sexuality thing, most teens have something in themselves they are wrestling with that wants to come out, and should be able to identify with this on some level. And this story? Ends on the sort of lovely, hopeful note you hope these stories always could.
Labels: 2006, Canadian, growing up, issues, love story, loved it, teen
Here Lies the Librarian
by Richard Peck.
I love Peck's books A Long Way From Chicago and A Year Down Yonder, both of which mine small towns of long ago for laughs. In fact, when he writes like this, Richard Peck reminds me of Robert Newton Peck, he also set his hilarious stories in rural countryside of the past. This is no exception, being set in 1914, in a town so small and backwards that a nearby small town referred to them as "Rubesburg." At this time, in this town, the automobile is just getting a firm foothold, and roads are just starting to come through. Two families compete for automotive repair business, though the Kirbys are far less than scrupulous.
At the same time, the locals are goaded into reopening their library and looking for a new librarian. When they end up with three big-city heiresses sharing the job and funding their own major improvements, the town hardly knows what hit them. And then they take on PeeWee - never known as Eleanor - as a project, too. Both teaching her what it means to be a lady and encouraging her to retain her spunk, they make her into quite the girl, big enough to stand on her own when her brother moves to Indianapolis with one of the librarians. Turns out she and he are both car-mad, and after he shows his stuff at a car race, her auto-maker father is impressed, even if Eleanor did finish the race for him in the end.
It might sound a touch confusing - well, that's because there are small plots aplenty. They keep the book hopping and funny right from the start, but they all tie in together nicely, making it a good read for a reluctant reader or a keen one, and fun for either gender, to boot. Peck's comic touch shows no sign of waning, and this is a fun read, even for the non-librarian.
I love Peck's books A Long Way From Chicago and A Year Down Yonder, both of which mine small towns of long ago for laughs. In fact, when he writes like this, Richard Peck reminds me of Robert Newton Peck, he also set his hilarious stories in rural countryside of the past. This is no exception, being set in 1914, in a town so small and backwards that a nearby small town referred to them as "Rubesburg." At this time, in this town, the automobile is just getting a firm foothold, and roads are just starting to come through. Two families compete for automotive repair business, though the Kirbys are far less than scrupulous.
At the same time, the locals are goaded into reopening their library and looking for a new librarian. When they end up with three big-city heiresses sharing the job and funding their own major improvements, the town hardly knows what hit them. And then they take on PeeWee - never known as Eleanor - as a project, too. Both teaching her what it means to be a lady and encouraging her to retain her spunk, they make her into quite the girl, big enough to stand on her own when her brother moves to Indianapolis with one of the librarians. Turns out she and he are both car-mad, and after he shows his stuff at a car race, her auto-maker father is impressed, even if Eleanor did finish the race for him in the end.
It might sound a touch confusing - well, that's because there are small plots aplenty. They keep the book hopping and funny right from the start, but they all tie in together nicely, making it a good read for a reluctant reader or a keen one, and fun for either gender, to boot. Peck's comic touch shows no sign of waning, and this is a fun read, even for the non-librarian.
Labels: 2006, action/adventure, growing up, historical fiction, humour, loved it, middle grades
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Jackson Jones and the Curse of the Outlaw Rose
by Mary Quattlebaum.
This is a short read, about the length of an early chapter book, but the language is higher-level. It might make a great one for a reluctant reader or someone intimidated by heftier volumes.
It's a nice early mystery, too, with a very relate-able young boy in an urban setting who loves basketball as the central character. It's not a whodunnit-style mystery, but rather a strange series of circumstances that lead his friend to believe that a rose cutting they snatched for a friend of the family might be cursed. Or perhaps, thinks Jackson, haunted. In the end, they return it to where it originated, only to discover a little extra background.
It's a nice light read with just a touch of spooky atmosphere, but not enough to give anyone any nightmares. I think it would make a great transition from Easy Readers into older fiction for a kid in in about grade 3 or 4, but as always, I suggest having the kid try reading a paragraph or two to see if it's a good reading level for them when you are looking at these kinds of steps up.
