It ended too soon

I waited an eternity to read the critically-acclaimed The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman and found it worth the wait.  Unfortunately, it ended all too soon, more of a novella, really.  Gaiman has such a way with words.  He paints beautifully nuanced pictures, and yet still tells a wopping good yarn.  It's hard to find both...beautiful writing sometimes gets bogged in the prose.  

This is the story of a grown man returning to his childhood home and the memories of his seventh year.    The main character was an outcast who spends his seventh birthday party with just his mom because no one shows.  As I started the book I initially wondered if this might be OK for a younger reader....however, it quickly turns very dark and very mature.  A suicide leads the lonely boy to make friends with an amazing family of women who happen to have an ocean at the end of their lane.  No matter that it looks like a duck pond, there is very old magic at work.  Something very scary escapes, and thus begins a nightmare for our young hero, complete with monsters that look human, and some that don't, old magic, and parents that betray children. 

My only complaint is that it all ended much too soon.....

My new favorite

I have found my new go-to recommendation in The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen.  It works for two reasons, first, it is a great read, but, more importantly, it seems an undiscovered read. It is categorizes as fantasy, but, that is more the midevil setting than the presence of magic or elves or any other element of high fantasy.  

The story begins in an orphanage where perpetual trouble-maker Sage is unwillingly tapped to leave with a gentleman with a mysterious plan.  Sage's only focus is planning his escape, and considering his lock-picking and general skills as a thief, he believes it won't be long until he is free.  But, like much of this story, nothing ever quite turns out as one would expect.  The seriousness of his predicament is shot home, literally, when another boy, also and orphan, is given his "freedom" in a brutal manner.  Sage realizes this isn't just an adventure, but a deadly plot.

No matter how much he tries to reject the premise of his captor's plans, Sage keeps getting sucked deeper into political maneuverings.  His very life depends on "winning" a competition in which he doesn't want to participate.  High treason, sword fights, mistreated servants, and unlikely alliances work together to a surprising conclusion.

One of my favorite features of this book lies in the fact that it surprised me.....more than once.  I read a lot of fantasy, so it is rare that a fantasy book completely surprises me, let alone more than once.  I can't wait to read the rest to discover the final conclusion.

For fans of fairy tale adventures

In this world of young adult series, it is refreshing to find a fantasy story that is complete.  The Grimm Legacy by Polly Shulman is just that.  It is the story of an ordinary girl who is a modern-day Cinderella.  She lives with her dad and step-mother, and, while her step-mother isn't evil, she is demanding, especially now that the step-sisters are away at college.  A well-written research paper on the Grimm brothers leads her to a job in the New York Circulating Repository, a long title for a very special lending library.  This one requires membership, and does't lend books, but, rather, items: rare items, items of historical significance such as Marie Antoinette's wig, and even magical items.  (As a librarian, this would be my dream job!). Elizabeth and other teenage employees are drawn into a mystery when it appears someone is replacing magical items from the Grimm Collection with forgeries.  There are menacing, giant birds, shrink rays, a trip to Nowhere, and even a magic carpet ride before they get to the bottom of the mystery.

I like that this book doesn't end exactly the way I guessed.  While there are a prince and princess, it wasn't quite what I thought it would be.  Having said that, the ending is, however, a bit too tidy.  It's like the author wanted to make sure all the big questions were answered, and in doing so, forced the story line.  Much is revealed through conversation, in the end, rather than through discovery.  

Finally, while this story is complete, there is a companion book called The Wells Bequest which is about another special collection at the New York Circulating Repository....items from H.G. Wells.  

Compelling MN historical fiction

I read Frozen by Minnesota author Mary Casanova because of a great confluence of events....being from Minnesota, meeting her at a conference, co-planning a historical fiction unit, and, finally, running into the right person at the right time.  The book sort of fell in my lap.  I am so glad it did.  In fact, I'm beginning to rethink my opinion that I'm not a fan of historical fiction.

