Author: Greg Mortenson & David Oliver Relin, adapted by Sarah Thomson
Title: Three Cups of Tea
Publisher: Puffin
Publication Date: 2009
Age range: 10 - 16
Genre: Nonfiction / Selective Biography
Rating: 1 2 3 4 5
Plot summary: This edition is adapted from the bestselling adult version, also called Three Cups of Tea. Greg Mortenson set out to climb K2 in Pakistan, the world’s second-highest mountain. His plan was to honour the memory of his sister, leaving a necklace that belonged to her at the summit. Mortenson didn’t make it to the summit, however, when all did not go as planned with his climbing party. On his way back down the mountain Mortenson got separated from his climbing party and stumbled, hungry and dehydrated, into the village of Korphe where he was treated as an honoured guest and taken care of though the people had little extra to give. Mortenson was grateful to his hosts, and observed a bit of village life during his recuperation in the village. He found out that the children in the village had no school, and shared a teacher with another mountain village, so that each group of children had an instructor only three days per week. On days when they had no teacher they would gather anyway and scratch out their math problems with sticks on the hard ground. Mortenson was amazed that the children had no facility or supplies to learn with, yet tried to learn whatever they could anyway. Mortenson promised to build Korphe a school, and returned to America to raise the money.
Mortenson sacrificed everything in his own life to raise the money needed to build a school for Korphe, and made some amazing friendships and connections along the way. His passion and dedication to the cause inspired other people to help raise money, including school children, fellow mountain climbers, and wealthy businessmen who wanted to give something back to the global community. Though it was a daunting task to get the school built in Korphe, as the village was nearly inaccessible, and a river had to be crossed to get the supplies into the village, Mortenson persevered. Ultimately, he was inspired to continue building schools in Pakistan and later Afghanistan. Mortenson believes wholeheartedly that by educating some of the world’s poorest children, he can play a role in promoting peace and strong communities.
Comments: This book is accessible and clearly written, and a wonderful read for young people who may be curious about children and youth in other parts of the world. There are a number of color photos inserted in the book for visual learners to get a better sense of what the landscape, people, and projects Mortenson has worked on are like. Life is so different in the communities that Mortenson worked with and visited, compared to North America. Reading about the willingness of very poor people to share everything they have is inspirational. The title refers to the regional proverb that when you first share a cup of tea, you are strangers. The next time you share tea you are friends. And the third time, you are family. Much of the bargaining and discussions Mortenson participates in take place over cups of tea, and Mortenson learns the value of taking the time to get to know a community rather than simply swooping in and trying to do what an outside perceives as best for the local people.
It is amazing what some of the children and teenagers would do to try to get some education, and incredible what their parents and communities would sacrifice to make that happen. Another large issue in the book is that of educating females; due to religious opinions that women should not be educated, Mortenson came up against certain obstacles in his quest to make sure that all children would get an education. His experience seemed to be that the communities and villages themselves generally wanted the girls to be educated, but sometimes there was a fear in the people that the regional religious leaders would find out and be angry. This is a fantastic book for juvenile and young adult readers, and hopefully they will gain an appreciation for how fortunate they are in receiving a guaranteed education in the western world, while considering how they too can help to promote peace and support giving an education to all who want and need it.
Dates Read: 26 March – 2 April
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Friday, April 3, 2009
Teens (website) - Wellington City Libraries
Author: Wellington City Libraries
Title: Teens
Age range: 13 - 17
Genre: Website
Rating: 1 2 3 4 5
Description: This website from New Zealand has been designed with teens in mind, but does not offer many obvious ways for teens to get involved with helping to influence the content. There is extensive coverage of environmental topics with lots of resources to external information and sites. The teen blog is updated once a day and often more (by library staff), with current events, highlighted collection materials, books on film coverage, new books and music, and video clips, such as a recent one highlighting Earth Hour. Entries on new books often have a brief synopsis of the title posted as well. The blog is colourful and interactive, with videos to click on and lots of links to items in the collection as well as tags to help with browsing (in both list and cloud formats). Plus users can comment on blog posts. The tone of the entries that I perused on the blog are light-hearted and fun, which I think would attract teens and hopefully keep them reading on a regular basis.
One section of the teen area of the library website is called ‘Foundations.’ This includes graffiti, MCing, DJing, and dancing information, but it is difficult to tell how current the content is, as no dates are given. Each section has a spotlight on (and sometimes comments from) a local artist or musician involved in the related activity. This looks like a relevant and fun area for teens to find info about these ‘Foundations,’ but keeping the information current might be a challenge. These topics are very current and if the information gets outdated it could detract from the credibility of the site as a whole.
There is a homework help section of the website, but it’s not immediately obvious because it’s not included in the home page series of highlighted links. It is included at the bottom in a less obvious horizontal list of links, as well as in a drop-down menu across the top under ‘Your library / Teens / Study stop’ – so there are three levels of menu to navigate before finding the study page this way. The coverage of subjects looks pretty basic, though the formatting is attractive once you’ve reached the page. All links go to external homework help websites.
Comments: Overall, this is an attractive teen website. There is a good use of space, without filling the whole page full of text and images. Even with a number of lists of links, archived posts, tags and books lists, the page doesn’t look crammed full of information, which could be off-putting. Some of the content is updated frequently, and some of it is impossible to date, so it is not clear how new it is. This website has a lot of promise and hopefully it will continue to get developed and promoted to teens so that they continue visiting and also perhaps get a chance to contribute in the future. There is an image linking to a page where teens can read about submitting their art work to be included on the site, but this art page is not linked through the regular menus as far as I can see, and so it is difficult to know how much activity is going on around this idea of including teen artist in the website content. It does appear that the library staff care about developing this section of the library website to appeal to teens, which is great!
Date Viewed: 3 April 2009
Title: Teens
Age range: 13 - 17
Genre: Website
Rating: 1 2 3 4 5
Description: This website from New Zealand has been designed with teens in mind, but does not offer many obvious ways for teens to get involved with helping to influence the content. There is extensive coverage of environmental topics with lots of resources to external information and sites. The teen blog is updated once a day and often more (by library staff), with current events, highlighted collection materials, books on film coverage, new books and music, and video clips, such as a recent one highlighting Earth Hour. Entries on new books often have a brief synopsis of the title posted as well. The blog is colourful and interactive, with videos to click on and lots of links to items in the collection as well as tags to help with browsing (in both list and cloud formats). Plus users can comment on blog posts. The tone of the entries that I perused on the blog are light-hearted and fun, which I think would attract teens and hopefully keep them reading on a regular basis.
One section of the teen area of the library website is called ‘Foundations.’ This includes graffiti, MCing, DJing, and dancing information, but it is difficult to tell how current the content is, as no dates are given. Each section has a spotlight on (and sometimes comments from) a local artist or musician involved in the related activity. This looks like a relevant and fun area for teens to find info about these ‘Foundations,’ but keeping the information current might be a challenge. These topics are very current and if the information gets outdated it could detract from the credibility of the site as a whole.
There is a homework help section of the website, but it’s not immediately obvious because it’s not included in the home page series of highlighted links. It is included at the bottom in a less obvious horizontal list of links, as well as in a drop-down menu across the top under ‘Your library / Teens / Study stop’ – so there are three levels of menu to navigate before finding the study page this way. The coverage of subjects looks pretty basic, though the formatting is attractive once you’ve reached the page. All links go to external homework help websites.
Comments: Overall, this is an attractive teen website. There is a good use of space, without filling the whole page full of text and images. Even with a number of lists of links, archived posts, tags and books lists, the page doesn’t look crammed full of information, which could be off-putting. Some of the content is updated frequently, and some of it is impossible to date, so it is not clear how new it is. This website has a lot of promise and hopefully it will continue to get developed and promoted to teens so that they continue visiting and also perhaps get a chance to contribute in the future. There is an image linking to a page where teens can read about submitting their art work to be included on the site, but this art page is not linked through the regular menus as far as I can see, and so it is difficult to know how much activity is going on around this idea of including teen artist in the website content. It does appear that the library staff care about developing this section of the library website to appeal to teens, which is great!
Date Viewed: 3 April 2009
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Ramp – Toronto Public Library
Author: Toronto Public Library
Title: Ramp
Age range: 13 - 19
Genre: Website
Rating: 1 2 3 4 5
Description & Comments: Toronto Public Library’s (TPL) website for teens has great coverage of a lot of relevant topics for teens, from extensive and detailed homework help and resources, to links for entertainment of all sorts, there is enough here for any teenager to find something interesting. TPL also provides a great forum for teens to interact with each other and to contribute to the content of the site. The home page features a book of the week suggestion, and having frequently updated content is crucial to keeping patrons coming back, I think. By providing information related to travel and employment, as well as university life and financial resources, TPL has really created one-stop-shopping for teens looking for information about many aspects of their life and future options. Where possible, TPL also highlights their collection related to the many themes on the site, for example by providing an annotated and illustrated bibliography of travel books that might appeal to teens in their travel section. There is extensive content related to health and fitness for teens, presented in an appealing way. The website comes across as authoritative because they’ve included so much information. I also like the page of ideas for free/cheap date destinations in Toronto!
Another great thing about the website is that there are lots of ways for teens to contribute and show off their creativity. Several branches of the TPL system put out their own zines. TPL is keeping things fun and fresh with lots of updated content and a wide range of ideas for what teens are interested in. This website is fantastic! It provides a great example for other library systems to look to as a guide for providing teens with relevant and interactive content.
Date Viewed: 2 April 2009
Title: Ramp
Age range: 13 - 19
Genre: Website
Rating: 1 2 3 4 5
Description & Comments: Toronto Public Library’s (TPL) website for teens has great coverage of a lot of relevant topics for teens, from extensive and detailed homework help and resources, to links for entertainment of all sorts, there is enough here for any teenager to find something interesting. TPL also provides a great forum for teens to interact with each other and to contribute to the content of the site. The home page features a book of the week suggestion, and having frequently updated content is crucial to keeping patrons coming back, I think. By providing information related to travel and employment, as well as university life and financial resources, TPL has really created one-stop-shopping for teens looking for information about many aspects of their life and future options. Where possible, TPL also highlights their collection related to the many themes on the site, for example by providing an annotated and illustrated bibliography of travel books that might appeal to teens in their travel section. There is extensive content related to health and fitness for teens, presented in an appealing way. The website comes across as authoritative because they’ve included so much information. I also like the page of ideas for free/cheap date destinations in Toronto!
Another great thing about the website is that there are lots of ways for teens to contribute and show off their creativity. Several branches of the TPL system put out their own zines. TPL is keeping things fun and fresh with lots of updated content and a wide range of ideas for what teens are interested in. This website is fantastic! It provides a great example for other library systems to look to as a guide for providing teens with relevant and interactive content.
Date Viewed: 2 April 2009
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Television show review: Dead Like Me (Season One)
Title: Dead Like Me (Season One)
Main actors: Ellen Muth, Mandy Patinkin, Callum Blue, Jasmine Guy, Cynthia Stevenson, Christine Willis
Creator: Bryan Fuller
Release date: 27 June, 2003 (Canada)
Age range: 16 – no upper limit
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 1 2 3 4 5
Plot Summary: George (Georgia, actually) is an 18 year-old girl who met an accidental death after dropping out of college. Her mother pushes her to get a job and move out; during her lunch break on her first day at a temp agency George is hit by a flying object from space and killed. After she dies she finds out that a select few people become ‘reapers’ – responsible for removing people’s souls before they suffer a violent death. The system is in place to minimize the trauma souls experience. Most ordinary deaths don’t require a reaper’s assistance. Georgia becomes a reaper, but she has trouble obeying the rules, and a lot of trouble coping with her own sudden death when she hadn’t accomplished much in her young life.
Rube is the boss, and he hands out yellow Post-Its every day with a name, location, and estimated time of death. Georgia and her fellow reapers are responsible for being there at the right time to touch the person about to die and then help the soul find their way to the bright lights of heaven. Each of the group of five reapers who meet every morning over waffles and coffee at the same diner has their own backstory and well-developed personality. They all died in different eras so there are occasional flashbacks to explain how their first brushes with death came to pass. Georgia is the youngest in terms of her age at her death, and she is constantly pushing the boundaries and questioning why she can’t save other people who are scheduled to die, or otherwise shirk her responsibilities. Meanwhile her family moves on and she has to deal with observing that process as well, and being outside of it, yet the subject of their mourning.
