Matched

Matched by Ally Condi

If you’re looking for the next Hunger Games, it is not here. Go to Divergent by Veronica Roth instead. If you hail The Giver as a classic, go reread it. It really is that good and worth multiple readings. If those books are too graphic for you, if you are a sensitive reader, or if you enjoy romance, here IS Dystopia Lite meets Chick Lit.

Matched isn’t about a girl rebelling against society who happens to acquire a love interest along the way. In such a case, the girl’s primary objective is to defeat the ruling government and hope that her friends will survive to be reunited with her in the end. The heroine’s goal is to save many and right a wrong.

No, Matched is about a girl who lives in a dystopian society who thinks she has fallen in love. The society will restrict her from being with her boy of choice and she will lie and sneak and cheat in order to be with him all the while hoping she doesn’t get caught breaking the rules. This girl will rebel against society for her own selfish desires and feel bad about the people she hurts along the way. Her goal is the boy.

And is a boy really worth it? A boy that the heroine has known since she was a child, but never paid a bit of attention to until a mistake is made. A mistake made by a supposedly infallible Society.

In The Giver, the “government” chose to eradicate pain, both emotional and physical. In Matched, the Society chooses to eliminate choice. The Society makes choices for the people. They choose where a person lives, what job a person works, when a person marries and has children and when a person dies. The Society has a system in place to do this with accuracy.

The Society uses statistics and probability to determine what best fits each citizen. The Officials are able to predict where the people will be the most efficient. The Officials can also determine the best matches among people so that they will give life to the strongest, healthiest, smartest children. Society aims for the best life for all citizens.

Cassia, our protagonist, (for I wouldn’t give her the title of heroine yet,) believes in her Society. Her parents seem happy. Her friends seem happy. She is well on her way to acquiring a data-sorting position somewhere someday that will likely make her happy. And she is nervously excited to attend her Match Banquet tonight! It is her eighteenth birthday and today she finds out who is her match – the boy she will marry when she turns twenty-one.

It surprises Cassia and her family that her match is a boy she knows and has grown up with - her best friend in fact. It is extremely rare for that to happen. Usually the newly matched boy and girl have years of courtship to get to know each other under the direct supervision of the Officials. With the excitement of the unknown taken from her, Cassia must begin to look at Xander, her match, in a new light. Or rather, that is what should happen, but it doesn’t because there is another surprise in store for Cassia.

At home, alone in her room, and eager to look at Xander on her microcard – will she swoon over him? After all he is handsome. She watches her match replay on the microcard, but Xander’s face fades to be replaced by another boy, Ky, also a childhood friend. Two matches? How can she have two matches? And know them both?

The Officials are quick to jump in and admit that a mistake has been made. Xander is her match. Ky’s face was added by mistake. Ky shouldn’t even be in the matching pool because he is an Aberration. He has an infraction against him and he must remain single.

And from here on, the book seeks to answer the question: Xander or Ky? Not Society or Choice. Not right or wrong. Not safe or risky. Xander or Ky? Until it builds up to a litany of Ky, Ky, Ky, Ky, Ky.

This novel is romance with a unique setting. But it speaks to a microcosm and it gets old pretty fast. It doesn’t answer the bigger questions that Hunger Games fans will be asking. I want to know more about the Society and the people. What has been lost. What has been gained. And why?

I don’t really care about where the Officials have taken Ky. Nor do I care if Cassia throws caution to the wind to follow and find him. I want to know - where is the heroine who takes on Big Brother!?

Inheritance

Inheritance by Christopher Paolini

This holiday season I have been absolutely, positively drained of life and not by the usual stresses and anxieties of Christmas. No, I have been sapped by a book – a book of 847 pages with over a hundred requests for it. I had until December 21^st to finish it. I thought I had plenty of time – 28 days. If I had enjoyed the book, I would have had more than enough time. As it was, I forced 300 pages down my throat on the 20^th and 21^st. I hadn’t even realized that my brain was marking the book as one more obstacle to conquer before I could relax and enjoy “vacation”.

Why did I read it? I had hope, however faint, that Christopher Paolini would improve with age. I had faith, however meager, that a professional editor would reign him in and tighten up the ship. I wanted to love, in the same manner that his fans do, a great epic fantasy. Fantastical epic? It is because I am stubborn. And it is because I can. And I might be just a little too quick as well as happy to criticize.

The Eragon series has always been derivative and tedious. Inheritance is no different from its prequels. I wasn’t drawn into the story until around 600 pages. Most would have given up long before. But even after I was finally somewhat curious to see how the series would play out and wrap up, I still really only cared for about half of the chapters. I like Eragon, the boy-hero, okay. I really have no desire to read any more about his cousin Roran. But Murtagh could really be my favorite character given time, a better storyteller and a hard-working editor.

In the end, my favorite chapter – yes, I actually have a favorite chapter – was titled King Cat and it was towards the beginning. The werecats, led by King Grimr Halfpaw, decided to add their forces to Eragon’s side against King Galbatorix. Why did I like it? It was hilarious. I think Paolini was thinking of Antonio Banderas’ Puss in Boots at the time. Even the ridiculously, over- flowery language worked well. I noticed this particularly when I read it out loud on two occasions. Maybe that is the trick. Inheritance needs to be read out loud to appreciate the language? I wouldn’t have a voice when I was through!

When I was finally done… I was like, really? Seriously? I understand the choice of ending. I think it was a very mature and realistic ending. Classical. Tragic. But was I happy with it? I felt cheated. I only hope he doesn’t begin a new cycle to carry it further. If he does, I hope God grants me the ability to just say NO. Emphatically.

I found the following literary review very helpful in understanding why kids, boys in particular, continue to be drawn to this … this… I don’t know what to call it. I find it inferior writing. A lovely daydream carried out very poorly. I would be embarrassed to put this amateur attempt beside the pros. I would be embarrassed to be the editor of the finished piece. But, obviously, he’s the one getting published and making the big bucks.