It is set far in the north of Minnesota on the eve of Prohibition.  A prostitute is found, dead, frozen in the snow.  Everyone assumed she passed out and died from exposure.  Known to only a few, huddled near her body was her six-year-old daughter.  Fast forward 10 years.  The girl is now a teenager, foster-child to a state senator, and she hasn't spoken a word since she was brought to them all those years ago.  She still has dim memories of the night her mother died, and she suspects there was foul play.  She begins a secret journey to find the truth, and her voice, both literally and figuratively.  Clear-cutting, logging barons, environmentalism, women's rights, greed, mental illness and murder come together in this compelling mystery.  

This story has it's inspiration in a news story from that era about a prostitute found frozen in the snow whose body was propped in the city hall as a "joke."  I admire the creative mind that took such a sad, sordid article and created such a rich backstory.

Insight into the mind of autism

I just finished reading The Reason I Jump by Naoki Higoshida, a Japanese boy who struggles to communicate due to severe autism.  What makes this stand out is that he wrote this when he was only thirteen.  It offers moving insight into the mind of a person caught in the onslaught of input that is autism.  Naoki used a character board to communicate as speech was often beyond his ability to control.  He speaks candidly of the misconceptions about what motivates the actions of someone with autism.  What makes this even more astounding is his sophisticated world view, especially for a 13-year-old.  When asked why he enjoys going for walks so much, he responds, "...to us people with special needs, nature is as important as our own lives.  The reason is because when we look at nature, we receive a sort of permission to be alive in the world, and our entire bodies get recharged.  However often we are ignored and pushed away by other people, nature will always give us a good big hug, here inside our hearts."  It makes me think twice about my preconceived notions about not only autism, but other disabilities.

Deep thoughts

I picked up The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson because it is nominated for the Minnesota youth book award for sixth through eighth graders.  I found it surprisingly mature and thought-provoking.

It is set in a future time with the title characte's struggle to recover both physically and mentally from a terrible accident that she can't remember.  Her parents have told her that she had been in a coma for an extended time, but, she suspects there is something they aren't telling her.  Why does here grandmother seem to find her repellant?  Why are they "hiding" in an isolated home to which they recently moved?  Why does she know the entire text of Leaves of Grass, but can't remember her best friends from before the accident?  Why do her parents discourage her from leaving the house?  As she gets to the truth of the matter, she begins to question everything about her "self."

This book raises some sophisticated questions including the seat of one's soul.  I wonder how children in the target audience will respond to it?  Having said that, I found the book compelling and thoughtful. It was well worth the read.

Aa is a type of lava....

A Artificial

When a book is written alphabetically, rather than any other convertional narrative technique.

B but

However.....

C Compelling

When something, like The Encyclopedia of Me by Karen Rivers, holds your attention.

This is the story of Isabel "Tink" Aaron-Martin as told by her in encyclopedia format.  However, it works.  This story manages to encorporate first love, the family dynamics of an autistic older brother, and the pain of junior high friendship loyalty shifts, all in alphabetical order. Told in the voice of a tiny almost thirteen-year-old, she faces the trauma of junior high with her quick sense of humor.

She talks frankly about feeling forgotten, insignificant, and treated like a baby.  All issues with which most junior high students can identify.  And, I like who she is when she comes through it.

For the reluctant reader....

I've heard of reluctant readers, but never one so adamantly opposed as Charlie Joe in Charlie Joe Jackson's Guide to Not Reading by Tommy Greenwald.  In this humorous telling, Charlie Joe admits that he has never read ANYTHING entirely.  He reads the beginning and the end, and then "pays" a friend to summarize the rest.  His perfect plan is thrown out the window when his friend suddenly decides he's tired of doing it for him.  We not only follow the extraordinary ends to which he will go to NOT read, but learn his 25 tips on not reading.    

I enjoyed that it was not only funny, but had a bit of a deeper message.  Don't worry, though, it does't end with a syrupy sweet conversion to a love of reading.  In fact, without giving away too much, this is this last tip:  WHEN FINISHING A BOOK, NEVER LOOK AT IT AGAIN.  So, there.

Disappointed

BeforeI started Ninth Ward, by Jewell Parker Rhodes, I had high hopes.  It is a Coretta Scott King Award honor book, it is about hurricane Katrina, and I was told the main character could see dead people.  Sounds compelling and exciting.....unfortunately, it was neither.