This is a short read, about the length of an early chapter book, but the language is higher-level. It might make a great one for a reluctant reader or someone intimidated by heftier volumes.
It's a nice early mystery, too, with a very relate-able young boy in an urban setting who loves basketball as the central character. It's not a whodunnit-style mystery, but rather a strange series of circumstances that lead his friend to believe that a rose cutting they snatched for a friend of the family might be cursed. Or perhaps, thinks Jackson, haunted. In the end, they return it to where it originated, only to discover a little extra background.
It's a nice light read with just a touch of spooky atmosphere, but not enough to give anyone any nightmares. I think it would make a great transition from Easy Readers into older fiction for a kid in in about grade 3 or 4, but as always, I suggest having the kid try reading a paragraph or two to see if it's a good reading level for them when you are looking at these kinds of steps up.
Labels: 2006, early chapters, good stuff, middle grades, suspense
Friday, January 18, 2008
The Case of the Missing Marquess
by Nancy Springer.
This book starts with a premise that could make for cheese and disaster all over the place in the wrong hands - Enola Holmes, much younger sister of Sherlock and Mycroft, has a sudden problem - her independent, strong-minded, older mother has disappeared.
She starts to realize why when she meets her brothers, and finds also that her mother has left her a message and the means to run off on her own, despite the plans of Mycroft, who wants to mold her into a proper upper-class young woman, not the untamed thing her mother has raised.
Along the way, she meets up with a young Marquess who is similarly looking to escape the confines of his family, and solves his missing persons case, all the while evading her brothers and some villains looking to kidnap the pair of them.
What makes this work is her independent spirit, her own methods of detecting (often enough by instinct or accident), and the fact that she is not some Sherlock clone in skirts. She in fact didn't really need the family connection, but it does make a nice tension that is not played too strongly. I really enjoyed this one, and will be looking for the other titles in the series.
This book starts with a premise that could make for cheese and disaster all over the place in the wrong hands - Enola Holmes, much younger sister of Sherlock and Mycroft, has a sudden problem - her independent, strong-minded, older mother has disappeared.
She starts to realize why when she meets her brothers, and finds also that her mother has left her a message and the means to run off on her own, despite the plans of Mycroft, who wants to mold her into a proper upper-class young woman, not the untamed thing her mother has raised.
Along the way, she meets up with a young Marquess who is similarly looking to escape the confines of his family, and solves his missing persons case, all the while evading her brothers and some villains looking to kidnap the pair of them.
What makes this work is her independent spirit, her own methods of detecting (often enough by instinct or accident), and the fact that she is not some Sherlock clone in skirts. She in fact didn't really need the family connection, but it does make a nice tension that is not played too strongly. I really enjoyed this one, and will be looking for the other titles in the series.
Labels: 2006, historical fiction, loved it, middle grades, suspense
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Paranoid Park
by Blake Nelson.
When a teen skater - but a Prep, not a Streeter - first goes to an underground skatepark, he thinks it is amazing. But the next time, he and a Streeter get into a bad situation that ends in a death. An accident, but mostly his fault, and a horrible, gory accident, at that. The bulk of the book deals with the aftermath of this andhow he handles it.
The book has a really realistic feel to it, how this massive guilty secret colours everything in the kid's life, how it is never out of his mind, how he wrestles with the idea of telling, of turning himself in, and thinks about who it would affect. How he is careful, guarded, all the time and doesn't feel like he can be open to anyone, in any way, really. How frightened he is when the police ask questions. In the end, the first person narrative is composed of letters written to one person he feels comfortable with, though he doesn't really know her all that well.
This was a good book, even though it made me tense, because it keeps you in suspense. The emotions of it are clear and believable, and while it seems on the surface like it suggests you can get away with stuff, I think it really does a good job of showing how high a price you really pay on the inside and how it cuts you off from people around you, making it actually a good cautionary tale.