The Dragon’s Egg: High Fantasy for Young Adults by Adam Gopnik published in The New Yorker.

Cabin Fever

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever by Jeff Kinney

I admit I can be a bit of a snob about books. I have never, not ever, read a Captain Underpants book. I have never, not ever, recommended a Captain Underpants book. But then, I don’t really have to. They have their own built-in audience. Potty humor – ew – yuck!

And… I am not a fan of graphic novels. All of the hurvy-scurvy, chaotic, colorless (in most cases), frenetic and frantic pictures send my brain for a spin. But they do have their audience as well and I am delighted by the niche they fill.

While I’m at it, I might as well confess that I don’t particularly care for books written as diary or journal entries. Been there. Done that. Can we come up with something different now? Please? It’s old and tired – to me. But there is still an audience for them. A new group every year.

I don’t like poetry! Really don’t like it. Especially the sappy kind. Okay, perhaps that was a bit unnecessary.  But while I’m venting… I’m an English major who simply cannot stand Shakespeare. Do you still like me?

Pant, pant, pant. Deep breaths. Drumroll please… I really do, honest and truly, get excited for another Diary of a Wimpy Kid, (DWK). It has taken me, what, five years? to be able to say that. Let’s see… tweenage boy humor; goofy-little, comic-book illustrations; and, duh! DIARY format!

But I do like the series for at least three reasons. First one! In the age of the gargantuan, epic, children’s tome… I didn’t say Inheritance … here we have short and sweet. The book can be read in one sitting. And it doesn’t tax the brain. I guess I’d call it leisure reading.

Second reason! It’s laugh out loud funny. Even for me and by that I mean that adults can find the situations hilarious because we were young once too. Yes, times have changed, but siblings are still just as obnoxious and parents are still as clueless.

Reason the third! Cabin Fever has a true beginning and a true end. No cliff hanger. Read DWK  book one, then three, or maybe five - order isn’t crucial. When a child comes in looking for a DWK book, he’ll usually take any one that is available with a smile.

I did say “at least.” Number four! Not only will my own child read it, but she can earn Accelerated Reader points for her trouble! It is a great series for the reluctant reader and nobody gets killed.

Finally, the fifth reason that I like (DWK). The Heffley family regularly attends church. When Greg’s best friend, Rowley, sleeps over on Saturday night, he attends church with them on Sunday morning. In Cabin Fever, Christmas is coming and the Heffley’s attend worship service.

It was so subtle. Church is just a part of their lives. It snuck up on me. Then I looked back and church has always been a part of the (DWK) series. Sometimes there are laughs involved - “Peas be with you.” I like that. It rings true! MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Goliath

Goliath by Scott Westerfeld

Strangely, this week, I have been forced to relive the anxiety of school work. Let me explain. I was in an art class with my six-grader and we had the opportunity to watch a video about the artist Andy Warhol. The teacher wrote out five questions, (later it grew to seven,) on the board. The kids were to discover the answers to the questions as they watched. Oh dear, active listening! My blood pressure rose and not just for the classroom, but also for myself. I felt an obligation to do the same.

Not only this, but then afterward I felt called upon to not only regurgitate what I had watched, but further to elaborate. What did this biography of Warhol mean to me? How could I compare him to his peers? And, finally, consider what about his life speaks to me in the present time. Let’s put that Liberal Arts degree through its paces! How many big words can I use… How scholarly can I sound… JOKING! A little.

Reading Goliath, I recalled taking history classes. Memorize dates. Recite facts. What event precipitated the Great War? What were the names given to the two sides at war? Which countries belonged to which side? When did the United States of America join and why? What event brought about the end of the war? Who were the major players? Anybody? Anybody?

We did that every year until we finally achieved High School and things got a bit harder… Pick an event in history and discuss what would have happened had things played out differently. What if America had never joined the war? What if America had entered the war sooner? What if Archduke Ferdinand had a son who was legal heir to the Habsburg throne?

How tedious. How daunting.

Not anymore.

Scott Westerfeld must have aced his history finals.

I reviewed the prequels, Leviathan and Behemoth, which you can peruse to discover the scope of these novels. Goliath completes the trilogy and I was left, not only satisfied, but pleased as well. There were several cameo appearances made by notable men in history, Pancho Villa for example, that made me want to go back and find out more about the real person.

Nicola Tesla has a much greater presence as the creator of Goliath – the machine to end all wars! Tesla is an anomoly. The crew of the Leviathan does not know if he is a madman, a megalomaniac, or a mastermind. Tesla says that a demonstration of Goliath’s power will force Germany to back down. But which city will Tesla choose to destroy? Whose side is he really on if he is on one at all? Should Alex, the legal heir to the Habsburg Monarchy, assist or prevent Tesla from pulling the lever?

For kids who think they’ve outgrown the Children’s Department.

The Rogue Crew

The Rogue Crew by Brian Jacques

I just reread my review of The Sable Quean by Brian Jacques to remind myself of what I thought of it. That’s not entirely true. I know what I thought. I liked it. I always like the Redwall books. I had to remind myself what I wrote. I remembered that Jacques had just died, but I didn’t remember how I reacted or responded. What I found was uncertainty. Would there be another Redwall book? Maybe? Possibly? Yes!

The Rogue Crew seems shorter than its predecessors, but it’s not. The Redwall books take more time to read. They are not for reluctant readers. I’ve had a hard time trying to put a finger on why you have to invest more time with this series. A fellow librarian – you know who you are ;) – helped me to figure it out. Actually she helped me admit that they do require more time. You cannot just whip through them. You have to set the time aside. You must accept that they are every bit as “full” as adult novels. There is more description. The feasts are given just as much weight as the action sequences. Every meal – it is like you are at the table. Vocabulary rich!