Comments: This series is full of humor and also the thoughtful treatment of death. Each of the reapers has to find some way to support themselves even in death, as they need a place to live and money for food. So a lot of the action has to do with working dead-end (so to speak) jobs (Georgia goes back to the temp agency even after her disastrous first experience!) and squatting in the no-longer-needed apartments of the recently deceased. Georgia is full of disgust for her predicament, and she’s grumpy most of the time. She also can’t let go of her family even though while she was alive she didn’t get along with her mother or her younger sister at all. Now she visits them secretly and wishes she had made more of her life while she was alive. The reason I would recommend this for older teens is that in the DVD version at least, there is strong language and some sexual content, mostly in conversations. This is a great series, very inventive, and it’s a shame it was canceled after only two seasons. I’m now waiting for HPL's copy of season two!
Date Viewed: 27 February – 8 March
Main actors: Ellen Muth, Mandy Patinkin, Callum Blue, Jasmine Guy, Cynthia Stevenson, Christine Willis
Creator: Bryan Fuller
Release date: 27 June, 2003 (Canada)
Age range: 16 – no upper limit
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 1 2 3 4 5
Plot Summary: George (Georgia, actually) is an 18 year-old girl who met an accidental death after dropping out of college. Her mother pushes her to get a job and move out; during her lunch break on her first day at a temp agency George is hit by a flying object from space and killed. After she dies she finds out that a select few people become ‘reapers’ – responsible for removing people’s souls before they suffer a violent death. The system is in place to minimize the trauma souls experience. Most ordinary deaths don’t require a reaper’s assistance. Georgia becomes a reaper, but she has trouble obeying the rules, and a lot of trouble coping with her own sudden death when she hadn’t accomplished much in her young life.
Rube is the boss, and he hands out yellow Post-Its every day with a name, location, and estimated time of death. Georgia and her fellow reapers are responsible for being there at the right time to touch the person about to die and then help the soul find their way to the bright lights of heaven. Each of the group of five reapers who meet every morning over waffles and coffee at the same diner has their own backstory and well-developed personality. They all died in different eras so there are occasional flashbacks to explain how their first brushes with death came to pass. Georgia is the youngest in terms of her age at her death, and she is constantly pushing the boundaries and questioning why she can’t save other people who are scheduled to die, or otherwise shirk her responsibilities. Meanwhile her family moves on and she has to deal with observing that process as well, and being outside of it, yet the subject of their mourning.
Comments: This series is full of humor and also the thoughtful treatment of death. Each of the reapers has to find some way to support themselves even in death, as they need a place to live and money for food. So a lot of the action has to do with working dead-end (so to speak) jobs (Georgia goes back to the temp agency even after her disastrous first experience!) and squatting in the no-longer-needed apartments of the recently deceased. Georgia is full of disgust for her predicament, and she’s grumpy most of the time. She also can’t let go of her family even though while she was alive she didn’t get along with her mother or her younger sister at all. Now she visits them secretly and wishes she had made more of her life while she was alive. The reason I would recommend this for older teens is that in the DVD version at least, there is strong language and some sexual content, mostly in conversations. This is a great series, very inventive, and it’s a shame it was canceled after only two seasons. I’m now waiting for HPL's copy of season two!
Date Viewed: 27 February – 8 March
Monday, March 30, 2009
Magazine review – Cosmo Girl
Magazine: Cosmo Girl
Cover Story: Mila Kunis
Publication Date: October 2008
Age Range: 14 - 19
Genre: Fashion / Celebrities / Makeup
Rating: 1 2 3 4 5
Comments: This magazine is chock-full of makeup tips and advertisements for fashion items out of most teen’s budgets. Designer ads for perfume, makeup, and shoes are peppered throughout. There is a bit of discussion of social issues like drinking and smoking marijuana which are age-appropriate conversations to be having, and the magazine writers are clearly of the opinion that teens don’t need to be preached to, but that encouragement to use one’s best judgment is a good thing. There is also a two page spread of a follow-up story about a group of overweight teens who went through a special program to lose weight and improve their confidence about their bodies. Although it is great to see at least a few images of teens who are not slender with perfect skin, they are presented as part of a program to get thinner, which doesn’t seem like an ideal message to impart.
For the most part, this is simply Cosmopolitan magazine, minus the sex life tips, with a bit of information about universities in the US added, and repackaged for teenagers. Instructions for five steps to getting your fake eyelashes on correctly seem a bit over the top. The two highlighted fashion trends include ‘black magic’ - with everything in black or shades of gray from a black wig to glossy ‘patent’ black lipstick, and ‘circus showtime’ - with bright pinks and yellow eye makeup, frothy hairstyles and voluminous multi-layered ball gowns. Both photoshoots are over the top and extreme! Teens might find one aspect of one look they’d like to try, though, so the photos would certainly appeal to a teen who is experimenting with fashion as part of body image.
There are a lot of connections to current films and television series, especially those that promote brand name fashion, glamorous lifestyles, and dating cute guys. Considering the timing of the issue there is minimal Twilight coverage – a mere two page spread of three of the central male actors: Robert Pattinson (Edward), Taylor Lautner (Jacob), and Kellan Lutz (Emmett). Of course the “boys of Twilight” merit a mention at the very top of the cover, however!
Dates Read: 28 - 29 March
Cover Story: Mila Kunis
Publication Date: October 2008
Age Range: 14 - 19
Genre: Fashion / Celebrities / Makeup
Rating: 1 2 3 4 5
Comments: This magazine is chock-full of makeup tips and advertisements for fashion items out of most teen’s budgets. Designer ads for perfume, makeup, and shoes are peppered throughout. There is a bit of discussion of social issues like drinking and smoking marijuana which are age-appropriate conversations to be having, and the magazine writers are clearly of the opinion that teens don’t need to be preached to, but that encouragement to use one’s best judgment is a good thing. There is also a two page spread of a follow-up story about a group of overweight teens who went through a special program to lose weight and improve their confidence about their bodies. Although it is great to see at least a few images of teens who are not slender with perfect skin, they are presented as part of a program to get thinner, which doesn’t seem like an ideal message to impart.
For the most part, this is simply Cosmopolitan magazine, minus the sex life tips, with a bit of information about universities in the US added, and repackaged for teenagers. Instructions for five steps to getting your fake eyelashes on correctly seem a bit over the top. The two highlighted fashion trends include ‘black magic’ - with everything in black or shades of gray from a black wig to glossy ‘patent’ black lipstick, and ‘circus showtime’ - with bright pinks and yellow eye makeup, frothy hairstyles and voluminous multi-layered ball gowns. Both photoshoots are over the top and extreme! Teens might find one aspect of one look they’d like to try, though, so the photos would certainly appeal to a teen who is experimenting with fashion as part of body image.
There are a lot of connections to current films and television series, especially those that promote brand name fashion, glamorous lifestyles, and dating cute guys. Considering the timing of the issue there is minimal Twilight coverage – a mere two page spread of three of the central male actors: Robert Pattinson (Edward), Taylor Lautner (Jacob), and Kellan Lutz (Emmett). Of course the “boys of Twilight” merit a mention at the very top of the cover, however!
Dates Read: 28 - 29 March
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Bloody Jack – L. A. Meyer
Author: L. A. Meyer
Title: Bloody Jack
Publisher: Harcourt
Publication Date: 2002
Age range: 12 - 16
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: 1 2 3 4 5
Plot summary: Mary “Jacky” Faber lives the life of an early 19th century London street urchin following the death of her entire family due to a nasty plague. Accustomed to keeping her wits about her and surviving on beggar’s earnings, Mary finds a new family and friendship with a gang of similar orphans. They all live in fear of a man named Muck who collects corpses to sell to medical students and doctors for dissection. When the leader of their orphan gang is killed, Mary grabs her chance to escape London, dons the boy’s clothes, and volunteers as a ship’s boy on the HMS Dolphin. Calling herself “Jacky,” she assists the ship’s tutor, as she possesses the valuable skill of being able to read. The smallest of the ship’s boys, no one suspects she is a teenage girl, and she takes great pains to reinforce what she calls ‘the Deception.’ She can’t help but fall for Jaimy, though, the only one of the ship’s boys with any breeding and manners.
The new gang of friends bond over anchor tattoos, shore leave, and their plans to move up the ranks of the sailors as they grow bigger and stronger. But Jacky has trouble staying out of harm’s way and keeping her head down. She makes enemies of sailors who believe they have the right to abuse ship’s boys as the lowest of the low on board, and has to fend off the advances of one or two men with unsavory inclinations toward helpless young boys. When Jaimy finds out that Jacky is actually a boy she is thrilled to no longer keep up the deception with him – and he is smitten with her. Unfortunately they are separated when the ship nearly sinks after a battle with pirates – Jacky just can’t seem to catch a break!
Comments: Jacky is quite the character – confident and self-reliant yet always getting herself into trouble and wishing her life would contain just a little less adventure! This book is very funny – Jacky thinks she is dying when she starts menstruating for the first time because she has never had a female role model to tell her what is going on. The lengths that Jacky must go to to hide her gender range from hacking off her hair as short as possible to rolling up some fabric and sewing it into her underwear to create the right sort of silhouette. She distinguishes herself with her sewing skills and desire to better herself, recognizing that education and observation are the keys to a better life. Jacky can get a bit carried away trying to show off, with music and dancing skills, and it always gets her into trouble to attract so much attention, but she can’t seem to help it! I look forward to continuing to read this series, as Jacky is enrolled at a finishing school in Boston after she helps recover a shipload of pirate treasure. Will she and Jaimy be separated forever?
Dates Read: 22 – 28 March
Title: Bloody Jack
Publisher: Harcourt
Publication Date: 2002
Age range: 12 - 16
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: 1 2 3 4 5
Plot summary: Mary “Jacky” Faber lives the life of an early 19th century London street urchin following the death of her entire family due to a nasty plague. Accustomed to keeping her wits about her and surviving on beggar’s earnings, Mary finds a new family and friendship with a gang of similar orphans. They all live in fear of a man named Muck who collects corpses to sell to medical students and doctors for dissection. When the leader of their orphan gang is killed, Mary grabs her chance to escape London, dons the boy’s clothes, and volunteers as a ship’s boy on the HMS Dolphin. Calling herself “Jacky,” she assists the ship’s tutor, as she possesses the valuable skill of being able to read. The smallest of the ship’s boys, no one suspects she is a teenage girl, and she takes great pains to reinforce what she calls ‘the Deception.’ She can’t help but fall for Jaimy, though, the only one of the ship’s boys with any breeding and manners.
The new gang of friends bond over anchor tattoos, shore leave, and their plans to move up the ranks of the sailors as they grow bigger and stronger. But Jacky has trouble staying out of harm’s way and keeping her head down. She makes enemies of sailors who believe they have the right to abuse ship’s boys as the lowest of the low on board, and has to fend off the advances of one or two men with unsavory inclinations toward helpless young boys. When Jaimy finds out that Jacky is actually a boy she is thrilled to no longer keep up the deception with him – and he is smitten with her. Unfortunately they are separated when the ship nearly sinks after a battle with pirates – Jacky just can’t seem to catch a break!
Comments: Jacky is quite the character – confident and self-reliant yet always getting herself into trouble and wishing her life would contain just a little less adventure! This book is very funny – Jacky thinks she is dying when she starts menstruating for the first time because she has never had a female role model to tell her what is going on. The lengths that Jacky must go to to hide her gender range from hacking off her hair as short as possible to rolling up some fabric and sewing it into her underwear to create the right sort of silhouette. She distinguishes herself with her sewing skills and desire to better herself, recognizing that education and observation are the keys to a better life. Jacky can get a bit carried away trying to show off, with music and dancing skills, and it always gets her into trouble to attract so much attention, but she can’t seem to help it! I look forward to continuing to read this series, as Jacky is enrolled at a finishing school in Boston after she helps recover a shipload of pirate treasure. Will she and Jaimy be separated forever?
Dates Read: 22 – 28 March
Monday, March 23, 2009
Magazine review – Faze
Magazine: Faze
Cover Story: The White Stripes
Publication Date: Spring 2006
Age Range: 13 - 18
Genre: Music / Celebrities / Current Events
Rating: 1 2 3 4 5
Comments: This is a Canadian magazine out of Toronto and directed towards teens. Faze claims to be Canada's #1 Teen Magazine. The vibe is very positive and enthusiastic, plus it deals with a number of topics rather than focusing just on music or beauty, as a number of magazines do. I feel like this magazine has something for everyone. There is a focus on music, investing, getting a job, the successes of other teens, and even prom. The graphics are engaging and the amount of text is not overwhelming, with varied fonts and sizes of text. Overall the magazine leans a bit toward female readers, with a section toward the back about makeup and accessories for prom, plus horoscopes. But it’s not a super-girly magazine.