When a teen skater - but a Prep, not a Streeter - first goes to an underground skatepark, he thinks it is amazing. But the next time, he and a Streeter get into a bad situation that ends in a death. An accident, but mostly his fault, and a horrible, gory accident, at that. The bulk of the book deals with the aftermath of this andhow he handles it.
The book has a really realistic feel to it, how this massive guilty secret colours everything in the kid's life, how it is never out of his mind, how he wrestles with the idea of telling, of turning himself in, and thinks about who it would affect. How he is careful, guarded, all the time and doesn't feel like he can be open to anyone, in any way, really. How frightened he is when the police ask questions. In the end, the first person narrative is composed of letters written to one person he feels comfortable with, though he doesn't really know her all that well.
This was a good book, even though it made me tense, because it keeps you in suspense. The emotions of it are clear and believable, and while it seems on the surface like it suggests you can get away with stuff, I think it really does a good job of showing how high a price you really pay on the inside and how it cuts you off from people around you, making it actually a good cautionary tale.
Labels: 2006, good stuff, issues, suspense, teen
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
The Sea of Monsters
Percy Jackson and the Olympians, bk. II
by Rick Riordan
This second installment in the Percy Jackson series starts with Percy again returning to Camp Half-Blood, but this time, against directions. he finds it under attack, as someone has poisoned the tree that protects it, adn someone must go on a quest to find the only thing that might heal it - the Golden Fleece. Yes, that golden fleece, did you know of another? The premise of this series is that Percy discovers as a young teenager that he is the son of Poseidon, and the others at the Camp are half-bloods, too, heroes in training.
The premise of the series is fun, though the storyline in this one is not great. The action still not bad, but it just fails to deliver the same kind of non-stop, gripping action and guessing about the mythology that the first one does. He does encounter plenty of the good old monsters, mostly ones that Odysseus ran into, since he has to travel to the island inhabited by the same Cyclops, and those with some knowledge of classics will likely find it as fun as I do to see wehre it's going, but still. Ultimately, while it's certainly okay, it just isn't as good as the first one. I sure hope things pick up again in book III. I will read it, just in case, because the first one was really good.
by Rick Riordan
This second installment in the Percy Jackson series starts with Percy again returning to Camp Half-Blood, but this time, against directions. he finds it under attack, as someone has poisoned the tree that protects it, adn someone must go on a quest to find the only thing that might heal it - the Golden Fleece. Yes, that golden fleece, did you know of another? The premise of this series is that Percy discovers as a young teenager that he is the son of Poseidon, and the others at the Camp are half-bloods, too, heroes in training.
The premise of the series is fun, though the storyline in this one is not great. The action still not bad, but it just fails to deliver the same kind of non-stop, gripping action and guessing about the mythology that the first one does. He does encounter plenty of the good old monsters, mostly ones that Odysseus ran into, since he has to travel to the island inhabited by the same Cyclops, and those with some knowledge of classics will likely find it as fun as I do to see wehre it's going, but still. Ultimately, while it's certainly okay, it just isn't as good as the first one. I sure hope things pick up again in book III. I will read it, just in case, because the first one was really good.
Labels: 2006, action/adventure, lukewarm, middle grades
Monday, October 22, 2007
The Loud Silence of Francine Green
by Karen Cushman.
I usually love Karen Cushman anyhow, but this one was great. In her usual manner, she has taken a period in history - the McCarthy era 50's in this book - and placed a fairly strong-minded character there. But in this case, her strong-minded girl is not her main (title) character, but her best friend, Sophie. Sophie arrives in Francince's world and turns it upside down, with her talk of politics and willingness to get in trouble to defend what she sees as her right to free speech and free thinking. Sophie's family is sure different, too. Her father talks with her about what is in the news, discusses ideas like Sophie is a grownup with her own opinions, while Francine is feeling more and more hemmed in by a steady diet of, "That's enough, Francine."