It just seems that there is less. And I will not find fault due to circumstances, but there are fewer feasts and fewer Dibbuns. There are just as many characters, but I felt I knew them less. There is less time spent at the Abbey and more time spent with the villains. I am not certain who the hero was or rather, the character that I would think would become the unexpected hero, didn’t do all that much. I might go so far as to call this book a shadow. The outline is there, but it is not as substantial as the real thing.

The last thing I want to do is steer you away from this extra magnificent series. Granted, it is not for everyone. After all, the mice talk, sing and dance. If you love Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH, or Wind in the Willows, try Redwall. It really is like The Lord of the Rings, with animals as the main characters! Now that I think about it, it is also right up there with The Chronicles of Narnia – talking animals!

It’s good versus evil where even the most unlikely of beasts can be the hero!

Tends to be a favorite with 3^rd-5^th grade boys, but there are plenty of female characters and heroines for the girls as well.

Tears of a Tiger

Tears of a Tiger by Sharon Draper

Every once in a while, I get the next book on my list only to discover it is a sequel. My personality doesn’t allow me to skip the first (second, third…) book. No, I feel it is necessary to go back. My next book doubles, or, in this case, triples. I ordered a new edition of Tears of a Tiger and the cover states, “The first book in the powerful Hazelwood High Trilogy.”

Now the nice thing about this book is that it is a very quick read - two evenings. I’m guessing that the sequels will be equally relaxed in readability. I would say that the prime target for this trilogy is reluctant high school readers and more specifically, African American teens. The sequel is a Coretta Scott King Award winner.

While the actual reading of the book is painless, topics covered cause unrest and discomfort. The book begins with a fatal car crash caused by drunk driving, and the book ends with a suicide born out of guilt and depression. Some books will use such subject matter clearly for sensationalism. That is not the case here. It can be read as a moral warning. This edition includes a Reader’s Guide of discussion topics as well as activities and suggestions for research.

Sharon Draper is a skilled storyteller and therefore, this novel is so much more than a moral warning. Ms. Draper has chosen to tell the story through multiple high school friends so that we see a bigger picture of what is going on. We can see how everyone was affected by the unexpected death of a friend, from a would-be girlfriend to his best friend. And then, that best friend, Andy, takes center stage. And we watch his downward spiral after the accident from multiple viewpoints including his own.

It’s not easy to “watch”. The omniscient reader squirms as mistakes are made and opportunities are missed. The reader is not surprised by the suicide. Everyone else is.

I see this book as a useful instrument for all those who are involved with teenagers. It can be used as both a preventative tool as well as a tool for healing in the aftermath.

So what we have here are four close friends, three of which are on the basketball team, two of which are stars of the team and one who is the captain. They decide to celebrate their victory after a game and there is beer in the trunk chilling. They enjoy a pleasure drive down the highway and they are really enjoying themselves. They’re just having fun and trying to freak out the other drivers. They seem to be succeeding as proved by all the honking. But then Andy, the driver, loses control and drives into a retaining wall. Three of the four manage to get out, but the fourth, Rob, the captain, is stuck – his legs through the window. Rob is coherent and screaming for help, but the car explodes into flames. Andy can still hear Rob screaming his name.

The judge won’t punish Andy enough. The charge of vehicular homicide is dropped. His parents, teachers, friends don’t blame Andy enough. They try to support him and the coach even makes him captain. Rob’s parents don’t hate Andy enough. Andy knows he deserves everyone’s anger and scorn, but instead they either want to help him mourn OR help him move on. Andy’s chooses to heap the guilt upon himself and drown in it. Meanwhile he attempts to convince everyone that he is okay and is handling the situation fine on his own. He succeeds in deceiving everyone. Unfortunately, if anyone had just taken one step further to help Andy, his life might have been saved. Instead the close-knit community must deal with another dead young person. And who is to blame now?

The Medusa Plot

The Medusa Plot by Gordon Korman

The 39 Clues. Cahills vs. Vespers. Book 1.

As if finding all of the 39 Clues’ ten books written by seven different authors wasn’t hard enough. We, librarians, really need a cheat sheet. It is hard even keeping track of the titles. I sometimes wonder if we couldn’t just shelve them under 39 Clues. Of course, would they be at the very end or the very beginning because it’s numerical OR would we shelve them alphabetically by Thirty-nine?

Not to mention the odd eleventh book, Vespers Rising, that is a prequel of sorts written by four different authors itself. (one of my favorites because of the background and history.)

But I’ll stop complaining because the kids continue to ask for them. Whatever brings the kids in and not only inspires them to read, but keeps them coming back for more – well, I’m thrilled with that.

And I actually, really and truly enjoyed The Medusa Plot. Get out! Seriously. I even know why I appreciated it so much. Amy and Dan get to go to Italy! With trips to Florence, Lake Como and Rome – all places that I have been! I especially relished their visits to the Uffizi and the Colosseum. It really helps to have a vested interest in a setting.

Cahills vs. Vespers takes place two years after Vespers Rising. What have our young clue hunters been up to? Amy has been preparing herself so that she will never be caught off guard and helpless again. She and Sinead Starling, an Ekat, have created a Cahill Training Camp for themselves at Amy and Dan’s replicated Grace Cahill Mansion. Amy has become a lean, mean, fighting machine – with a serious boyfriend who, of course, knows nothing of Amy’s secret Cahill life.

Dan has entered a solitary depression. It’s hard to live a normal life after the adventure-filled, danger-packed, epic-quick life of a clue hunter. With his photographic-memory, he IS the last copy of Gideon’s super serum. Only Dan has the list of 39 ingredients with the directions to combine them. To fight his boredom, as well as to give him a sense of security, Dan has been acquiring the ingredients so that he will be prepared when the Vespers strike. He is not quick enough.

The Vespers finally make their move by kidnapping seven Cahill cousins and holding them hostage in an undisclosed place. It is up to Amy and Dan and any remaining cousins to jump through hoops to save the lives of the hostages. And Vesper One requires the Cahills become criminals. They must steal a valuable work of art from the Uffizi and deliver it to the Vespers or else a hostage will die.

But there is more to the demand than meets the eye.