It is about twelve-year-old Lanesha, who has been raised by Mama Ya-Ya in New Orlean's Ninth Ward.    Mama Ya-Ya is a local healer, but not her birth mother .  Lanesha's mother died giving birth to her.  In fact, that is one of the dead people she sees....her mother, on the birthing bed.  What should be creepy, soon became a bit dreary.  Because Lanesha was born with a cowl covering her, she has always been held as different.  The part of the story that deals with her isolation and response to it is the one uplifting part of this book.  Unfortunately, even riding out Katrina in one of the worst-hit parts of New Orleans is sort of anti-climatic.  

I can't say I hated this book.  It was well-written, and I liked Mama Ya-Ya and Lanesha, it just was a bit dull.....disappointing.

Deeply.....Odd

I took a break from reading young adult literature to read the newest in the Odd Thomas series by Dean Koontz, called Deeply Odd.  Now, I should preface this review with the fact that, in general, I am not a fan of Koontz.  The exceptions are this series and the Frankenstein series.  

Odd Thomas is the given name of the main character of the series.  He is a barely 20 young man that is quite satisfied to work as a fry cook, oh, and he can see dead people and other supernatural phenomenon.  his "gift" helps him solve murders and sometimes allows him to sense when terrible things will happen.  The books are usually exciting and funny....Elvis and Frank Sinatra have made appearances as well as a ghost dog named Boo.

Unfortunately, I found this book just way too....well.....deep.  There was way too much time spent discussing the nature of evil, of being blue and smooth (don't ask), and moping over his lost love.  Blech.  If you cut out the moping and the deep conversations, it's an exciting story.  Odd gets one of his premonitions that a flashy trucker is intent on murdering children.  He starts a wild chase to find him before it happens.  On the way he meets a mysterious old woman in a limo, crosses into hell, and runs afoul of a Satanic cult!  

I suggest you not start with this book if you haven't read any other of the Odd Thomas books.  Not only will you be lost, this would not give you the best opinion of the series.

It's all true

I had heard all sorts do good things about Once by Morris Gleitzman.  Sometimes, I'm afraid to read a book after so much positive hype for fear it can't possibly live up to it.  Nearly every book recommended by Oprah's book club comes to mind.  Fortunately, this book did not disappoint.  It is a story of the Holocaust, told from the point of view of a young Jewish boy in Poland who doesn't quite understand what's happening.  Much like the young boy in The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, he has been protected from the truth.

Felix was brought to a remote Catholic orphanage years ago by his parents, who were owners of a book store.  Felix has an incredible gift for storytelling and has made up a whole notebook of stories about his mother and dad and their adventures trying to save authors so they will have books for their bookstore.  Then he receives a sign and he is sure his parents are coming to get him.  However,  before they can get there, he sees soldiers burning books, and sets off to find his parents' bookstore, which he believes is just closed for now.  He intends to hide the books, saving the store.  What he finds, unfortunately, is much different than his stories.  He runs right into the heart of Nazi brutality in Poland.

This is a journey of a young boy from innocence to stark reality.  However, it focuses, instead on his hope and bravery.   It is followed by three more books: Then, Now and After.  I can't wait to read them!

This book is difficult to place for for appropriate interest level.  It is fairly easy to read, and yet, contains some brutal details and images. I am placing it at Junior High because if a younger person reads it, be prepared to discuss the brutality that occurred during the Holocaust.

This is from the front flap of the book:

"ONCE I escaped from an orphanage to find Mum and Dad.

ONCE I saved a girl called Zelda from a burning house.

ONCE I made a Nazi with a toothache laugh.

My name is Felix.

This is my story."

Is it possible for a romance to be too contrived?

I was looking for a literary "quickie," so I used Overdrive and perused the romance section.  I decided on Mr Darcy Forever by Victoria Connelly.  It was set in Bath, during a Jane Austen festival.  I like Jane Austen, why not give it go?