As Francine starts to see injustice and fear around her, she begins to form her own opinions, to get angry about things, to not always agree with the pack the way she has been encouraged to do and always has before. Her 6-year-old brother should not be having nightmares about bombs and communists, her father should not have to worry about whether he can afford to build a shelter to protect his family from nuclear war, her friend's father should not have lost his job for being suspected of communist sympathies, and his friend should not have been blacklisted and hounded by the FBI until he was driven to suicide. By the end of this book, Francine decides that her father's way of trying to protect them by not rocking the boat and not getting involved is not going to be her way. She decides that if she is appalled by what she is seeing, she should start to take a stand, even if it makes her stomach twist in fear of trouble.
This book is fantastic, not only for showing the kind of constant fear and confusion the people lived in at that time, but also for doing a terrific but not heavy-handed job of showing the dangers of a time when government tells people to accept its spying on its own citizens in the name of security. A thinking kid will pick up on it without feeling lectured, while one who doesn't make the connection will still enjoy the story for what is in print. Wonderful.
I usually love Karen Cushman anyhow, but this one was great. In her usual manner, she has taken a period in history - the McCarthy era 50's in this book - and placed a fairly strong-minded character there. But in this case, her strong-minded girl is not her main (title) character, but her best friend, Sophie. Sophie arrives in Francince's world and turns it upside down, with her talk of politics and willingness to get in trouble to defend what she sees as her right to free speech and free thinking. Sophie's family is sure different, too. Her father talks with her about what is in the news, discusses ideas like Sophie is a grownup with her own opinions, while Francine is feeling more and more hemmed in by a steady diet of, "That's enough, Francine."
As Francine starts to see injustice and fear around her, she begins to form her own opinions, to get angry about things, to not always agree with the pack the way she has been encouraged to do and always has before. Her 6-year-old brother should not be having nightmares about bombs and communists, her father should not have to worry about whether he can afford to build a shelter to protect his family from nuclear war, her friend's father should not have lost his job for being suspected of communist sympathies, and his friend should not have been blacklisted and hounded by the FBI until he was driven to suicide. By the end of this book, Francine decides that her father's way of trying to protect them by not rocking the boat and not getting involved is not going to be her way. She decides that if she is appalled by what she is seeing, she should start to take a stand, even if it makes her stomach twist in fear of trouble.
This book is fantastic, not only for showing the kind of constant fear and confusion the people lived in at that time, but also for doing a terrific but not heavy-handed job of showing the dangers of a time when government tells people to accept its spying on its own citizens in the name of security. A thinking kid will pick up on it without feeling lectured, while one who doesn't make the connection will still enjoy the story for what is in print. Wonderful.
Labels: 2006, family, growing up, historical fiction, issues, loved it, middle grades, music theme
Monday, October 15, 2007
Super Emma
by Sally Warner.
Yet another young reader featuring a spunky young girl, this little star is not the wild and wacky diva so many other strive to be. Rather, she is just a regular girl who in this short early reader, jumps into a situation without thinking, taking on a bully who is bothering a classmate. Bullying situiations are complicated, though, and she asks her mother not to get involved, while also finding herself on the receiving end of some hateful glares from the kid she tried to help. She draws the bully's ire, and the situation escalates into a full-scale schoolyard scrap. She and the bully's other victim get themselves in trouble, as does the bully, and the whole class endures an afternoon of lecturing and problem-solving talks. Her mom is proud of her standing up to the bully, though not thrilled with the fighting, and the lesson is passed on without preaching that the kid who told the teacher did the right thing. All in all, not a bad treatment of how a bullying situation can get out of hand, and how it could be better handled, without straying into Earnest territory.
Try also Andrew Clements' Jake Drake, Bully Buster, another early reader on the same theme.