Can Amy and Dan commit a felony, complete the mission, discover the location of the hostages, and uncover the true intent of the Vespers before a hostage dies? I’m sure it will take several books to find out!

Ranger's Apprentice: The Lost Stories

Ranger's Apprentice: The Lost Stories by John Flanagan

Yea!! Yea, yea, yea! Another Ranger’s Apprentice! Just when I thought all was lost. Just when I lamented that there would never be another story about Halt and Will, John Flanagan comes through for me! Yippee!!!

Now, the good or the bad first…

Okay, it’s actually not so bad, but the book is really only a compilation of additional stories. Nine stories sandwiched between a Foreword and an Afterword. Personally, I would have called them a Prologue and an Epilogue because they are a part of the fantasy. There are little Author’s Notes at the beginning of some of the stories which are a part of reality. Which is it? Fantasy or reality? I guess I don’t need the little explanations for “why” a story was written. I just want to enjoy the story.

I actually like the idea that latter-day archeologists are uncovering the hidden manuscripts from Halt and Will’s time (the Words.) It just doesn’t work as well, because the author hasn’t fully committed. His archeologists can do the talking for him OR he can choose to insert his own thoughts. Just not both, please. I like to stay suspended in the fantasy.

The premise is questionable. Rangers are merely legend to modern day people. There are only ten accounts of them and they are all about Will and Halt. But their existence has never been proven until now. So… the Lost Stories prove the previous ten books? Were they books or oral tradition? It doesn’t say. There is no elaboration. If I had gone to the trouble of doing it this way, I would have had a great deal of fun with it and ELABORATED! Sorry for yelling.

BUT. The stories were good. There are nine stories and each is around five chapters long. There is also a single chapter bonus at the end! My favorite of the stories is called Death of a Hero. In it, we finally learn about the true origin of Will. It was quite powerful. It brought tears to my eyes – the good and happy kind of tears where you almost cannot catch your breath because of the joy.

The stories cover everything from more about where Halt came from to additional missions not formerly mentioned. Ranger Gilan and the Jenny, former ward of the state, also get their own stories. I don’t think I would be spoiling anything by mentioning that one story is about the Royal Wedding foreshadowed in the tenth book. Thanks to Will, it all ends well!

There were only a couple of stories included that I could have done without. One, the Roamers, involves a group of people that are obviously Tinkers or Gypsies and they are given no mercy. They have been painted very stereotypically as thieves. I was, quite honestly, surprised. The other one was Wolf. The wolf was the main character at the beginning of the story and I was cheering for him, but alas, it doesn’t end well for the animal. Nor for Tug, Will’s pony, either.

I think that Emperor was a much better ending to the series. Of course, now I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of Outcast, the first in the Brotherhood Chronicles by Flanagan!

The Night Circus

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

In 2006, two movies about magicians were released. One was called The Illusionist and starred Edward Norton, Jessica Biel and Rufus Sewell. The other was called The Prestige and starred Christian Bale, Hugh Jackman and Scarlett Johannson (with a perfect choice of David Bowie as Nicola Tesla.) They were both mystery, period pieces and I really wondered how the market place would receive these two films… seemed overkill. Of course, I waited for the release to DVD and then watched them over the course of two evenings. They were both unique and different despite the similar themes. Although, I would recommend both, I won’t leave you wondering… I preferred The Prestige. I’ve watched it more than once. I prefer those actors, and while it is more disturbing, I find the outcome worth the discomfort.

Yes, this really brings me to The Night Circus. The movies were about a person’s quest for the masterpiece, the need for illusionary perfection, a desire to delight and amaze. And WIN.

And I have to admit, even though I never do this, this is the second time I’ve done it this year. Oops. I dropped the juvenile list and scooped up an adult novel. But I think we’ll be seeing some Young Adults requesting this in much the same way the mothers went after Twilight and The Hunger Games. It is that astounding and lyrical and lovely without all of the high school drama and sensationalism. This novel is a gorgeous piece of art and I would love to see the dreamlike sequences on the big screen.

Two great illusionists who have been competing over the years, decades … centuries meet one final time to settle the record once and for all. Prospero the Enchanter finds out that he has fathered a daughter. Upon meeting her, he discovers that she has a natural talent. With this ace in his pocket, he approaches the other magician, Mr. A.H., to set up a competition. Mr. A.H. is given the time to find and teach his own student. The two magicians choose a venue for the competition to play out. And then they wait for someone to make the first move. The game is completed when one of the students becomes the clear winner.

In the past the venue has always been private and personal. But Prospero wants to make it more interesting by placing it in public. He suggests a third performer, Chandresh Christophe Lefevre, an illusionist in his own right, to be the sponsor and create the venue. Patrons are acquired and then players are hired and the Circus of Dreams is born. This circus will be like nothing else ever witnessed before it. Everything is entirely in black, white and shades of gray. It opens at dusk and closes at dawn. It appears magically one day and leaves just as fleetingly. No one knows the when, where or how. And this is the stage for our two competitors.

Marco is Mr. A.H.’s contender. He makes the first move by applying to work for Lefevre and becomes his personal assistant. Marco’s advantage is having a hand in everything about the circus; however, his disadvantage is not being on site. Everything he creates is done from London. His competitor is Prospero’s daughter, Celia Bowen. She is hired as the circus’s illusionist. Her talent is a natural ability to manipulate her surrounding reality. Her advantage is being right there is in the middle of the dream. Her disadvantage is not knowing her opponent.

Because Marco was assisting when she was hired, he knows from the start that she is his competition, but he is also almost immediately drawn to her. Every fantastical tent he creates is like a letter to Celia revealing himself. She responds in kind with her own creations. She may not know who he is but his skill and artistry captivate her. It is no wonder that they fall in love when they finally meet and drop all pretenses. When they are around each other, it is electric. They decide to finish or quit the game so that they can be together.