The current events that are highlighted tend to be bizarre and unusual, like “Malaysian girl killed by lightning – while answering her cell phone” - very attention-grabbing! The news is presented in small snippets rather than full articles. The cover story about The White Stripes focuses on how Jack and Meg White have remained true to their artistic vision and their own personalities even though they’ve become very successful. Mentions of celebrities tend to focus on positive things they are doing, like founding charities or contributing to society in a meaningful way. A lot of the content comes from teens, who have been interviewed or surveyed for their opinions about what makes a great best friend, or how sex education should be handled in schools. The overall message is that everyone is unique and should value themselves for their own qualities rather then try to be thinner or different in some way.
Dates Read: 22 – 23 March
Cover Story: The White Stripes
Publication Date: Spring 2006
Age Range: 13 - 18
Genre: Music / Celebrities / Current Events
Rating: 1 2 3 4 5
Comments: This is a Canadian magazine out of Toronto and directed towards teens. Faze claims to be Canada's #1 Teen Magazine. The vibe is very positive and enthusiastic, plus it deals with a number of topics rather than focusing just on music or beauty, as a number of magazines do. I feel like this magazine has something for everyone. There is a focus on music, investing, getting a job, the successes of other teens, and even prom. The graphics are engaging and the amount of text is not overwhelming, with varied fonts and sizes of text. Overall the magazine leans a bit toward female readers, with a section toward the back about makeup and accessories for prom, plus horoscopes. But it’s not a super-girly magazine.
The current events that are highlighted tend to be bizarre and unusual, like “Malaysian girl killed by lightning – while answering her cell phone” - very attention-grabbing! The news is presented in small snippets rather than full articles. The cover story about The White Stripes focuses on how Jack and Meg White have remained true to their artistic vision and their own personalities even though they’ve become very successful. Mentions of celebrities tend to focus on positive things they are doing, like founding charities or contributing to society in a meaningful way. A lot of the content comes from teens, who have been interviewed or surveyed for their opinions about what makes a great best friend, or how sex education should be handled in schools. The overall message is that everyone is unique and should value themselves for their own qualities rather then try to be thinner or different in some way.
Dates Read: 22 – 23 March
The Black Book of Secrets – F.E. Higgins
Author: F.E. Higgins
Title: The Black Book of Secrets
Publisher: Macmillan
Publication Date: 2007
Age range: 10 - 15
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 1 2 3 4 5
Plot summary: Ludlow Fitch is a young thief living in poverty in a horrible smelly urban place called the City, until his petty criminal parents try to sell his teeth to buy more gin – while they’re still in Ludlow’s head. Ludlow takes off and counts himself lucky to have escaped the City. Hitching a ride on a convenient coach, Ludlow finds himself in the small mountain village of Pagus Parvus. He has arrived on the heels of another interesting traveler, Joe Zabbidou. Joe sets up shop as a pawnbroker and takes Ludlow in as an apprentice because he has some rudimentary reading and writing skills. Before long everyone in town realizes that Joe isn’t a traditional pawnbroker; he’s also a Secret Pawnbroker. Gifted with a way of calmly getting people to trust him and tell him their secrets, Joe listens while Ludlow writes it all down in the "Black Book of Secrets." In return, Joe gives the person a bag of coins, and promises that their secret is totally safe. Lightened of a terrible burden, each person feels relieved at telling another their confession, and uses the money to pay off their debts to the one person in town who is not happy at Joe’s presence: Jeremiah Ratchet.
Jeremiah has most of the town in his debt through a combination of outrageous rents and shadowy deals. A number of individual secrets have to do with desperate actions taken to pay Jeremiah back after he has blackmailed the person. Jeremiah is repulsive, a gambler and drinker who treats everyone with contempt even as he takes their money to support his decadent lifestyle. As a community outsider, Joe provides a safe environment for people to tell their stories. As the Black Book fills with secrets, however, the people start to expect more from Joe – some further salvation from their troubles with Jeremiah. Though Joe tells them to be patient, trusting that a peaceful resolution will come eventually, the people take matters into their own hands. They decide that Joe is actually in league with Jeremiah, and that he is not to be trusted with their secrets. Just as Joe is about to be forced out of the village with Ludlow close behind, Jeremiah’s greed and desire to obtain the Black Book prove to be his undoing, and the people realize the error of their ways.
Comments: This is a fast-paced and interesting story of intrigue and an unusual occupation. Mostly told from Ludlow’s point of view, the story splits the action between the City and Pagus Parvus. It is a story of redemption for Ludlow, who has been raised as a common thief and has nearly resigned himself that he’ll hang one day for his misdeeds. Ludlow is actually thankful to his parents for trying to pull out his teeth to sell for drink, as his desire to keep his jaw intact gave him the strength to escape from the City’s clutches. Ludlow identifies Joe clearly as a father figure, let down as he has been by his true parents. He struggles throughout the book to live up to Joe’s trust, and finds it hard to relax into a life where food and warmth can be relied upon. An observant and curious lad, Ludlow sometimes finds it hard to understand how Joe can be so calm in many unnerving situations, but he admires Joe greatly and is amazed when Joe reveals to him the great history of Secret pawning, and his hope that Ludlow will be next to take up the mantle.
Dates Read: 19 – 22 March
Title: The Black Book of Secrets
Publisher: Macmillan
Publication Date: 2007
Age range: 10 - 15
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 1 2 3 4 5
Plot summary: Ludlow Fitch is a young thief living in poverty in a horrible smelly urban place called the City, until his petty criminal parents try to sell his teeth to buy more gin – while they’re still in Ludlow’s head. Ludlow takes off and counts himself lucky to have escaped the City. Hitching a ride on a convenient coach, Ludlow finds himself in the small mountain village of Pagus Parvus. He has arrived on the heels of another interesting traveler, Joe Zabbidou. Joe sets up shop as a pawnbroker and takes Ludlow in as an apprentice because he has some rudimentary reading and writing skills. Before long everyone in town realizes that Joe isn’t a traditional pawnbroker; he’s also a Secret Pawnbroker. Gifted with a way of calmly getting people to trust him and tell him their secrets, Joe listens while Ludlow writes it all down in the "Black Book of Secrets." In return, Joe gives the person a bag of coins, and promises that their secret is totally safe. Lightened of a terrible burden, each person feels relieved at telling another their confession, and uses the money to pay off their debts to the one person in town who is not happy at Joe’s presence: Jeremiah Ratchet.
Jeremiah has most of the town in his debt through a combination of outrageous rents and shadowy deals. A number of individual secrets have to do with desperate actions taken to pay Jeremiah back after he has blackmailed the person. Jeremiah is repulsive, a gambler and drinker who treats everyone with contempt even as he takes their money to support his decadent lifestyle. As a community outsider, Joe provides a safe environment for people to tell their stories. As the Black Book fills with secrets, however, the people start to expect more from Joe – some further salvation from their troubles with Jeremiah. Though Joe tells them to be patient, trusting that a peaceful resolution will come eventually, the people take matters into their own hands. They decide that Joe is actually in league with Jeremiah, and that he is not to be trusted with their secrets. Just as Joe is about to be forced out of the village with Ludlow close behind, Jeremiah’s greed and desire to obtain the Black Book prove to be his undoing, and the people realize the error of their ways.
Comments: This is a fast-paced and interesting story of intrigue and an unusual occupation. Mostly told from Ludlow’s point of view, the story splits the action between the City and Pagus Parvus. It is a story of redemption for Ludlow, who has been raised as a common thief and has nearly resigned himself that he’ll hang one day for his misdeeds. Ludlow is actually thankful to his parents for trying to pull out his teeth to sell for drink, as his desire to keep his jaw intact gave him the strength to escape from the City’s clutches. Ludlow identifies Joe clearly as a father figure, let down as he has been by his true parents. He struggles throughout the book to live up to Joe’s trust, and finds it hard to relax into a life where food and warmth can be relied upon. An observant and curious lad, Ludlow sometimes finds it hard to understand how Joe can be so calm in many unnerving situations, but he admires Joe greatly and is amazed when Joe reveals to him the great history of Secret pawning, and his hope that Ludlow will be next to take up the mantle.
Dates Read: 19 – 22 March
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Coraline – Neil Gaiman
Author: Neil Gaiman
Illustrator: Dave McKean
Title: Coraline
Publisher: Harper Collins
Publication Date: 2002
Age range: 10 - 16
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 1 2 3 4 5
Plot summary: Coraline Jones has just moved into a new flat with her parents, who never pay any attention to her. Coraline is an active, inquisitive girl and gets bored easily so her father sends her around the flat with a paper and pencil to record how many windows and doors and blue things there are around. One of the doors that Coraline discovers is locked. Her mother finds the key, but behind the door there is only a bricked up wall. The next time Coraline is alone in the flat she tries the door again, using the key – and this time she is able to walk straight through into another room – one that looks exactly like the room she has just left, complete with the same furniture and decorations.
Coraline is astonished to find a parallel universe on the other side of the mysterious doorway, and she is greeted by her “other” mother and her “other” father. Instead of looking completely human, they have shiny black buttons for eyes. Her other mother clearly runs the show, and tells Coraline she wants to love her and give her everything she wants, if only she’ll stay forever. At first Coraline enjoys the delicious food and fascinating toys in this other world. But something doesn’t feel quite right to Coraline. She stays for a little while and then chooses to return to her normal world. But now her parents have gone missing, and Coraline realizes that her other mother has kidnapped them. She sets out to rescue them, and must find a way to challenge the other mother in a way that will save her parents, herself, and also the trapped souls of three other children who have fallen victim to the other mother’s twisted parental instincts. Coraline’s only ally is a black cat who can also travel between the two worlds, and conspire with her to bring an end to the other mother’s cruelty.
Comments: Gaiman has a wonderful way of writing an engaging story with an undeniably dark side, but which will appeal to multiple ages. Younger teens and ‘tweens’ may be taken with Coraline’s adventurousness and resourcefulness, as well as her boredom and unhappiness when her parents tell her to go away. Older teens may see the darker side of the story, with creepy spider-themed symbolism and the sinister way the other mother tries to entice Coraline to stay in her world. My favorite part is at the end when Coraline uses the dolls of her childhood to trap the piece of the other mother than has crossed over into Coraline’s real world. My only fear is that one day the other mother’s right hand might get out of the well – and now it has the key. Gaiman does a great job of wrapping up the story – but also leaving the possibility open that Coraline’s problems are not completely finished.
Dates Read: 16 – 18 March
Illustrator: Dave McKean
Title: Coraline
Publisher: Harper Collins
Publication Date: 2002
Age range: 10 - 16
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 1 2 3 4 5
Plot summary: Coraline Jones has just moved into a new flat with her parents, who never pay any attention to her. Coraline is an active, inquisitive girl and gets bored easily so her father sends her around the flat with a paper and pencil to record how many windows and doors and blue things there are around. One of the doors that Coraline discovers is locked. Her mother finds the key, but behind the door there is only a bricked up wall. The next time Coraline is alone in the flat she tries the door again, using the key – and this time she is able to walk straight through into another room – one that looks exactly like the room she has just left, complete with the same furniture and decorations.
Coraline is astonished to find a parallel universe on the other side of the mysterious doorway, and she is greeted by her “other” mother and her “other” father. Instead of looking completely human, they have shiny black buttons for eyes. Her other mother clearly runs the show, and tells Coraline she wants to love her and give her everything she wants, if only she’ll stay forever. At first Coraline enjoys the delicious food and fascinating toys in this other world. But something doesn’t feel quite right to Coraline. She stays for a little while and then chooses to return to her normal world. But now her parents have gone missing, and Coraline realizes that her other mother has kidnapped them. She sets out to rescue them, and must find a way to challenge the other mother in a way that will save her parents, herself, and also the trapped souls of three other children who have fallen victim to the other mother’s twisted parental instincts. Coraline’s only ally is a black cat who can also travel between the two worlds, and conspire with her to bring an end to the other mother’s cruelty.