Yet another young reader featuring a spunky young girl, this little star is not the wild and wacky diva so many other strive to be. Rather, she is just a regular girl who in this short early reader, jumps into a situation without thinking, taking on a bully who is bothering a classmate. Bullying situiations are complicated, though, and she asks her mother not to get involved, while also finding herself on the receiving end of some hateful glares from the kid she tried to help. She draws the bully's ire, and the situation escalates into a full-scale schoolyard scrap. She and the bully's other victim get themselves in trouble, as does the bully, and the whole class endures an afternoon of lecturing and problem-solving talks. Her mom is proud of her standing up to the bully, though not thrilled with the fighting, and the lesson is passed on without preaching that the kid who told the teacher did the right thing. All in all, not a bad treatment of how a bullying situation can get out of hand, and how it could be better handled, without straying into Earnest territory.
Try also Andrew Clements' Jake Drake, Bully Buster, another early reader on the same theme.
Labels: 2006, early chapters, good stuff, issues
Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life
by Wendy Mass
When Jeremy, a few weeks shy of his thirteenth birthday, receives a mysterious box from his dead father, it sets him on a quest. The search, he thinks, is for the missing keys, four of them, to open the box inscribed "The Meaning of Life: For Jeremy Fink To Open On His 13th Birthday." The search, though, takes him in some most surprising paths, including the delivery of long-lost items to some very interesting characters. He takes the opportunity to learn from them, too, and by the time the four keys come together, he has been on quite the adventure. In the end, he makes an even more startling discovery, but his sense of who he is and how he fits into he world has grown, and he is filled with a greater sense of both peace and purpose.
This book was a great, fun, journey, filled with interesting people and little unexpected twists, including the one at the end. Jeremy's learning manages to not be too pat or trite, despite containing the kind of "wisdom" that could come off that way. Instead, it really gets you thinking about the search he is on, and I can see it being quite inspiring for the kind of child who thinks about their reading. Even if not, it's a terrific little read.
When Jeremy, a few weeks shy of his thirteenth birthday, receives a mysterious box from his dead father, it sets him on a quest. The search, he thinks, is for the missing keys, four of them, to open the box inscribed "The Meaning of Life: For Jeremy Fink To Open On His 13th Birthday." The search, though, takes him in some most surprising paths, including the delivery of long-lost items to some very interesting characters. He takes the opportunity to learn from them, too, and by the time the four keys come together, he has been on quite the adventure. In the end, he makes an even more startling discovery, but his sense of who he is and how he fits into he world has grown, and he is filled with a greater sense of both peace and purpose.
This book was a great, fun, journey, filled with interesting people and little unexpected twists, including the one at the end. Jeremy's learning manages to not be too pat or trite, despite containing the kind of "wisdom" that could come off that way. Instead, it really gets you thinking about the search he is on, and I can see it being quite inspiring for the kind of child who thinks about their reading. Even if not, it's a terrific little read.
Labels: 2006, good stuff, middle grades, slightly weird stuff
Thursday, September 27, 2007
I'll Sing You One-O
by Nan Gregory
Gemma has lived on the Anderson's farm since she was 4, so even though they are foster parents, they are her family. Until the day that her uncle, aunt, and brother arrive and take her away to their too-perfect home with their persnickety rules and try to make her belong where she thinks it's clear she doesn't. She decides that she needs an angel to help her sort things out so she can go back to the farm and the only family that she has ever known. She goes to the library to do some research (yay!) and reads about the lives of many saints, deciding that she can get an angel to help her by being generous and taking care of someone worse off than her. She befriends a woman in the park (though of course, there is plenty she doesn't know about Willow's world), and gives over her allowance, even stealing a jacket from her uncle to offer her for warmth. Though her uncle is wondering what has been happening with her allowance, he doesn't pry much. But when Christmas comes around and she is told she should be buying gifts from her savings, she panics and sells a set of old lead soldiers from the attic which, come the holidays, turn out to be precious family memories.