Unfortunately, they are informed that the game can only end when one of them can no longer maintain their end of the competition which results in one’s death. Neither can imagine a world without the other. How can they maintain the circus, which has acquired a cult following with a life of its own, finish the game, and come out alive on the other side? Only two accomplished illusionists can pull it off.

To give you some idea of the circus, there is a tattooed contortionist, a naïve fortune-teller, acrobats, big cat-tamers, little kitten trainers, living statues, living carousels, cloud mazes, labyrinths, ice gardens, wishing trees and delectable treats to be enjoyed. And so much more. I have only given you a glimpse, a teaser, of the main story. There are sub stories to entrance and captivate as well. For only 387 pages, I’m astounded at the amount the author was able to pack inside this striking package.

The Son of Neptune

The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan

I simply should never be so impatient. Son of Neptune snuck up on me. I had been watching diligently for its arrival, but I must have been distracted. The next thing I knew, there was a request list nearly 100 patrons long and my name was nowhere to be found in the queue. Luckily for me, a co-worker was first on the list and finished it in record time. She offered to loan it to me, but I only had 2 weeks and I was still mucking through Going Bovine. While I managed to finish it by the deadline, I also had to return it before I could write about it. Without the book sitting on my laptop pressuring me, well, no pressure… no output! Next time – be patient!

Let me preface this by saying that I really enjoyed The Lost Hero, its prequel. The idea that Greek and Roman gods and goddesses are the same deities, but show different aspects was intriguing. Roman gods are aggressive and military-minded. Greek gods are passive and philosophical. Most especially, I was delighted with all of the new characters. The three new Roman demigods, Jason, Leo and Piper successfully carried the book. I wanted to learn more about them. Alas, not in the sequel.

After all, the title is Son of Neptune and another name for Neptune is Poseidon. And who is the son of Poseidon? Why, yes, Percy Jackson, again. I like Percy Jackson just fine, but he’s already got five of his own books. I want more Jason! And Piper. And Leo. But no, it’s not to be, yet.

It’s interesting that in the majority of this book, Percy’s memory is still vacant because I found quite a few holes in my memory as well. I am no longer one of those people who rereads all of the Harry Potter’s every time a new book or movie comes out. There just isn’t the time with all of the incredible new books out there. But to truly catch every piece of the puzzle and every “in” joke, it might be worth your while to revisit the original Percy Jackson series. Old characters are back and making their mark.

Along with the old characters, we do get quite a few new characters when Percy finds the Roman kid’s camp, Camp Jupiter. Hazel Levesque is a girl with a past. No, really. She lived a long time ago in New Orleans. She died, but then her brother Nico di Angelo brought her back. Something very bad happened during her first life and she really deserves to be dead, but she gets the opportunity to redeem herself.

Frank Zhang rounds out this book’s triumvirate of hero demigods. Frank has his own battles to fight. One of his ancestors caused the San Francisco earthquake of 1906 so he is an outcast or maybe just an underdog at Camp. He’s really big and perhaps a bit clumsy and he looks way too young for his manly bulk. According to his mother, a Canadian soldier who died in Afghanistan, he has a special ability because he can claim another god as his ancestor on his mother’s side. Frank just hopes he can figure out what that special ability is before it’s too late.

No, this is not my favorite of the series. Some portions read too much like a script for a movie. It took too long to get caught up in the action. But when those last battles finally exploded, I was “in”. And Jason is on his way!

Going Bovine

Going Bovine by Libba Bray

It’s when I get a book like this that I wonder why on earth do I bother? Why am I wasting my time on this? Why don’t I just put it down and move on? And then I remember, I read so you don’t have to. At one point I asked a fellow librarian if it got any better. I was only half way through it. Sadly, she said no. Why did we both read it? It’s an Abraham Lincoln Award Nominee for 2012.

My coworker did give me a piece of advice. Miguel de Cervantes’ Don Quixote is central to this novel. It would behoove a reader to reacquaint themselves with the classic first. It might make more sense. I just really don’t want to invest anymore time in it.

It took me far too long to get into a rhythm and care about the characters. Actually, I never did get into a rhythm and I never did care about the characters. It’s very hard to hear self-proclaimed geeks complain about the popular crowd when the hate is obviously mutual.

What you will find within the covers:

Drugs – Already in Chapter Two we are invited to follow the protagonist into the fourth floor bathroom of his high school where everyone knows the stoners hang out. I’m proving how beyond straight I am… It took several references to J before I realized they were smoking a joint. How naïve I am.

Alcohol – Underage drinking and partying are the norm. Think Spring Break and hopping rides with strangers.

Language – Horrific. Cringe-worthy.

Sex – Do I really want to be in the mind of a teenage boy? No, thank you. Multiple references to masturbation finally give way to the protagonist losing his virginity to the girl he lusts after. And then the same night he also has sex with the girl he loves. I suppose I could say, at least it’s not graphic.

Homosexuality – Because why wouldn’t we include that as well. I found it gratuitous. Didn’t see it as a part of the character. Certainly a surprise. Like it was thrown in at the last moment.

The art of literature might be in there somewhere. It vaguely reminds me of Thomas Pynchon’s Vineyard and Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five. Both of which I found too confusing to appreciate despite how much my professors and teaching assistants wanted me to be amazed by the art. I’m just too put off by the blatant use of all things I want to protect my young daughters from. I can hear the arguments for and against this book. I can make both. I just don’t want my children to see this as acceptable behavior whether it is a dream, insanity, illness or reality. It’s starts little and harmless, of course.

So what is it about? Sixteen-year-old Cameron, a geek with a popular twin sister, is diagnosed with incurable, fatal, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease which is better known as Mad Cow disease when diagnosed in cattle. Technically, holes form in the brain and it becomes spongy as infectious proteins attack healthy ones. As Cameron’s brain is attacked by these proteins, he spends more and more time in the land of dreams where he is given a mission by a punk angel in which he saves the world from dark matter and finds the cure for his ailment. In the process, he discovers that he would rather live loudly for a short while than continue to slack off and get nowhere in a long and uninteresting life.