From the beginning, it had a little more substance than I thought.  The two main characters, Mia and Sarah, are sisters who each identify with the Dashwood sisters of Sense and Sensibility: one practical, one impetuous.  As they each prepare to attend the Jane Austen Festival, it becomes clear that something terrible happened between them and they haven't spoken in years, despite having been so close.  What adds an odd twist is that Sarah reveals she suffers from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Already, not you average fluffy romance.

As the sisters attend events, they each dread/hope they will run into one another.  As the current story progresses, we slowly learn what happened between them, and, of course, it involves a man.  Even that story ends up sort of "twitchy," not your usual romance fair, other than he turns out to be a cad of the worst sort.

Without giving away too much, Mia, Sarah, and Mia's friend Shelley, all meet men, and GASP, fall in love.  Plus, of course, the sisters reunite (I assumed that would happen).  This sort of contrivance is expected in Romance, however, for heaven's sake, Sarah manages to find a fellow OCD sufferer!  The Cad shows up, secrets are revealed, and in the end, no one really learned anything from the terrible thing that happened.  The ending may have worked in a fluffy romance, but there was a serious tone that is at odds with the "happily ever after" ending.  It wasn't carefree enough to satisfy my guilty pleasure, and wasn't serious enough to live up to the problems.

I post mostly teen and children's lit reviews.  This book was written with an adult audience in mind, but there is no objectionable content.  It would be fine for teenagers, but might not appeal to them....too fuddy-duddy in tone, perhaps.

Arrrgh........watch out for the Jolly Robin (yes, I do mean Robin)

I had gotten the book The High Skies Adventures of Blue Jay the Pirate by Scott Nash on a whim....I was a bit skeptical about a pirate story to begin with, let alone one in which the pirates are birds.  I must say, however, it was captivating, funny, and full of all the swashbuckling a pirate book requires.

Captain Blue Jay of the dread pirate ship Grosbeak is "generally the most bloodthirsty and fearsome pirate to sail the high skies."  Because of this reputation, most ships surrender their booty without even a fight.   This suits Jay just fine, as he is really quite caring and concerned about his crew.  His one obsession, besides treasure, is his collection of unusual eggs.  A battle with raccoons leads to a rare egg, like none Jay has ever seen.  Imagine his surprise when one of the crew, Junco, is inspired to SIT on the egg.  Her vigil is ultimately supported by the crew, and out hatches.....a goose.  Geese are considered "sky gods" and Jay can just imagine the value one would be on the crew.  The Captain and the crew begin to raise the homeless gosling, teaching him to be a pirate.  As the ship crashes and is stolen from them by the evil crow, Teach and his mob of thugs, Jay must inspire the lost goose, a mole, and the peasant sparrows to plan a daring rescue and escape.

There is so much that is appealing a out this story:  amazing illustrations, non-stereotypical roles, great plays on words.   Great fun for all to read! 

Books in verse....no thank you (I know, argue away)

May B by Caroline Starr Rose has an exciting and compelling story line. Set in the time of homesteading on the Kansas prairie, eleven-year-old May has been contracted to help at a neighbor's homestead until Christmas.  Times are tough and her family can use the extra money she will earn.  A sudden, terrible turn of events leaves young May all by herself to survive with winter approaching.  She is miles away from anyone else and it is so easy to get lost in the endless prairie.

The story is told in verse, which I found annoying.  I may be in a minority on this.
 

Not my cup of tea......

I read the first book in the Accidental Adventure series, by C. Alexander London, called We Are Not Eaten by Yaks.  For reasons I can't fully explain, it was so-so for me.  Blah.  Which is odd because it is full of adventure, whether the main characters want it or not!

Twins Celia and Oliver are the children of famous adventurers and even live in the Explorers Club with their father.  Their mother has gone missing and while they miss her, they really HATE going on adventures...they are hot, buggy and uncomfortable.  They would much rather watch TV all day.  Unfortunately, a bet forces them to search for their mother and on the way encounter Poison Witches, jump from a plane in a life-raft, and even meet a Tibetan god.  They had better win and get cable out of this!

 

I think kids will love this.  I found it a bit melodramatic for my taste.  For some reason it reminded me of A Series of Unfortunate Events, which wasn't my favorite, either.