Comments: Gaiman has a wonderful way of writing an engaging story with an undeniably dark side, but which will appeal to multiple ages. Younger teens and ‘tweens’ may be taken with Coraline’s adventurousness and resourcefulness, as well as her boredom and unhappiness when her parents tell her to go away. Older teens may see the darker side of the story, with creepy spider-themed symbolism and the sinister way the other mother tries to entice Coraline to stay in her world. My favorite part is at the end when Coraline uses the dolls of her childhood to trap the piece of the other mother than has crossed over into Coraline’s real world. My only fear is that one day the other mother’s right hand might get out of the well – and now it has the key. Gaiman does a great job of wrapping up the story – but also leaving the possibility open that Coraline’s problems are not completely finished.
Dates Read: 16 – 18 March
Monday, March 16, 2009
The House of the Scorpion – Nancy Farmer
Author: Nancy Farmer
Title: The House of the Scorpion
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Publication Date: 2002
Age range: 13 – no upper limit
Genre: Science Fiction / Award Winner
Rating: 1 2 3 4 5
Plot summary: Matteo Alacrán is a clone of El Patrón, drug magnate in a small country called Opium, sandwiched between the southern border of the United States and Aztlán, the land that we call Mexico today. This story takes place at some point in the future when hovercrafts are a normal mode of transportation, and cloning and brain implantations are commonplace. Opium, however, is frozen in time for the most part, with few modern amenities, as El Patrón prefers being reminded of the simple life of his childhood. In the book he reaches his 148th birthday. Such extended old age is only possible through morally dubious surgeries and organ transplants. Matt is El Patrón’s ninth clone.
Matt has been copied from El Patrón’s DNA, and though El Patrón grants him a happy childhood, a more sinister reason for bringing a clone into existence eventually becomes clear to Matt. El Patrón has allowed Matt to become educated and musically skilled only to keep him content and docile until his body parts are needed. El Patrón doesn’t count on Matt’s allies, however: Celia the cook, who raised Matt as a little boy, and Tam Lin, the Scottish bodyguard who loathes El Patrón’s way of life and gives Matt the clues and tools he needs to escape to Aztlán and avoid certain death. Until his escape, Matt is treated by most people as worse than livestock; they don’t believe that clones are human. The opium workers and other servants around El Patrón’s fabulous drug-financed residence are people with a chip implanted in their brains to render them able to do single tasks only, zombie-like. Mistreated himself by everyone except El Patrón, Celia, Tam Lin, and María, the kind-hearted daughter of a crooked US Senator, Matt feels a natural empathy for these ‘eejits’, as they’re called. The ‘eejits’ are generally people who have been caught trying to cross from the US to Aztlán or vice versa.
Finally able to escape to Aztlán, Matt is once again enslaved and forced to work in an orphanage of sorts where the boys are all forced to cultivate plankton and recite certain Socialist-minded slogans ad nauseum. A smart boy who has been encouraged to think and learn about the business of running a drug empire, Matt cannot stomach the hypocrisy he observes in the adults’ treatment of himself and the boys in the plankton factory. He becomes friends with several of the boys, and when they are mistreated they stand up for each other, to the disgust of the men in charge. Matt and his friend Chacho are left to die in the salty desert, but the boys band together to escape. They are able to make it to the small town where María attends school in a convent, and Matt is drawn into a plan by certain government powers of both Aztlán and the US to bring down Opium and shut down El Patrón’s empire. Matt is only too happy to free the ‘eejits’ and end the unequal treatment he sees in Opium; through his own suffering he has developed a deep sense of empathy for those considered to be undeserving of happiness.
Comments: Farmer tells an amazing story and envisions a disturbing alternate reality. The characters are detailed and emotions run strong as the reader cannot help but be disgusted by the way Matt is treated and the hypocrisy that runs rampant through the story. Matt’s own behavior is far from perfect, as he is encouraged early on to be a perfect little copy of El Patrón. Matt perfects El Patrón’s cold way of dealing with his underlings, and believes that the old man loves him. He is truly torn when he discovers that after all the time and money invested in his education and upbringing, El Patrón does in fact mean to use him for spare parts. Matt can’t help but still love the old man as he loves himself, even though El Patrón is so cold-hearted.
The supporting characters are detailed and very consistent. Each has their own back-story, and Farmer does a wonderful job of weaving these finer points in with Matt’s own story. It is chilling to read about Matt’s treatment at the hands of people who see clones as less than human. It is equally satisfying to read about Matt growing up to become self-reliant, recognizing the dignity with which all people should be treated, and finally finding friendship with his peers.
Dates Read: 10 – 15 March
Title: The House of the Scorpion
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Publication Date: 2002
Age range: 13 – no upper limit
Genre: Science Fiction / Award Winner
Rating: 1 2 3 4 5
Plot summary: Matteo Alacrán is a clone of El Patrón, drug magnate in a small country called Opium, sandwiched between the southern border of the United States and Aztlán, the land that we call Mexico today. This story takes place at some point in the future when hovercrafts are a normal mode of transportation, and cloning and brain implantations are commonplace. Opium, however, is frozen in time for the most part, with few modern amenities, as El Patrón prefers being reminded of the simple life of his childhood. In the book he reaches his 148th birthday. Such extended old age is only possible through morally dubious surgeries and organ transplants. Matt is El Patrón’s ninth clone.
Matt has been copied from El Patrón’s DNA, and though El Patrón grants him a happy childhood, a more sinister reason for bringing a clone into existence eventually becomes clear to Matt. El Patrón has allowed Matt to become educated and musically skilled only to keep him content and docile until his body parts are needed. El Patrón doesn’t count on Matt’s allies, however: Celia the cook, who raised Matt as a little boy, and Tam Lin, the Scottish bodyguard who loathes El Patrón’s way of life and gives Matt the clues and tools he needs to escape to Aztlán and avoid certain death. Until his escape, Matt is treated by most people as worse than livestock; they don’t believe that clones are human. The opium workers and other servants around El Patrón’s fabulous drug-financed residence are people with a chip implanted in their brains to render them able to do single tasks only, zombie-like. Mistreated himself by everyone except El Patrón, Celia, Tam Lin, and María, the kind-hearted daughter of a crooked US Senator, Matt feels a natural empathy for these ‘eejits’, as they’re called. The ‘eejits’ are generally people who have been caught trying to cross from the US to Aztlán or vice versa.
Finally able to escape to Aztlán, Matt is once again enslaved and forced to work in an orphanage of sorts where the boys are all forced to cultivate plankton and recite certain Socialist-minded slogans ad nauseum. A smart boy who has been encouraged to think and learn about the business of running a drug empire, Matt cannot stomach the hypocrisy he observes in the adults’ treatment of himself and the boys in the plankton factory. He becomes friends with several of the boys, and when they are mistreated they stand up for each other, to the disgust of the men in charge. Matt and his friend Chacho are left to die in the salty desert, but the boys band together to escape. They are able to make it to the small town where María attends school in a convent, and Matt is drawn into a plan by certain government powers of both Aztlán and the US to bring down Opium and shut down El Patrón’s empire. Matt is only too happy to free the ‘eejits’ and end the unequal treatment he sees in Opium; through his own suffering he has developed a deep sense of empathy for those considered to be undeserving of happiness.
Comments: Farmer tells an amazing story and envisions a disturbing alternate reality. The characters are detailed and emotions run strong as the reader cannot help but be disgusted by the way Matt is treated and the hypocrisy that runs rampant through the story. Matt’s own behavior is far from perfect, as he is encouraged early on to be a perfect little copy of El Patrón. Matt perfects El Patrón’s cold way of dealing with his underlings, and believes that the old man loves him. He is truly torn when he discovers that after all the time and money invested in his education and upbringing, El Patrón does in fact mean to use him for spare parts. Matt can’t help but still love the old man as he loves himself, even though El Patrón is so cold-hearted.
The supporting characters are detailed and very consistent. Each has their own back-story, and Farmer does a wonderful job of weaving these finer points in with Matt’s own story. It is chilling to read about Matt’s treatment at the hands of people who see clones as less than human. It is equally satisfying to read about Matt growing up to become self-reliant, recognizing the dignity with which all people should be treated, and finally finding friendship with his peers.
Dates Read: 10 – 15 March
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Skybreaker – Kenneth Oppel
Author: Kenneth Oppel
Title: Skybreaker
Publisher: Harper Trophy Canada
Publication Date: 2005
Age range: 10 - 16
Genre: Fantasy / Canadian Author / Series Fiction
Rating: 1 2 3 4 5
Plot summary: The second in the Airborn series, Oppel delivers another page-turning adventure. Matt Cruse is now enrolled in the Airship Academy in Paris, and at the start of the book he has been shipped out for a turn as a navigator's assistant on the Flotsam, an airship of much lower class than the Aurora where Matt got his start as a cabin boy. Caught in a storm and captained by a reckless pilot, the Flotsam ascends to heights it was not designed for – and all aboard catch a glimpse of the long-lost Hyperion. The Hyperion has been adrift at uncharted heights for forty years, and only Matt recalls the coordinates she was sighted at, as the rest of the crew were suffering from oxygen deprivation. No one knows how the Hyperion met her fate.
Back in Paris, Matt's fellow adventurer Kate de Vries is enrolled at the Sorbonne, and is learning to fly as well. Her craft of choice is an ornithopter, a small machine capable of holding one or two people and used for taxiing people around. Kate is well aware that the owner of the Hyperion, famous inventor and collector Theodore Grunel, had amassed a remarkable number of artifacts and taxidermy. She convinces Matt to join her in attempting to find the Hyperion once again, though they are not alone in wanting to track down the ghost ship and plunder her treasures. Kate dreams of more undiscovered species, while Matt wishes for enough gold to set up his family comfortably. They are joined by Nadira, who turns out to the daughter of the pirate Spirzglas, who fell overboard in Airborn while trying to kill Matt. Although Nadira turns out be to as daring and adventurous as her father, she wants to find gold to avoid an arranged marriage and give herself the freedom to live the life she wants. Nadira is also a trustworthy ally.
In order to reach the Hyperion, drifting aimlessly at frigid heights, a special kind of ship is needed: a skybreaker. Kate makes friends with Hal, the dashing captain of just such a ship. Matt gets a bit jealous, as well as confused, feeling so drawn to Kate and yet attracted to Nadira – and also suspicious that Kate has a thing for Hal! The four make their way to the Hyperion but they are pursued and attacked by others who would get Grunel's treasures, and must rely on luck as well as their wits to survive the experience.
Comments: This is a fantastic follow-up to Airborn! Matt and Kate are a bit more mature, and the surrounding cast of characters is just as exciting as in the first novel, even though most of them have changed. I particularly enjoyed a cameo from Chef Vlad early on in the book; he was the chef abroad the Aurorain book one but now plies his trade in a very upscale restaurant halfway up the Eiffel Tower. Kate gets to discover more new species, this time high in the sky. Remarkably consistent and thoroughly entertaining, I did not want to put this book down.
Matt is a character easy to empathize with for both males and females, I think. He is up for a challenge, but also has those moments of indecision and self-doubt that most readers will recognize as normal in any person. Matt is fiercely loyal, and wants to make life more comfortable for those he loves. A new facet to his character in this book is his struggle with his studies; though he knows perfectly how to serve as a cabin boy and how to perform most duties aboard a ship, he doesn’t intuitively understand the physics and mathematics behind flying. One of the things that makes Matt such a great character is that he recognizes his imperfections and tries to overcome them, no matter how difficult.
Dates Read: 4 – 9 March
Title: Skybreaker
Publisher: Harper Trophy Canada
Publication Date: 2005
Age range: 10 - 16
Genre: Fantasy / Canadian Author / Series Fiction
Rating: 1 2 3 4 5
Plot summary: The second in the Airborn series, Oppel delivers another page-turning adventure. Matt Cruse is now enrolled in the Airship Academy in Paris, and at the start of the book he has been shipped out for a turn as a navigator's assistant on the Flotsam, an airship of much lower class than the Aurora where Matt got his start as a cabin boy. Caught in a storm and captained by a reckless pilot, the Flotsam ascends to heights it was not designed for – and all aboard catch a glimpse of the long-lost Hyperion. The Hyperion has been adrift at uncharted heights for forty years, and only Matt recalls the coordinates she was sighted at, as the rest of the crew were suffering from oxygen deprivation. No one knows how the Hyperion met her fate.