Certainly potential for a great message, if you think living loudly includes stealing cars and money, doing drugs and having sex. Not recommended except for maybe a College-level literature class with a comparison between Bovine and Quixote.

Gone-Away Lake

Gone-Away Lake by Elizabeth Enright

I’m not quite at liberty to say anything yet, but someone I know is moving to a new home, provided that all the paperwork goes through. Going somewhere new is not always an easy thing to do – especially if you have never known anything else. Sometimes, a little preparation is necessary.

I took my girls to the new house, and even though we couldn’t go inside, we could explore. The day was my kind of day, in other words, it was nasty out. The wind was blustery. The rain was cold and prickly. And we weren’t quite dressed appropriately. Probably should have brought galoshes… if we had them… and an umbrella.

The yard was soaked, slippery, squelching, but the treasures were abundant. The side yard is comprised of a steep descent followed by a long decline. We think – snow and sledding! The yard ends at a meandering “crik”. I’m calling it that and you cannot stop me. :P To the west is a “forest” of trees dressed for autumn. Someone else might see a difficult yard to mow. We see Terabithia.

Something had caught my eye at the top of the hill. I was just as excited as the girls. There was a branch hanging down, and if you went under it there was a path – definitely a path! – leading down the tree-covered hill. What would we discover at the end? We had to be careful. And we weren’t sure if we were allowed to be there. Were we trespassing? It was as if we had found Narnia and we were already making plans for the future. What’s at the end of the path? Friends or foes?

When I was little, I had the pasture lane on my grandparents’ farm. I even had the secret tunnels at church and later at the library. I should mention that the library tunnels were treasured when I was a young adult. I’ve never grown out of the need for a special, secret place to claim for my own. A new world to enter to escape the trials of this one.

This Newbery Honor book from the 1950s captures the classic longing children, (and apparently some adults,) have for a place of their own free of grownups. Portia and her little brother, Foster, spend their summers at their cousin’s farm. Portia and her cousin, Julian, are best friends and they always have plans for adventure, but this year is different.

Portia and Julian set off in a direction and, walking all day, cover more distance than they ever have before. They happen upon Gone-Away Lake – or rather, what’s left of it. And meet two elderly hermits who are living off of the spoils of the land. It is not a hardship. There used to be a well-to-do summer community that lived on the lake and Pindar and Minnehaha were once children who lived in these mansions that are now left vacant and decrepit. What they need, they take.

Uncle Pin and Aunt Min decide that the kids need a place of their own. The four of them pick out one of the safer houses still standing and the kids choose to clean up and decorate its attic. All that is left is to invite some friends and start a club. Up until then, Portia and Julian have kept everything a secret. Foster decides he wants in on the secret. Like a spy he follows them one day and nearly drowns in the swamp. He claims an island for his troubles.

Oh, the good old days. And the better, older days. There is action, adventure, wild stories, danger, freedom and even ghosts. The only fantasy is what the kids make in their own minds. If your child was born to the wrong time period, like I was, try this one from a quieter, safer time.

Wonderstruck

Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick

I’ll start by saying, there is no question that this book will be read. The library ordered five copies for the Children’s Department and all five are checked out. This book’s predecessor, the Caldecott winning The Invention of Hugo Cabret, guarantees it. That book won the hearts of both girls and boys, lovers of literature and reluctant readers. And it opened up a whole new genre – “a novel in words and pictures.”

I finished the 600 plus page book over the course two days’ worth of stolen moments, breaks and lunch times at work. There are really that many pictures and that few words. With 26 days left to my “check-out period”, I promptly passed it off to my 6th grader with the words, “this was written by the same guy who wrote Hugo Cabret,” and she’s been lugging it around – it’s 2 pounds – ever since. Her 1st grade sister “read” the illustrations cover to cover on one trip to school.

They will probably appreciate it more than me. I was “wonderstruck” by Hugo Cabret. I read it during the Super Bowl the year it won the Caldecott. I gave a book talk to the guests present during the Half Time Show. I gushed. And gushed. And gushed some more. I am soooooo excited to see the movie being produced by Martin Scorsese. The setting and the subject matter enchanted me. If you haven’t at least glanced through it, you ought to try it.

I was completely sold on the new book by an article in the School Library Journal. (Hence the five copies.) I book talked the novel in advance. I was enamored of the background behind the story. The brilliance of the story’s foundation – that’s what captured my imagination.

(Even as I write, one of my eldest’s classmates has arrived to reserve his copy – because, of course, he saw hers! Glorious!)

I’ll make a long story short. Smirk. There are two stories in Wonderstruck. The first is set in 1927. The heroine is 12-year-old Rose and she is deaf. She is the daughter of divorced parents. Her mother is a famous Hollywood starlet and Rose lives with her overbearing father in Hoboken, NJ. But Rose can see the New York City skyline out her window and she longs to be there. Out of safety, her parents refuse to grant her wishes. This story is told entirely through pictures.

The second story is set in 1977 on Gunflint Lake, Minnesota. The protagonist of this story is a 12-year-old boy who has recently lost his mother to a fatal car accident and he has never known his father. Ben was born deaf in one ear. Just as he discovers clues to the identity and whereabouts of his father, he is struck completely deaf by a lightning strike. This story is told in prose. The two stories weave back and forth until they finally converge and the two characters meet.

In all honesty, I preferred the story behind the story.

I think it really comes down to our tastes. I preferred Hugo Cabret primarily because of the setting, Paris, France, and the topic, automatons, clockworks, the first moving pictures. I was entranced with the details and the machinery. I’ve never had a love for New York or a wish to go there. Museums of Natural History are not my cup of tea… unless they’re ancient. I appreciate Selnick’s passion for museums, librarys, literature, collections, and scaled models. I just don’t share a similar passion. So was I disappointed? Yeah. But it’s my fault, not his. He is an amazing artist.