As she digs herself deeper into trouble, not through malice but through not understanding, I found myself getting more and more worried for her. She's a character who you care about, because all she wants is the family she loves, and she is trying to get there by doing good so she can get a miracle bestowed upon her. Poor thing. As she becomes more desperate (and I more tense), she finally confronts some of her past and has to come to terms with her new family.
It's a heart-wrenching story, but ends well in the end, when her uncle and aunt come to understand her in a whole new light, and she starts to build some loyalties to her long-lost brother. I do love a good ending, especially when I've been rooting for the main character.
Gemma has lived on the Anderson's farm since she was 4, so even though they are foster parents, they are her family. Until the day that her uncle, aunt, and brother arrive and take her away to their too-perfect home with their persnickety rules and try to make her belong where she thinks it's clear she doesn't. She decides that she needs an angel to help her sort things out so she can go back to the farm and the only family that she has ever known. She goes to the library to do some research (yay!) and reads about the lives of many saints, deciding that she can get an angel to help her by being generous and taking care of someone worse off than her. She befriends a woman in the park (though of course, there is plenty she doesn't know about Willow's world), and gives over her allowance, even stealing a jacket from her uncle to offer her for warmth. Though her uncle is wondering what has been happening with her allowance, he doesn't pry much. But when Christmas comes around and she is told she should be buying gifts from her savings, she panics and sells a set of old lead soldiers from the attic which, come the holidays, turn out to be precious family memories.
As she digs herself deeper into trouble, not through malice but through not understanding, I found myself getting more and more worried for her. She's a character who you care about, because all she wants is the family she loves, and she is trying to get there by doing good so she can get a miracle bestowed upon her. Poor thing. As she becomes more desperate (and I more tense), she finally confronts some of her past and has to come to terms with her new family.
It's a heart-wrenching story, but ends well in the end, when her uncle and aunt come to understand her in a whole new light, and she starts to build some loyalties to her long-lost brother. I do love a good ending, especially when I've been rooting for the main character.
Labels: 2006, Canadian, good stuff, issues, middle grades, siblings
Friday, September 14, 2007
Clementine
by Sarah Pennypacker, ill. Marla Frazee.
There are a few sets and series of early chapter books about slightly wild young girls - Judy Moody, Tilly Beanie, and of course, Junie B. Jones. These girls are meant to be fun and inspiring and remind us of the fun of not yet being quite bound by the rules of civilization. And some, like the Ramona books, I love, some I'm lukewarm on, and some I think just come off as brats. This one? I love.
Clementine has a heart of gold, a brain constantly popping with great ideas, and an itchy trigger finger. Some ideas get her in trouble or cause her principal to rub her forehead, but others work out just right, like the times she tries to help Margaret feel better about her hair being all gone, or when she helps her dad lick the pigeons problem. This kid comes by it honestly, with an artist mom and a head of wild red hair, and it just seems to all fit right. The voice is spot on, a real kid who doesn't always get it, but is trying hard, not the voice of the jaded or overly precocious or class-clown variety of kids that these books sometimes use. And while I normally wouldn't bother worrying about illustrations in a chapter book, Frazee's trademark line drawings capture Clementine's spirit and her mother's own laid-back ways perfectly, even adding to the comic effect of certain haircuts that happen along the way...
Love it.
There are a few sets and series of early chapter books about slightly wild young girls - Judy Moody, Tilly Beanie, and of course, Junie B. Jones. These girls are meant to be fun and inspiring and remind us of the fun of not yet being quite bound by the rules of civilization. And some, like the Ramona books, I love, some I'm lukewarm on, and some I think just come off as brats. This one? I love.