Back in Paris, Matt's fellow adventurer Kate de Vries is enrolled at the Sorbonne, and is learning to fly as well. Her craft of choice is an ornithopter, a small machine capable of holding one or two people and used for taxiing people around. Kate is well aware that the owner of the Hyperion, famous inventor and collector Theodore Grunel, had amassed a remarkable number of artifacts and taxidermy. She convinces Matt to join her in attempting to find the Hyperion once again, though they are not alone in wanting to track down the ghost ship and plunder her treasures. Kate dreams of more undiscovered species, while Matt wishes for enough gold to set up his family comfortably. They are joined by Nadira, who turns out to the daughter of the pirate Spirzglas, who fell overboard in Airborn while trying to kill Matt. Although Nadira turns out be to as daring and adventurous as her father, she wants to find gold to avoid an arranged marriage and give herself the freedom to live the life she wants. Nadira is also a trustworthy ally.
In order to reach the Hyperion, drifting aimlessly at frigid heights, a special kind of ship is needed: a skybreaker. Kate makes friends with Hal, the dashing captain of just such a ship. Matt gets a bit jealous, as well as confused, feeling so drawn to Kate and yet attracted to Nadira – and also suspicious that Kate has a thing for Hal! The four make their way to the Hyperion but they are pursued and attacked by others who would get Grunel's treasures, and must rely on luck as well as their wits to survive the experience.
Comments: This is a fantastic follow-up to Airborn! Matt and Kate are a bit more mature, and the surrounding cast of characters is just as exciting as in the first novel, even though most of them have changed. I particularly enjoyed a cameo from Chef Vlad early on in the book; he was the chef abroad the Aurorain book one but now plies his trade in a very upscale restaurant halfway up the Eiffel Tower. Kate gets to discover more new species, this time high in the sky. Remarkably consistent and thoroughly entertaining, I did not want to put this book down.
Matt is a character easy to empathize with for both males and females, I think. He is up for a challenge, but also has those moments of indecision and self-doubt that most readers will recognize as normal in any person. Matt is fiercely loyal, and wants to make life more comfortable for those he loves. A new facet to his character in this book is his struggle with his studies; though he knows perfectly how to serve as a cabin boy and how to perform most duties aboard a ship, he doesn’t intuitively understand the physics and mathematics behind flying. One of the things that makes Matt such a great character is that he recognizes his imperfections and tries to overcome them, no matter how difficult.
Dates Read: 4 – 9 March
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
The Hemingway Tradition – Kristin Butcher
Author: Kristin Butcher
Title: The Hemingway Tradition
Publisher: Orca Book Publishers
Publication Date: 2002
Age range: 14 - 19
Genre: Hi/Lo / Realistic Fiction
Rating: 1 2 3 4 5
Plot summary: Shaw and his mother move from Vancouver to Winnipeg after Shaw's father, a successful writer, commits suicide. Shaw, who used to enjoy writing and talking about writing with his father, feels betrayed because his father revealed before his death that he was gay and could no longer go on in his current life. Starting over at a new school, Shaw finds solace in playing volleyball on the competitive school team and keeping active, until the volleyball season ends and he comes across a particularly poorly written article in the school newspaper. Shaw starts writing again, this time determined to defend his friend Jai who is demeaned by some for not being white. Tess, an adamant supporter of and reporter for the school paper, is thrilled when Shaw starts contributing, especially on weighty social issues. Meanwhile, Shaw's mother gives him his father's journal when she thinks he is ready to learn more about what his father was going through before his death. Shaw comes to terms with his father through reading the journal, realizing that the relationship father and son had was equally important to both of them. Shaw no longer feels abandoned and can forgive his dad.
Comments: This captivating book is simply written but contains a compelling story. There are so many elements that will appeal to all readers, including those with low vocabulary who need stories that draw the reader in. Shaw has to deal with homosexuality, prejudice, and the death of a parent. He becomes a new student and has to try to fit in. Shaw challenges himself by joining a new sports team and working very hard to succeed, then shows that a good athlete can also take school and writing seriously, as he gets involved with the school newspaper. Tess is a friend but perhaps something more in the future, and Jai is a great friend who is supportive of Shaw and also teases him like a sibling. By working with his own strengths and allowing himself some time to heal, Shaw gets through a very challenging period of his life. I think all readers can find an issue to relate to here, and the emotional growth that Shaw goes through is inspiring.
Dates Read: 3 – 4 March
Title: The Hemingway Tradition
Publisher: Orca Book Publishers
Publication Date: 2002
Age range: 14 - 19
Genre: Hi/Lo / Realistic Fiction
Rating: 1 2 3 4 5
Plot summary: Shaw and his mother move from Vancouver to Winnipeg after Shaw's father, a successful writer, commits suicide. Shaw, who used to enjoy writing and talking about writing with his father, feels betrayed because his father revealed before his death that he was gay and could no longer go on in his current life. Starting over at a new school, Shaw finds solace in playing volleyball on the competitive school team and keeping active, until the volleyball season ends and he comes across a particularly poorly written article in the school newspaper. Shaw starts writing again, this time determined to defend his friend Jai who is demeaned by some for not being white. Tess, an adamant supporter of and reporter for the school paper, is thrilled when Shaw starts contributing, especially on weighty social issues. Meanwhile, Shaw's mother gives him his father's journal when she thinks he is ready to learn more about what his father was going through before his death. Shaw comes to terms with his father through reading the journal, realizing that the relationship father and son had was equally important to both of them. Shaw no longer feels abandoned and can forgive his dad.
Comments: This captivating book is simply written but contains a compelling story. There are so many elements that will appeal to all readers, including those with low vocabulary who need stories that draw the reader in. Shaw has to deal with homosexuality, prejudice, and the death of a parent. He becomes a new student and has to try to fit in. Shaw challenges himself by joining a new sports team and working very hard to succeed, then shows that a good athlete can also take school and writing seriously, as he gets involved with the school newspaper. Tess is a friend but perhaps something more in the future, and Jai is a great friend who is supportive of Shaw and also teases him like a sibling. By working with his own strengths and allowing himself some time to heal, Shaw gets through a very challenging period of his life. I think all readers can find an issue to relate to here, and the emotional growth that Shaw goes through is inspiring.
Dates Read: 3 – 4 March
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Zel – Donna Jo Napoli
Author: Donna Jo Napoli
Title: Zel
Publisher: Dutton Children's Books
Publication Date:1996
Age range: 10 - 16
Genre: Revised Fairytale
Rating: 1 2 3 4 5
Plot summary: Zel is a joyous, innocent girl on the cusp of womanhood. She has grown up on a peaceful and beautiful Swiss farm with just one person for companionship: Mother. More than anything, Zel wishes she could talk to animals and understand them. Mother has a gift of her own – a way with plants. She can manipulate them to serve her purposes, growing trees and shrinking vines, raising all sorts of vegetables and fruits. It turns out that Mother is a barren witch who traded her soul for a child when she could not bear her own.
Zel looks forward to their twice-yearly visits to the town market, where she can interact with all sorts of people. Mother looks forward to the time when Zel will have to make the choice between leaving the farm to start her own family, or staying with Mother forever. Mother could not bear it if Zel were to leave the farm, and pours her heart into making Zel happy. On their latest visit to the market, however, Zel encounters a young man, Konrad. Konrad sees Zel's sweet way with animals and her unusual manners, and is enchanted with her. When Zel calms Konrad's horse while the blacksmith removes a tick from the horse's ear, Konrad asks how he can repay her. Having no desire for money, Zel thinks of a solitary goose at the farm – she sits on a nest of rocks because she cannot have her own goslings. Zel asks for a goose egg, hoping to persuade the goose it is her own egg. Konrad is amazed at the request but takes the dark-eyed girl seriously and begins hunting for a goose egg.
As soon as Mother realizes Zel's thoughts have turned to a certain young man and the unsure way he made her feel, she acts to separate the two before they have a chance to meet again. Spiriting Zel high up into disused tower, Mother feeds Zel special foods to make her hair grow long. At first Mother reaches the tower by making a tree next to it grow and shrink, but eventually Mother can climb up by Zel's hair. Konrad, meanwhile, has been hunting for Zel for two years, obsessed with her and mystified by her disappearance. Zel, locked in her tower prison, starts to lose her mind, keeping secrets from Mother and trying to make friends with the squirrel in the tree and a pigeon that roosts above her cramped quarters. When Konrad finally finds the tower and watches Mother ascend using the golden braids, Konrad is able to use the same trick to get up, as Zel doesn't even realize it is him. When Mother discovers that Konrad has found Zel, she breaks down completely and uses the forest to transport Zel, now pregnant, far away where Konrad has almost no hope of ever finding her again. Mother throws Konrad out the window of the tower but at the last moment shrubs around the base of the tower spring up and cushion his fall, though they scratch out his eyes. Her strength gone, Mother dies. Zel is taken in by villagers who find her at the end of her long strange journey and starts a new life in a new country. Konrad resumes his search, even blind, in this love story for the ages.
Comments: Napoli has done a fantastic job of re-writing the Rapunzel fairy tale. Zel is so full of life and joy in small everyday things, it is tragic to see the way Mother tries to limit her enthusiasm. It is also distressing to read about how much Mother simply wants Zel to love her and to be happy with the quiet country life they have carved out for themselves, but by loving Zel too much she turns Zel against herself. Napoli has written the book from the three different viewpoints of Zel, Mother and Konrad. As Mother's reasoning becomes more flawed and distressed, Zel starts to lose her own mind, cooped up in the tower with only a hour long visit from Mother each day. Konrad, caught up in his obsessive quest to find the beautiful and unique Zel, changes from being a boy to emerging as a man as his search becomes more arduous.
Napoli did a great job of handling the extreme youth of Zel and Konrad. In this type of fairy tale, marriage at a younger age than is now commonly accepted was not unusual. Without remarking on explicit details, Napoli crafts a love story that will appeal to readers of many ages. I will be looking for more of Napoli's revised fairytales in the future.
Title: Zel
Publisher: Dutton Children's Books
Publication Date:1996
Age range: 10 - 16
Genre: Revised Fairytale
Rating: 1 2 3 4 5
Plot summary: Zel is a joyous, innocent girl on the cusp of womanhood. She has grown up on a peaceful and beautiful Swiss farm with just one person for companionship: Mother. More than anything, Zel wishes she could talk to animals and understand them. Mother has a gift of her own – a way with plants. She can manipulate them to serve her purposes, growing trees and shrinking vines, raising all sorts of vegetables and fruits. It turns out that Mother is a barren witch who traded her soul for a child when she could not bear her own.
Zel looks forward to their twice-yearly visits to the town market, where she can interact with all sorts of people. Mother looks forward to the time when Zel will have to make the choice between leaving the farm to start her own family, or staying with Mother forever. Mother could not bear it if Zel were to leave the farm, and pours her heart into making Zel happy. On their latest visit to the market, however, Zel encounters a young man, Konrad. Konrad sees Zel's sweet way with animals and her unusual manners, and is enchanted with her. When Zel calms Konrad's horse while the blacksmith removes a tick from the horse's ear, Konrad asks how he can repay her. Having no desire for money, Zel thinks of a solitary goose at the farm – she sits on a nest of rocks because she cannot have her own goslings. Zel asks for a goose egg, hoping to persuade the goose it is her own egg. Konrad is amazed at the request but takes the dark-eyed girl seriously and begins hunting for a goose egg.
As soon as Mother realizes Zel's thoughts have turned to a certain young man and the unsure way he made her feel, she acts to separate the two before they have a chance to meet again. Spiriting Zel high up into disused tower, Mother feeds Zel special foods to make her hair grow long. At first Mother reaches the tower by making a tree next to it grow and shrink, but eventually Mother can climb up by Zel's hair. Konrad, meanwhile, has been hunting for Zel for two years, obsessed with her and mystified by her disappearance. Zel, locked in her tower prison, starts to lose her mind, keeping secrets from Mother and trying to make friends with the squirrel in the tree and a pigeon that roosts above her cramped quarters. When Konrad finally finds the tower and watches Mother ascend using the golden braids, Konrad is able to use the same trick to get up, as Zel doesn't even realize it is him. When Mother discovers that Konrad has found Zel, she breaks down completely and uses the forest to transport Zel, now pregnant, far away where Konrad has almost no hope of ever finding her again. Mother throws Konrad out the window of the tower but at the last moment shrubs around the base of the tower spring up and cushion his fall, though they scratch out his eyes. Her strength gone, Mother dies. Zel is taken in by villagers who find her at the end of her long strange journey and starts a new life in a new country. Konrad resumes his search, even blind, in this love story for the ages.
