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.