My favorite part of the book is one particular attention to detail. The year is 1977. The characters enter the Subway and there is a movie poster hanging on the wall. STAR WARS! Page 528!

Time for Andrew

Time for Andrew by Mary Downing Hahn

The full title of this 1996 Caudill nominee is Time for Andrew: A Ghost Story. I am not alone in arguing that this is not a ghost story. There are no ghosts in this story. It would be more aptly called a Time Travel Story. Rest assured Mary Downing Hahn does not disappoint. The book is frightening in its own right, but you won’t be haunted.

Drew, short for Andrew, is going to spend a portion of his summer vacation with his Great Aunt Blythe while his parents travel to France for his father’s job. Drew adores his aunt, but he has never been to her home, the family home where Aunt Blythe lives with her elderly father. The house is ancient in Drew’s opinion and full of antiques. It is easy to imagine that ghosts walk the halls.

Drew is a timid, shy boy with a vivid imagination. Part of the reason he is staying with Blythe is so that he doesn’t have to face the school bully at summer camp. But there is a new bully to meet – Drew’s great grandfather. Every time they are put into the same room, the elderly gentleman calls Drew Andrew and tells him he doesn’t belong there and should leave. Blythe assumes that her father is senile and is very apologetic.

Drew finds comfort in the attic that can be reached from his bedroom. It is full of treasures. There are pictures of his ancestors and his aunt can tell stories to go with each. Quite accidentally, he discovers a loose floorboard and underneath he finds a bag of marbles. Instinctively, Drew knows they should be returned to their secret compartment. As if to back him up, a message warns “These marbles belong to ANDREW JOSEPH TYLER. If you take them you will be sorry.” But Aunt Blythe sees rare marbles that can be sold to maintain the property.

Then one evening, Drew finds another boy in his room – a very sick boy – who happens to be his doppelganger. It is Andrew. Not only does he dress differently, but he speaks differently as well. And he won’t last the night. He has diphtheria. Drew switches places with him hoping that modern medicine can save him. Before he hides in the attic, they switch clothes and Drew summons Blythe. Drew retreats to the attic only to return and discover himself in 1910 – remarkably, to Andrew’s family, recovered from a deathly illness.

Andrew and Drew may look identical, but that is where the similarities end. Andrew is rough and tough and mischievous to boot. Drew is uncertain how long he can pull off the charade. Luckily, Andrew’s family blames his absentmindedness on his recent illness. Drew is relieved to return to the present to switch with a healthy Andrew. Unfortunately, Andrew is scared to return to his own time. He’s afraid he will still die.

Andrew devises a plan. He will stay in the present until Drew can beat him at a game of marbles – Ringer to be exact. Since Drew has never played marbles, this seems an impossible bargain. But Andrew’s older sister, Hannah, taught Andrew to be a champion. She is happy to reteach/teach Drew. But time is running out. Drew is beginning to think and act like Andrew. And Cousin Edward has challenged him to jump off of the train trestle. Can he beat Andrew at his own game before he jumps to his likely death?

The ending is sweet. The book is warm. I hope Hahn’s fans have embraced this novel despite its misnomer. Excellent “spooky” story for kids 4th to 6th grade.

Miracle's Boys

Miracle's Boys by Jaqueline Woodson

The Coretta Scott King Book Award is presented annually by the Coretta Scott King Task Force of the American Library Association’s Ethnic Multicultural Information Exchange Round Table (EMIERT). Recipients are authors and illustrators of African descent whose distinguished books promote an understanding and appreciation of the “American Dream.”

I have been reading the Coretta Scott King Award winners and honor books as they have been announced for the last few years. I had always planned on going back and reading the past Coretta winners and honor books eventually. I thought perhaps I’d tackle them after the Newbery honor books – in other words in a few years. But I recently decided to intersperse them, now, with my Newbery honor books, Caudill nominees, Lincoln nominees and personal choices for primarily for greater diversity. Until now, I never mentioned what I was doing specifically because I have been enjoying the winners simply as novels. But then Miracle’s Boys threw me for a little loop. It won the award in 2001.

Here was an opportunity for me to learn more about the differences between cultures – startling, mind-boggling differences. Here is a bit of a set up. I am the oldest of three siblings. My sister, the next oldest, is ten years younger than me. Our brother, the youngest, is twelve years my junior. So when it was time for me to head to college and become independent at the ripe old age of eighteen, they were eight and six. Had something happened to our parents, I would have stayed in college and my aunt and uncle would have raised us with support from our grandparents. I know this for a fact. I wouldn’t even have considered dropping out to support my siblings. It would be more important to graduate college and perhaps later… I could do it.

In Miracle’s Boys, the oldest brother, Ty’ree, is eighteen and a high school graduate with a full scholarship to MIT. The middle brother, Charlie, is fifteen and newly home from two years spent at a correctional facility. The youngest brother, Lafayette, who is our narrator, is twelve. Before Lafayette was even born, the boys’ father died of hypothermia. He jumped into a frozen pond to save a woman and her dog that had fallen through the thin ice. When the book opens, it is a couple of years after the boys’ mother has also died of insulin shock. Even though their Great Aunt Cecile intended to take them home with her, the boys refuse. Ty’ree doesn’t go to college but takes on a full time job. Their plan is to keep the family together whatever the cost.

Until I began to concentrate on writing this review, I had forgotten about the phrase, “whose distinguished books promote an understanding and appreciation of the ‘American Dream’”. My idea of the American Dream would include Charlie and Lafayette going to live with Aunt Cecile and continuing their education while Ty’ree went to MIT. It is very hard for me to comprehend their alternative even though I love my family and depend upon my family and support my family. My dream includes adults with experience raising the children. And an 18-year-old still very much being a young adult in need of experience and skills…

This book was jarring to me. I could not imagine this scenario. I am not sure what to do with it. There are children out there living this scenario. Do they need to read about it? Who would I recommend it to? Hopefully, if the right patron ever presents himself, I’ll remember it.