Comments: Napoli has done a fantastic job of re-writing the Rapunzel fairy tale. Zel is so full of life and joy in small everyday things, it is tragic to see the way Mother tries to limit her enthusiasm. It is also distressing to read about how much Mother simply wants Zel to love her and to be happy with the quiet country life they have carved out for themselves, but by loving Zel too much she turns Zel against herself. Napoli has written the book from the three different viewpoints of Zel, Mother and Konrad. As Mother's reasoning becomes more flawed and distressed, Zel starts to lose her own mind, cooped up in the tower with only a hour long visit from Mother each day. Konrad, caught up in his obsessive quest to find the beautiful and unique Zel, changes from being a boy to emerging as a man as his search becomes more arduous.
Napoli did a great job of handling the extreme youth of Zel and Konrad. In this type of fairy tale, marriage at a younger age than is now commonly accepted was not unusual. Without remarking on explicit details, Napoli crafts a love story that will appeal to readers of many ages. I will be looking for more of Napoli's revised fairytales in the future.
Saturday, March 7, 2009
The Amulet of Samarkand – Jonathan Stroud
Author: Jonathan Stroud
Title: The Amulet of Samarkand – Book One of the Bartimaeus Trilogy
Publisher: Miramax Books
Publication Date: 2003
Age range: 12 - 18
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 1 2 3 4 5
Plot summary: Nathaniel is a young boy in an alternate version of London, England, where magicians run the government and consider themselves above non-magical people. Apprenticed to an unremarkable and sometimes cruel magician, Nathaniel longs to prove himself in a world where being able to do magic earns the respect of other magicians. Magicians actually get their power from being able to summon imps, djinni, and similar magical creatures, and Nathaniel summons a high level demon named Bartimaeus to help him get revenge after a more senior magician from Parliament denigrates Nathaniel and his master stands by, doing nothing. The theft of the Amulet of Samarkand from Lovelace, the more powerful magician gets Nathaniel and Bartimaeus involved in a complex governmental scandal. Lovelace's plot to kill off all the other magicians and take over the government is uncovered by Nathaniel and Bartimaeus and they must act quickly to try to stop the coup
The story alternates between viewpoints, so the reader gets Nathaniel's point of view, which is largely dominated by his desire to show the world the level of his knowledge of magic. He is quite smart and has been trained to be very attentive to detail. Bartimaeus offers a more world-weary viewpoint, and more humor, as he is an ancient entity with many stories to tell and previous run-ins with other demons in the story. Bartimaeus is also fairly proud of his own abilities and misses no opportunity to tell the reader about how talented and wonderful he is. Though he pretends to be interested only in his own well being, Bartimaeus starts to become invested in Nathaniel's fate and cleverly helps the boy to save the lives of most of the Parliamentary ministers at the end of this first volume in the Bartimaeus Trilogy.
Comments: I was aware of the popularity of this trilogy before picking up the first volume, but I'm not convinced about the series after finishing the book. Nathaniel is a hard character to like; he is obsessed with proving himself and acts in many petty ways, holding grudges against people and behaving poorly to those he considers below himself. He believes that controlling magic is the most important thing he can learn to do, and doesn't understand people who have no magic. This is the prevalent opinion of most of the magicians Nathaniel encounters, so it is easy to see where he learned this concept. There are a couple of small scenes where Nathaniel does reveal his fondness for his art teacher and his master's wife, but for the most part Nathaniel comes across as a very cold boy. Bartimaeus adds some excellent description of the magical world and brings a much-needed dimension of fun to the story.
The writing is good and the story moves along at a smooth pace but I would have liked to see Nathaniel develop more as a character. He does act at the end to save the lives of many government ministers, but he also wants to act against the mastermind of the coup, who has treated Nathaniel badly in the past. Nathaniel is pretty self-interested and precocious for a young boy, and he takes life very seriously. Nathaniel does have to rely on his quick thinking and excellent memory for magical spells, but he possesses a self-confidence that is not entirely believable. I would expect that his character will get more complex in the future volumes, but I don't feel compelled to get my hands on them because I am just convinced that I want to read more about Nathaniel – for now.
Dates Read: 20 February – 3 March
Title: The Amulet of Samarkand – Book One of the Bartimaeus Trilogy
Publisher: Miramax Books
Publication Date: 2003
Age range: 12 - 18
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 1 2 3 4 5
Plot summary: Nathaniel is a young boy in an alternate version of London, England, where magicians run the government and consider themselves above non-magical people. Apprenticed to an unremarkable and sometimes cruel magician, Nathaniel longs to prove himself in a world where being able to do magic earns the respect of other magicians. Magicians actually get their power from being able to summon imps, djinni, and similar magical creatures, and Nathaniel summons a high level demon named Bartimaeus to help him get revenge after a more senior magician from Parliament denigrates Nathaniel and his master stands by, doing nothing. The theft of the Amulet of Samarkand from Lovelace, the more powerful magician gets Nathaniel and Bartimaeus involved in a complex governmental scandal. Lovelace's plot to kill off all the other magicians and take over the government is uncovered by Nathaniel and Bartimaeus and they must act quickly to try to stop the coup
The story alternates between viewpoints, so the reader gets Nathaniel's point of view, which is largely dominated by his desire to show the world the level of his knowledge of magic. He is quite smart and has been trained to be very attentive to detail. Bartimaeus offers a more world-weary viewpoint, and more humor, as he is an ancient entity with many stories to tell and previous run-ins with other demons in the story. Bartimaeus is also fairly proud of his own abilities and misses no opportunity to tell the reader about how talented and wonderful he is. Though he pretends to be interested only in his own well being, Bartimaeus starts to become invested in Nathaniel's fate and cleverly helps the boy to save the lives of most of the Parliamentary ministers at the end of this first volume in the Bartimaeus Trilogy.
Comments: I was aware of the popularity of this trilogy before picking up the first volume, but I'm not convinced about the series after finishing the book. Nathaniel is a hard character to like; he is obsessed with proving himself and acts in many petty ways, holding grudges against people and behaving poorly to those he considers below himself. He believes that controlling magic is the most important thing he can learn to do, and doesn't understand people who have no magic. This is the prevalent opinion of most of the magicians Nathaniel encounters, so it is easy to see where he learned this concept. There are a couple of small scenes where Nathaniel does reveal his fondness for his art teacher and his master's wife, but for the most part Nathaniel comes across as a very cold boy. Bartimaeus adds some excellent description of the magical world and brings a much-needed dimension of fun to the story.
The writing is good and the story moves along at a smooth pace but I would have liked to see Nathaniel develop more as a character. He does act at the end to save the lives of many government ministers, but he also wants to act against the mastermind of the coup, who has treated Nathaniel badly in the past. Nathaniel is pretty self-interested and precocious for a young boy, and he takes life very seriously. Nathaniel does have to rely on his quick thinking and excellent memory for magical spells, but he possesses a self-confidence that is not entirely believable. I would expect that his character will get more complex in the future volumes, but I don't feel compelled to get my hands on them because I am just convinced that I want to read more about Nathaniel – for now.
Dates Read: 20 February – 3 March
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Movie Review: Coraline
Author: (of book) Neil Gaiman
Director / Screenplay: Henry Selick
Title: Coraline
Release date: 13 February, 2009
Age range: 10 – no upper limit
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 1 2 3 4 5
Plot summary: Directed by Henry Selick of A Nightmare before Christmas, Coraline is an eleven year old only child with parents who wish she would leave them alone. They're writers, penning articles about gardening though they don't have any time for flowers themselves. She has a lively imagination and wants to be active. When her parents move to a new apartment building in the country Coraline is left to explore her new environment by herself. While attempting to douse for an old well, Coraline meets the grandson of her new landlord and an odd cat who keeps him company. Taken with her blue hair, the neighbor boy gives Coraline a doll that looks just like her, except for its button eyes. The other tenants in the apartment building seem bizarre but harmless, like the aging circusmaster upstairs who claims he is training a legion of performing mice. Before long Coraline discovers a hidden passageway from her living room, initially only accessible in the dead of night, which opens into a new world: it looks just like the apartment she left, and her parents are there – but they're her 'other' parents. They want her there. Her 'other' mother wants to cook and pamper Coraline, and her 'other' father is a loving goof who maintains a spectacular garden. The circusmaster's mice put on a fantastic show just for Coraline. At first Coraline enjoys the attention, but it isn't long before she realizes that her 'other' life is a bit sinister – her 'other' mother wants her to stay, and to stay she has to get buttons sewn in place of her eyes. When her 'other' mother turns out to be a manipulative witch who will stop at nothing to get Coraline to stay in her 'other' life, Coraline tries to escape. Next the 'other' mother kidnaps Coraline's real parents and Coraline has to use her wits (and the advice of the odd cat, who can travel between the worlds as well) to get them back, and she finally realizes that her real life isn't so bad after all.
Comments: I was lucky enough to see the 3D version of this movie, and it was very well done. Selick has an inimitable style of showing off the wonders of stop action animation and puppetry. There's always a sinister side to his work, and Coraline is no exception. Neil Gaiman is a great match for this style of animation, with his dark take on life and treatment of alternate worlds and possibilities. I think young viewers will relate to Coraline's frustration with her parents who won't pay attention to her, and appreciate how nice it would be to have a whole new family who want to feed you your favorite foods and make fun things happen. But in the end, real family is what is important, and you can't trade the one you have in for a new one. The things that appear too good to be true in the movie definitely are, and that's another of Coraline's realizations that I think young viewers can relate to other stories they are familiar with. After seeing this movie I would say that it would appeal more to younger teenagers than older ones who might consider it to be a bit silly. That said, there are some dark parts that might be a bit scary for tweens, so parents should consider the maturity of their individual child before letting them watch this film.
Date Viewed: 13 February
Director / Screenplay: Henry Selick
Title: Coraline
Release date: 13 February, 2009
Age range: 10 – no upper limit
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 1 2 3 4 5
Plot summary: Directed by Henry Selick of A Nightmare before Christmas, Coraline is an eleven year old only child with parents who wish she would leave them alone. They're writers, penning articles about gardening though they don't have any time for flowers themselves. She has a lively imagination and wants to be active. When her parents move to a new apartment building in the country Coraline is left to explore her new environment by herself. While attempting to douse for an old well, Coraline meets the grandson of her new landlord and an odd cat who keeps him company. Taken with her blue hair, the neighbor boy gives Coraline a doll that looks just like her, except for its button eyes. The other tenants in the apartment building seem bizarre but harmless, like the aging circusmaster upstairs who claims he is training a legion of performing mice. Before long Coraline discovers a hidden passageway from her living room, initially only accessible in the dead of night, which opens into a new world: it looks just like the apartment she left, and her parents are there – but they're her 'other' parents. They want her there. Her 'other' mother wants to cook and pamper Coraline, and her 'other' father is a loving goof who maintains a spectacular garden. The circusmaster's mice put on a fantastic show just for Coraline. At first Coraline enjoys the attention, but it isn't long before she realizes that her 'other' life is a bit sinister – her 'other' mother wants her to stay, and to stay she has to get buttons sewn in place of her eyes. When her 'other' mother turns out to be a manipulative witch who will stop at nothing to get Coraline to stay in her 'other' life, Coraline tries to escape. Next the 'other' mother kidnaps Coraline's real parents and Coraline has to use her wits (and the advice of the odd cat, who can travel between the worlds as well) to get them back, and she finally realizes that her real life isn't so bad after all.
Comments: I was lucky enough to see the 3D version of this movie, and it was very well done. Selick has an inimitable style of showing off the wonders of stop action animation and puppetry. There's always a sinister side to his work, and Coraline is no exception. Neil Gaiman is a great match for this style of animation, with his dark take on life and treatment of alternate worlds and possibilities. I think young viewers will relate to Coraline's frustration with her parents who won't pay attention to her, and appreciate how nice it would be to have a whole new family who want to feed you your favorite foods and make fun things happen. But in the end, real family is what is important, and you can't trade the one you have in for a new one. The things that appear too good to be true in the movie definitely are, and that's another of Coraline's realizations that I think young viewers can relate to other stories they are familiar with. After seeing this movie I would say that it would appeal more to younger teenagers than older ones who might consider it to be a bit silly. That said, there are some dark parts that might be a bit scary for tweens, so parents should consider the maturity of their individual child before letting them watch this film.