Clementine has a heart of gold, a brain constantly popping with great ideas, and an itchy trigger finger. Some ideas get her in trouble or cause her principal to rub her forehead, but others work out just right, like the times she tries to help Margaret feel better about her hair being all gone, or when she helps her dad lick the pigeons problem. This kid comes by it honestly, with an artist mom and a head of wild red hair, and it just seems to all fit right. The voice is spot on, a real kid who doesn't always get it, but is trying hard, not the voice of the jaded or overly precocious or class-clown variety of kids that these books sometimes use. And while I normally wouldn't bother worrying about illustrations in a chapter book, Frazee's trademark line drawings capture Clementine's spirit and her mother's own laid-back ways perfectly, even adding to the comic effect of certain haircuts that happen along the way...
Love it.
Labels: 2006, early chapters, loved it
Things Hoped For
by Andrew Clements. Not so much a sequel as a related followup to Things Not Seen, in which Bobby becomes invisible for about a month, with no apparent reason, and figures out a lot of things while dealing with that.
This book opens with the story of Gwennie, a music student on the verge of her college auditions. She's under pressure, sees her whole life leading up to this, and needs to play well enough to get a scholarship. At the same time, her grandfather and great-uncle Hank are arguing about the selling of the house that she lives in with her grandpa. Things take a turn for the weird when her grandpa leaves her a message saying he has to disappear for the next few days and that she should not let anyone know, should keep the house running and not worry, and should spend whatever money she needs. She worries anyhow, of course, and tries to keep Hank at bay while still getting in some practice. She gets help in the form of another music student she met the year before who shows up, starts chatting, and sticks with her when she spills the beans to him. This turns out to be Robert, as Bobby now calls himself. He ends up telling her about his weird past event when he sees the shadow of another invisible. The man turns out to be a nasty business, but after he and Gwennie figure out the nystery of grandpa and go to the police, both plots get wrapped up nicely.
Andrew Clements is one of my favourite authors for kids. I like his writing, I like how his plots move, and mostly, I like that his characters are generally found by the end to be pretty fully drawn. All too often in kidslit, adults are stock characters, but he really fleshed them out into real people with real worries and motivations, and shows them to the kids who read him. This was not as fully performed here, as the story revolved very tightly around Gwennie and her music, but by the end, she (and we) had gotten to know a lot more about her grandpa and even Uncle Hank, and realized that her story was not so simple, not just her and her music, but that she has been focussed really narrowly.
And the ending? Well, her dad had come up to help sort out the mystery of her grandfather, appearing in the last day of the tale, and then he went to her audition with her. How did she do? Well, we don't know, but the point was made that she saw something important - that wasn't the only thing for her anymore. And off she went.
This book opens with the story of Gwennie, a music student on the verge of her college auditions. She's under pressure, sees her whole life leading up to this, and needs to play well enough to get a scholarship. At the same time, her grandfather and great-uncle Hank are arguing about the selling of the house that she lives in with her grandpa. Things take a turn for the weird when her grandpa leaves her a message saying he has to disappear for the next few days and that she should not let anyone know, should keep the house running and not worry, and should spend whatever money she needs. She worries anyhow, of course, and tries to keep Hank at bay while still getting in some practice. She gets help in the form of another music student she met the year before who shows up, starts chatting, and sticks with her when she spills the beans to him. This turns out to be Robert, as Bobby now calls himself. He ends up telling her about his weird past event when he sees the shadow of another invisible. The man turns out to be a nasty business, but after he and Gwennie figure out the nystery of grandpa and go to the police, both plots get wrapped up nicely.
Andrew Clements is one of my favourite authors for kids. I like his writing, I like how his plots move, and mostly, I like that his characters are generally found by the end to be pretty fully drawn. All too often in kidslit, adults are stock characters, but he really fleshed them out into real people with real worries and motivations, and shows them to the kids who read him. This was not as fully performed here, as the story revolved very tightly around Gwennie and her music, but by the end, she (and we) had gotten to know a lot more about her grandpa and even Uncle Hank, and realized that her story was not so simple, not just her and her music, but that she has been focussed really narrowly.