Otherwise, there are limitations to the boys’ continued living circumstances. If Charlie gets into trouble again, he’s heading to a place far worse than the correctional facility for boys. And Lafayette WILL join Aunt Cecile in the South. And it could be too late for Ty’ree to attend MIT. So much is at stake here. Ty’ree is committed. Lafayette is committed. But Charlie is an unknown variable. Upon his return, he is so changed that Lafayette starts thinking of him as Newcharlie. And he wants the old Charlie back.

Each boy has certain fears and even demons that he must face. Ty’ree feels responsible for his dad’s death. Both Charlie and Lafayette feel responsible for their mom’s death. Before they can forgive each other and work as a team, they must find a way to forgive themselves and find some healing.

The Compound

The Compound by S. A. Bodeen

I’m quite surprised that it has taken me this long to write about The Compound. I read it voraciously in two days. I could not put it down. It put forth a new idea, or option rather, in my head. Dystopian Literature need not be epic or earth-shattering. In fact, a microcosm is an extraordinarily simple way to introduce apocalyptism (new word) to the reluctant reader.

So… for kids who are intrigued by the cult-following of books like The Hunger Games, but cannot or will not devote the time it takes to wade through three long novels, here is catastrophe in under 250 pages! The Compound is one of the Abraham Lincoln Award Nominees for 2012. Remember, this award is designed for high school-aged kids; however, there has been some cross-over. I think The Compound would work well for boys, 6^th through 8^th grade. Perhaps especially well for boys with sisters…

The protagonist is 15-year-old, “evil” twin, Eli. He acknowledges that he is the less likeable of the twins. Everybody loves Eddy and Eddy is everyone’s friend. Eli has always benefitted from his “twin” status with the beloved brother. Other kids put up with Eli – it is a two for one deal. But now, Eli is sealed off in the compound and his only brother and best friend didn’t make it. And it’s Eli’s fault Eddy was left outside to die in a nuclear attack.

Eli and the rest of his family have survived in the compound for six years. His billionaire father planned for every contingency. They had cows, chickens, a hydroponics lab, a research lab, a medical lab, exercise room, big screen TVs and every known DVD and book. The billionaire didn’t want his family to want for anything. They have a music room to practice their instruments. They have a studio to practice dance. They have a warehouse big enough to accommodate for fifteen years’ worth of food as well as a basketball court.

Unfortunately, there have been setbacks at every turn. Eddy’s job was to manage the garden, but since he’s gone, it’s Eli’s job to handle both the livestock and the garden. Poison killed the livestock eventually. The food is going bad before its time. And Eli’s father has a horrible plan for the continued survival of his family if the food runs out before the compound opens to the devastation left behind on the outside. Let’s call them The Supplements…

Each family member has dealt with their losses in different ways. Eli’s younger sister, Terese, who entered the compound when she was six, has never grown up. She watches Mary Poppins continually and speaks with a British accent. Lexie, Eli’s older, adopted sister, has turned on her mother and sided with her father. Eli has not allowed another person to touch him skin to skin since entering the compound and he hides behind a curtain of hair.

Eli doesn’t know how he can face another nine years in the compound. He enters his brother’s unused bedroom for the first time and discovers an old laptop – that still has wireless capabilities. And he makes contact, momentarily, with someone on the outside. Have they been living a lie? Has his father gone mad? Can Eli reenter “life” and save them all from the shadow life they have been living?

It is quite possible that a sequel could be in the works. It doesn’t need one though. It’s brief and perfect and clean in its own 245 pages. If you love a good mystery, this might even suffice.

The Great Wheel

The Great Wheel by Robert Lawson

I am so excited to reintroduce a book to the collection. Decatur Public Library no longer owned The Great Wheel, a 1950s Newbery Honor book. I had to order it from another library. I was surprised to receive a brand new edition. It had been republished as a part of Walker and Company’s Newbery Honor Roll! What a grand idea!

After I finished it yesterday, I couldn’t help but book talk it to my boss. After my gush, (I really wasn’t trying to sell it,) she ordered new ones for our collection! Sometimes, it really is word of mouth that reenergizes a book’s shelf life.

I’m definitely looking for boys, (and girls,) who love building, designing, inventing. Our architects and engineers in training. Our dreamers of the dream. And the laboring hands that make those dreams come true! It takes the team to make great things happen! The investors, planners, forgers, riggers, diggers – everyone!

The time? The late 1800s. The place? Chicago, Illinois. The event? The World’s Columbian Exposition. The machine? The first Ferris wheel! Our character? Cornelius Terrence Kilroy, “Conn”, an Irishman fresh off the boat and ready to make his fortune in America!

When Conn was twelve years old, his Aunt Honora read his fortune in his tea leaves. It said, “Your fortune lies to the west. Keep your face to the sunset and follow the evening star, and one day you’ll ride the greatest wheel in all the world.”

It wasn’t until Conn was almost eighteen that his family received a letter from Conn’s Uncle Michael in New York. Uncle Michael invited young Conn to join him in the business of building sewers and even provided the money for ship’s passage. Remembering his fortune, Conn unhesitatingly leaves his family for his future.

Conn works hard and earns not only his keep but also his Uncle’s pride and support. Uncle Michael intends to make a partner out of him. But Conn’s Uncle Patrick has another idea in mind. Uncle Patrick thinks Uncle Michael will citify Conn and make him wealthy and soft. Uncle Patrick offers Conn a man’s job building engineering marvels. When Conn shares his full fortune with Uncle Patrick, Uncle Patrick must spill the beans – a great wheel is to be built and Conn is offered a chance to join in.

Again, Conn sets off after his fortune without pause.

If you ever wanted to know how a giant Ferris wheel was built and operated from below the ground on up, here you go. And Lawson makes it interesting. Boys might be shocked to find that Conn’s fortune sees him settled with a lovely German girl making cheese in Wisconsin, but that’s what clinched the book for this librarian! You cannot fault one chapter out of 16!