Date Viewed: 13 February
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents – Terry Pratchett
Author: Terry Pratchett
Title: The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents
Publisher: Doubleday
Publication Date: 2001
Age range: 10 - 14
Genre: Revised Fairytale / Fantasy
Rating: 1 2 3 4 5
Plot summary: Exposed to some sort of magical compound outside the Unseen University where wizards create strange potions and then dump the resulting waste out the back door, a large group of rats find themselves suddenly able to think and speak. Maurice, a local alleycat who eats one of the rats who ate some bit of potion-covered rubbish, also finds himself able to reason and plot how to get a more comfortable life for himself. Maurice rounds up the rats, finds a boy with a pipe, and hatches a plan to make money in a series of villages. The rats, completely sensible of what they're doing, run amuck in each village until the boy and Maurice show up and the boy plays his pipe for a fee, at which point the smart rats follow him out of the village. Easy money.
The rats, however, start to question the scheme, and want to take their share of the money and find a spot where they can live in peace, away from humans. Maurice talks them all into one last show, but unfortunately the village they descend on has its own plague already in place. A couple of men who style themselves as Ratcatchers are taking advantage of the villagers' fears of losing their stores of food to a homegrown horde of rats that is in fact not running free: the Ratcatchers have stolen all the food and locked up all the rats. Selling the food back bit by bit to the hungry villagers and breeding the biggest rats in order to provide a good show to men who bring their dogs to kill rats in an underground betting ring, the Ratcatchers have their own scheme firmly in place.
With the help of the mayor's daughter, Malicia, the piper boy and Maurice find a way to help the villagers, free the captive rats, and defeat the evil forces that are undermining the community. The rats decide they'd like to stay in the village, and reveal themselves as thinking, speaking creatures to the people. In return for keeping the village free of normal rats, the clever ones would just like to be treated fairly. The book ends with the struggle of the humans and rats to find a balance where they will all be respected and treated as equal. And Maurice skips town, finds himself another piper boy, and moves on to his next adventure.
Comments: I have read a number of Pratchett's fantasy works for adults in the Discworld series. I laud the concept of adapting some of the adventures to be had in the Discworld for the young adult audience. However, as an entry point into Pratchett's adult fiction, I think this story fails to convey the richness and inherent humor of Pratchett's alternate universe. Although the story is clever and there are moments of fun, this novel didn't grip this reader's attention well. Because this tale needed to exist independently of the other works in the Discworld series, much of the potential enjoyment of the world Pratchett has created is squandered. I think that the reading level caters to the lower end of the young adult scale, as the story is not overly complex; older readers will recognize the roots of the plot in the old fable about the Pied Piper.
Dates Read: 17 – 19 February
Title: The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents
Publisher: Doubleday
Publication Date: 2001
Age range: 10 - 14
Genre: Revised Fairytale / Fantasy
Rating: 1 2 3 4 5
Plot summary: Exposed to some sort of magical compound outside the Unseen University where wizards create strange potions and then dump the resulting waste out the back door, a large group of rats find themselves suddenly able to think and speak. Maurice, a local alleycat who eats one of the rats who ate some bit of potion-covered rubbish, also finds himself able to reason and plot how to get a more comfortable life for himself. Maurice rounds up the rats, finds a boy with a pipe, and hatches a plan to make money in a series of villages. The rats, completely sensible of what they're doing, run amuck in each village until the boy and Maurice show up and the boy plays his pipe for a fee, at which point the smart rats follow him out of the village. Easy money.
The rats, however, start to question the scheme, and want to take their share of the money and find a spot where they can live in peace, away from humans. Maurice talks them all into one last show, but unfortunately the village they descend on has its own plague already in place. A couple of men who style themselves as Ratcatchers are taking advantage of the villagers' fears of losing their stores of food to a homegrown horde of rats that is in fact not running free: the Ratcatchers have stolen all the food and locked up all the rats. Selling the food back bit by bit to the hungry villagers and breeding the biggest rats in order to provide a good show to men who bring their dogs to kill rats in an underground betting ring, the Ratcatchers have their own scheme firmly in place.
With the help of the mayor's daughter, Malicia, the piper boy and Maurice find a way to help the villagers, free the captive rats, and defeat the evil forces that are undermining the community. The rats decide they'd like to stay in the village, and reveal themselves as thinking, speaking creatures to the people. In return for keeping the village free of normal rats, the clever ones would just like to be treated fairly. The book ends with the struggle of the humans and rats to find a balance where they will all be respected and treated as equal. And Maurice skips town, finds himself another piper boy, and moves on to his next adventure.
Comments: I have read a number of Pratchett's fantasy works for adults in the Discworld series. I laud the concept of adapting some of the adventures to be had in the Discworld for the young adult audience. However, as an entry point into Pratchett's adult fiction, I think this story fails to convey the richness and inherent humor of Pratchett's alternate universe. Although the story is clever and there are moments of fun, this novel didn't grip this reader's attention well. Because this tale needed to exist independently of the other works in the Discworld series, much of the potential enjoyment of the world Pratchett has created is squandered. I think that the reading level caters to the lower end of the young adult scale, as the story is not overly complex; older readers will recognize the roots of the plot in the old fable about the Pied Piper.
Dates Read: 17 – 19 February
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Chibi Vampire Vol. 1 -- Yuna Kagesaki
Author: Yuna Kagesaki
Title: Chibi Vampire Vol. 1
Publisher: TokyoPop
Publication Date: 2006
Age range: 13 - 17
Genre: Graphic Novel / Horror
Rating: 1 2 3 4 5
Plot summary: Karin Maaka is a high school student in Japan and trying to live as normal a life as possible – except that she's from a vampire family. The only one of her family who can stand to be outside during the day, Karin is considered pretty abnormal. Rather than wanting to take blood from humans, Karin has a disorder that increases the amount of her blood once a month – and if she doesn't give it to someone, she suffers terrible nose bleeds! When she does find someone to give her blood to, rather than being a victim, the human benefits from a temporary increase in energy and productivity. When a new student starts at Karin's school, she finds that her blood reacts to him, making her symptoms uncontrollable, and most of this book centers around their interactions, as both are utterly confounded by Karin's reaction to him. Eventually, with the help of her family, Karin starts to understand why she suffers this reaction and the type of human blood she is drawn to.
Comments: This book is pretty strange! The concept is interesting but the sparseness of the text makes it hard to follow conversations and reasoning. Karin's family members are all very sexy in the vampiric tradition – her parents are European (though Karin appears like a Japanese teenager), her brother is of the effeminate boy-band build the Japanese have popularized, and their youngest sister dresses like one of the Harajuku costumed teens who favor gothic lacy Victorian gowns. Karin is always tripping over things and almost blowing the Maaka family cover by revealing herself as a vampire, so at least readers will connect with her on the awkwardness level. This volume tells only half of an introductory story, leaving the reader hanging at the end, but the characters are not compelling enough for me to want to seek out the next book. It is interesting to see a Japanese take on the vampire story.
Dates Read: 16 – 17 February
Title: Chibi Vampire Vol. 1
Publisher: TokyoPop
Publication Date: 2006
Age range: 13 - 17
Genre: Graphic Novel / Horror
Rating: 1 2 3 4 5
Plot summary: Karin Maaka is a high school student in Japan and trying to live as normal a life as possible – except that she's from a vampire family. The only one of her family who can stand to be outside during the day, Karin is considered pretty abnormal. Rather than wanting to take blood from humans, Karin has a disorder that increases the amount of her blood once a month – and if she doesn't give it to someone, she suffers terrible nose bleeds! When she does find someone to give her blood to, rather than being a victim, the human benefits from a temporary increase in energy and productivity. When a new student starts at Karin's school, she finds that her blood reacts to him, making her symptoms uncontrollable, and most of this book centers around their interactions, as both are utterly confounded by Karin's reaction to him. Eventually, with the help of her family, Karin starts to understand why she suffers this reaction and the type of human blood she is drawn to.
Comments: This book is pretty strange! The concept is interesting but the sparseness of the text makes it hard to follow conversations and reasoning. Karin's family members are all very sexy in the vampiric tradition – her parents are European (though Karin appears like a Japanese teenager), her brother is of the effeminate boy-band build the Japanese have popularized, and their youngest sister dresses like one of the Harajuku costumed teens who favor gothic lacy Victorian gowns. Karin is always tripping over things and almost blowing the Maaka family cover by revealing herself as a vampire, so at least readers will connect with her on the awkwardness level. This volume tells only half of an introductory story, leaving the reader hanging at the end, but the characters are not compelling enough for me to want to seek out the next book. It is interesting to see a Japanese take on the vampire story.
Dates Read: 16 – 17 February
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Airborn – Kenneth Oppel
Author: Kenneth Oppel
Title: Airborn
Publisher: Harper Trophy Canada
Publication Date:2004
Age range: 10 - 16
Genre: Fantasy / Award Winner / Canadian Author / Series Fiction
Rating: 1 2 3 4 5
Plot summary: Matt Cruse was born in the air, and he only feels at home and free while working and sailing in the Aurora, a luxury airship that caters to wealthy travelers and makes long journeys from continent to continent. Matt knows every inch of the Aurora, and is the best possible sort of cabin boy, always ready to do what is needed no matter what the situation. When he rescues a dying hot air balloonist, he unknowingly embarks on a new sort of journey, however, where his life and the Aurora herself are caught up in a fantastic adventure. Kate de Vries is a privileged teenager and the granddaughter of the hot air balloonist, accustomed to getting whatever she wants and determined to understand what her beloved grandfather went through before he died. Before she can find what she's looking for, the Aurora is plundered by deadly air pirates, and damaged seemingly beyond repair. Matt gets caught up in Kate's explorations of the tropical island the ship lands upon, even though his first instinct is to help with the ship's rescue. Filled with unlikely adventure and yet completely realistic emotional drama, this is a wonderful story of soaring beauty and dedication to one's beliefs, taking place in a slightly shifted alternate world much like the one we know, but different in fantastic ways. This book won the Governor General's Award for Children's Literature in 2004.
Comments: Matt Cruse is a great protagonist, and reading about his love for flying and crippling fear of being grounded is enthralling. This book has some other wonderful characters, like the charismatic pirate leader Szpirglas and the snippy but humorous head chef Mr Vlad, for example. With thrilling destinations and a likable main character who shows his feelings very clearly, it is easy to develop a quick connection to Matt and get tied up in his enjoyment of providing great service to the guests on the Aurora, as well as his hopes for promotion and desire to work on the Aurora's sails, maybe even captaining his own ship one day. I find it interesting that the male characters are more believable and fleshed out than the female characters, which may be a reflection of the author's gender. Kate and her chaperone, Miss Simpkins, are less fully developed than Matt, Captain Walken, and the pirate Szpirglas. The male characters seem to get more complexity, while the females stick to stereotypes in a great fashion: Kate is stubborn and willful, Miss Simpkins is hysterical and controlling.
Matt, however, vacillates between his devotion to the Aurora, frustration at being passed over for promotion in favor of a wealthy outsider's son, and the desire to be close to his father, who worked on the Aurora herself until his death. Nowhere else but in the air and on the Aurora can Matt feel the close connection to his father. Matt works hard, and is rewarded for his loyalty, but things don't always go his way, and when he comes up against difficulties, the reader discovers how resourceful and clever Matt really is. I look forward to reading the rest of this series!
Title: Airborn
Publisher: Harper Trophy Canada
Publication Date:2004
Age range: 10 - 16
Genre: Fantasy / Award Winner / Canadian Author / Series Fiction
Rating: 1 2 3 4 5
Plot summary: Matt Cruse was born in the air, and he only feels at home and free while working and sailing in the Aurora, a luxury airship that caters to wealthy travelers and makes long journeys from continent to continent. Matt knows every inch of the Aurora, and is the best possible sort of cabin boy, always ready to do what is needed no matter what the situation. When he rescues a dying hot air balloonist, he unknowingly embarks on a new sort of journey, however, where his life and the Aurora herself are caught up in a fantastic adventure. Kate de Vries is a privileged teenager and the granddaughter of the hot air balloonist, accustomed to getting whatever she wants and determined to understand what her beloved grandfather went through before he died. Before she can find what she's looking for, the Aurora is plundered by deadly air pirates, and damaged seemingly beyond repair. Matt gets caught up in Kate's explorations of the tropical island the ship lands upon, even though his first instinct is to help with the ship's rescue. Filled with unlikely adventure and yet completely realistic emotional drama, this is a wonderful story of soaring beauty and dedication to one's beliefs, taking place in a slightly shifted alternate world much like the one we know, but different in fantastic ways. This book won the Governor General's Award for Children's Literature in 2004.