And the ending? Well, her dad had come up to help sort out the mystery of her grandfather, appearing in the last day of the tale, and then he went to her audition with her. How did she do? Well, we don't know, but the point was made that she saw something important - that wasn't the only thing for her anymore. And off she went.
Labels: 2006, good stuff, teen
Saturday, September 08, 2007
The Book Thief
by Markus Zusak.
This was one of the big titles for last fall, riding in on recommendations and reviews aplenty, so I had to read it, of course. I make it my business to try to catch a good range, and most of the big titles.
I started this, and was put off by the voice initially. I found it annoying, and the little sidenotes a bit overdone. I thought I'd give it a few chapters, though, and that feeling did pass once the story really got started and I got involved with the characters. I'm glad to find that, as I was a bit worried that I had not enjoyed this and one other of the big, high-hype books from last fall on the same theme, but for children.
So, once I got into it, I still found it heavy going. But the characters are drawn with love, and relationships between them grown carefully, the ups and downs drawn out and unravelled slowly. It is nice, but it is slow.
The story centres around a young girl being shipped to foster care just outside of Munich during the second world war. On the way, her brother dies, and she steals a book during the brief funeral. Left with these new people, she both suffers terrible nightmares and it is discovered that she cannot read. Her new papa sits patiently with her at night, keeping the dreams away, and eventually teaches her to read. As she find comfort in reading, she finds ways to gain access to books and slowly steals more of them, earning her name. During a bombing raid one night, she shares her comfort, reading to the other twenty-odd frightened souls huddled in a basement.
Also worked into this book are some other themes each capable of carrying a novel on its own. Firstly, the hiding of a lone jew in the basement, a shadow of a man who touches her deeply as the two become friends. Secondly, her own coming of age in a time of crisis, poverty, starvation. The way children carry on with the business of playing street soccer, of trying to steal a kiss, of running races and going to school and helping their family in ways that are necessary according to their times.
It is, I repeat, a heavy tome in many ways, but while I didn't absolutely love it, I stuck with it, and don't regret the three weeks it took me. It had some charming descriptive language, though it was getting a bit repetitive by page 450 or so. It had characters I cared about. It was something that could be taken in small morsels and savoured. It has things going for it, or I wouldn't have stuck it out - I long ago decided it was okay not to finish a book - but ultimately, I'm not sure I see many teens reading and enjoying it. It would have to be one who would in fact savour just those right few things, or one who was really intrigued with the time and place, perhaps.
Labels: 2006, historical fiction, lukewarm, set abroad, teen
Sunday, August 05, 2007
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane
by Kate DiCamillo.
I am a big fan of DiCamillo, in general. I loved Winn-Dixie, and was wholly captivated by the magical Tale of Desperaux. I had, as such, high hopes for this, as it seemed to have that same fairy tale character about it. It was, though, not quite there. It was shorter, which is not always a problem, but I still felt like it was longer than it had to be, that it didn't really say anything the way her others did. It seemed like it might go on a real Velveteen Rabbit bent, but that wasn't it. It just didn't seem to have a point, though it does wrap back onto itself nicely at the end. And, of course, with DiCamillo, the ride is lovely anyhow, so it's not something I would avoid reading. I was just sort of lukewarm on it.
I am a big fan of DiCamillo, in general. I loved Winn-Dixie, and was wholly captivated by the magical Tale of Desperaux. I had, as such, high hopes for this, as it seemed to have that same fairy tale character about it. It was, though, not quite there. It was shorter, which is not always a problem, but I still felt like it was longer than it had to be, that it didn't really say anything the way her others did. It seemed like it might go on a real Velveteen Rabbit bent, but that wasn't it. It just didn't seem to have a point, though it does wrap back onto itself nicely at the end. And, of course, with DiCamillo, the ride is lovely anyhow, so it's not something I would avoid reading. I was just sort of lukewarm on it.
Labels: 2006, early chapters, enh, lukewarm, middle grades