Comments: Matt Cruse is a great protagonist, and reading about his love for flying and crippling fear of being grounded is enthralling. This book has some other wonderful characters, like the charismatic pirate leader Szpirglas and the snippy but humorous head chef Mr Vlad, for example. With thrilling destinations and a likable main character who shows his feelings very clearly, it is easy to develop a quick connection to Matt and get tied up in his enjoyment of providing great service to the guests on the Aurora, as well as his hopes for promotion and desire to work on the Aurora's sails, maybe even captaining his own ship one day. I find it interesting that the male characters are more believable and fleshed out than the female characters, which may be a reflection of the author's gender. Kate and her chaperone, Miss Simpkins, are less fully developed than Matt, Captain Walken, and the pirate Szpirglas. The male characters seem to get more complexity, while the females stick to stereotypes in a great fashion: Kate is stubborn and willful, Miss Simpkins is hysterical and controlling.
Matt, however, vacillates between his devotion to the Aurora, frustration at being passed over for promotion in favor of a wealthy outsider's son, and the desire to be close to his father, who worked on the Aurora herself until his death. Nowhere else but in the air and on the Aurora can Matt feel the close connection to his father. Matt works hard, and is rewarded for his loyalty, but things don't always go his way, and when he comes up against difficulties, the reader discovers how resourceful and clever Matt really is. I look forward to reading the rest of this series!
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
CD review – Hannah Montana
Artist: Hannah Montana 2
Album: Non-Stop Dance Party
Release Date: 2008
Age Range: 10 - 15
Genre: Pop
Rating: 1 2 3 4 5
Comments: This is a sugary, poppy dance mix aimed at younger teenage or tween girls. Miley Cyprus sings, in her role as Hannah Montana, about best friends, being a rock star, and her old blue jeans. One great thing about this mix is that the tracks blend together (hence the "Non-stop" of the title) so that I can imagine a bunch of girls dancing around to the disc without stopping, at a sleepover party or something like that. There are a few vocal sound effects that get inserted seemingly at random which is a bit distracting. Overall the disc is an electro-pop marathon.
Boys don't get mentioned much; "In One in a Million" Miley could be singing about a great friend or a sweet boy. Although Miley has a voice older than her years as well as her target age group, her subject matter is age-appropriate, which is refreshing. The lyrics are positive, about trusting yourself, appreciating your friends, and making the most of life. There is some encouragement for doing what you want, which could be misconstrued as permission to do whatever you want, but generally the whole disc sounds really positive. It might not be my music of choice, but Hannah Montana is a massive entertainment phenomenon and really important for youth services librarians to be familiar with, I think!
Listened: 11 January, 9 February
Album: Non-Stop Dance Party
Release Date: 2008
Age Range: 10 - 15
Genre: Pop
Rating: 1 2 3 4 5
Comments: This is a sugary, poppy dance mix aimed at younger teenage or tween girls. Miley Cyprus sings, in her role as Hannah Montana, about best friends, being a rock star, and her old blue jeans. One great thing about this mix is that the tracks blend together (hence the "Non-stop" of the title) so that I can imagine a bunch of girls dancing around to the disc without stopping, at a sleepover party or something like that. There are a few vocal sound effects that get inserted seemingly at random which is a bit distracting. Overall the disc is an electro-pop marathon.
Boys don't get mentioned much; "In One in a Million" Miley could be singing about a great friend or a sweet boy. Although Miley has a voice older than her years as well as her target age group, her subject matter is age-appropriate, which is refreshing. The lyrics are positive, about trusting yourself, appreciating your friends, and making the most of life. There is some encouragement for doing what you want, which could be misconstrued as permission to do whatever you want, but generally the whole disc sounds really positive. It might not be my music of choice, but Hannah Montana is a massive entertainment phenomenon and really important for youth services librarians to be familiar with, I think!
Listened: 11 January, 9 February
Monday, February 9, 2009
Skim - Mariko Tamaki
Author: Mariko Tamaki
Illustrator: Jillian Tamaki
Title: Skim
Publisher: Groundwood
Publication Date: 2008
Age range: 13 - 18
Genre: Graphic Novel / Canadian Author
Rating: 1 2 3 4 5
Plot summary: Kim Cameron, aka Skim, is a slightly overweight teenager at an all-girls school with a best friend, Lisa, who she can barely stand, a strong curiosity about Wiccan traditions, and a freshly broken wrist. Tired of letting herself be pushed around by Lisa, Kim develops a friendship and then a bit of an obsession with the school art teacher, Ms Archer. Meanwhile, the suicide of a classmate's ex-boyfriend throws the whole school into a whirlwind of life-affirming activity, which Skim interprets as hypocritical and absurd. Constantly sneaking off into the woods for a smoke or taking the bus to drop off a sketch at Ms Archer's house, Skim is full of keen observations about the painful world she lives in, and her viewpoint is a stark one.
Comments: This graphic novel illustrates beautifully the awkwardness of trying to find one's place in the social hierarchy of high school. Parts of it are kept as a diary-format text, and in other cases Skim describes a memory as though she is writing a more general essay. Even when Skim tries to keep her head down she attracts the attention of the suspicious school counselor or her friend Lisa who is generally unsupportive, as well as defensive whenever Skim asks her to explain her statements or actions. The theme of suicide and the need for a support system comes across as the dominant theme in the story, while Skim's attachment to Ms Archer is downplayed as a subtheme. I wasn't completely sure if Skim is gay or not – she is too caught up in describing the activities of the clique of girls who take over fund-raising for local teen support services. Another subtheme is the treatment of Asians in the subculture of the school; Skim refers to herself as Asian without being more specific, which is interesting. All in all, this book was mildly disturbing, and definitely thought-provoking on several levels.
Date Read: 8 February 2009
Illustrator: Jillian Tamaki
Title: Skim
Publisher: Groundwood
Publication Date: 2008
Age range: 13 - 18
Genre: Graphic Novel / Canadian Author
Rating: 1 2 3 4 5
Plot summary: Kim Cameron, aka Skim, is a slightly overweight teenager at an all-girls school with a best friend, Lisa, who she can barely stand, a strong curiosity about Wiccan traditions, and a freshly broken wrist. Tired of letting herself be pushed around by Lisa, Kim develops a friendship and then a bit of an obsession with the school art teacher, Ms Archer. Meanwhile, the suicide of a classmate's ex-boyfriend throws the whole school into a whirlwind of life-affirming activity, which Skim interprets as hypocritical and absurd. Constantly sneaking off into the woods for a smoke or taking the bus to drop off a sketch at Ms Archer's house, Skim is full of keen observations about the painful world she lives in, and her viewpoint is a stark one.
Comments: This graphic novel illustrates beautifully the awkwardness of trying to find one's place in the social hierarchy of high school. Parts of it are kept as a diary-format text, and in other cases Skim describes a memory as though she is writing a more general essay. Even when Skim tries to keep her head down she attracts the attention of the suspicious school counselor or her friend Lisa who is generally unsupportive, as well as defensive whenever Skim asks her to explain her statements or actions. The theme of suicide and the need for a support system comes across as the dominant theme in the story, while Skim's attachment to Ms Archer is downplayed as a subtheme. I wasn't completely sure if Skim is gay or not – she is too caught up in describing the activities of the clique of girls who take over fund-raising for local teen support services. Another subtheme is the treatment of Asians in the subculture of the school; Skim refers to herself as Asian without being more specific, which is interesting. All in all, this book was mildly disturbing, and definitely thought-provoking on several levels.
Date Read: 8 February 2009
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Annie on My Mind - Nancy Garden
Author: Nancy Garden
Title: Annie on My Mind
Publisher: Farrar Straus Giroux / McGraw-Hill Ryerson Ltd
Publication Date: 1982
Age range: 14 - 19
Genre: Controversial / Romance / Realistic Fiction
Rating: 1 2 3 4 5
Plot summary: Liza is a senior in high school, head of the student council and headed to MIT for university. She loves architecture and is constantly visiting museums and other interesting buildings around New York City. On one such visit she meets Annie. Annie, another 17 year-old with a lovely voice and lively imagination, attends a different school and the girls come from very different backgrounds. They feel an immediate connection and develop a fast friendship, soon falling in love. Though their families are supportive of their friendship, they are afraid to share their love for each other with the other people in their lives, fearing the judgment that comes from intolerance and misunderstanding. As they start to explore their emerging sexual feelings for each other, an opportunity presents itself as Liza house sits for two teachers over spring break. The girls are discovered just as they have carved out a space for themselves to investigate their feelings, and Liza has to deal with the fall out at school, as her bigoted principal and some of her classmates believe her behavior is immoral and indecent, even worthy of expulsion. Ultimately Liza and Annie have to deal with their feelings for each other and find a way to deal with the way everyone else around them acts.
Comments: It is interesting to read this book in its third decade of publication. The reaction of some of the self-righteous adults as well as fellow students of Liza's is disturbing. Annie and Liza are both caring, generous souls and it is painful to read about the hatred that is directed at them when people realize that they're not just close friends. Luckily Liza has a very supportive family – they never forget that this is their Liza, even if they are not happy about her sexual orientation. Her brother, Chad, is especially wonderful, as he never blames her, just continues to love her as his sister, even if he is confused about what is going on. This book does a good job of walking the reader through the emotional reactions that Liza (as the narrator) has to different situations, and they're reactions that anyone who is in love and who can't figure out how to make that love understood to others would have, no matter their gender. Garden does a great job of making the characters very realistic. I really enjoyed the description of the relationship of the two teachers, Ms Widmer and Ms Stevenson, who we find out at the very end have been together as a couple since they were teenagers, and who have dealt with exactly the same kind of confusion and disbelief that Liza and Annie are confronted with. The book takes the shape of Liza's reflections now that she is in her first semester at MIT, because she has distanced herself from Annie, who is now attending Berkeley College in California. Liza struggles to write Annie a letter and realizes she needs to work through her memories of the last year in order to continue her relationship with Annie.
Dates Read: 1 February – 4 February
Title: Annie on My Mind
Publisher: Farrar Straus Giroux / McGraw-Hill Ryerson Ltd
Publication Date: 1982
Age range: 14 - 19
Genre: Controversial / Romance / Realistic Fiction
Rating: 1 2 3 4 5
Plot summary: Liza is a senior in high school, head of the student council and headed to MIT for university. She loves architecture and is constantly visiting museums and other interesting buildings around New York City. On one such visit she meets Annie. Annie, another 17 year-old with a lovely voice and lively imagination, attends a different school and the girls come from very different backgrounds. They feel an immediate connection and develop a fast friendship, soon falling in love. Though their families are supportive of their friendship, they are afraid to share their love for each other with the other people in their lives, fearing the judgment that comes from intolerance and misunderstanding. As they start to explore their emerging sexual feelings for each other, an opportunity presents itself as Liza house sits for two teachers over spring break. The girls are discovered just as they have carved out a space for themselves to investigate their feelings, and Liza has to deal with the fall out at school, as her bigoted principal and some of her classmates believe her behavior is immoral and indecent, even worthy of expulsion. Ultimately Liza and Annie have to deal with their feelings for each other and find a way to deal with the way everyone else around them acts.
Comments: It is interesting to read this book in its third decade of publication. The reaction of some of the self-righteous adults as well as fellow students of Liza's is disturbing. Annie and Liza are both caring, generous souls and it is painful to read about the hatred that is directed at them when people realize that they're not just close friends. Luckily Liza has a very supportive family – they never forget that this is their Liza, even if they are not happy about her sexual orientation. Her brother, Chad, is especially wonderful, as he never blames her, just continues to love her as his sister, even if he is confused about what is going on. This book does a good job of walking the reader through the emotional reactions that Liza (as the narrator) has to different situations, and they're reactions that anyone who is in love and who can't figure out how to make that love understood to others would have, no matter their gender. Garden does a great job of making the characters very realistic. I really enjoyed the description of the relationship of the two teachers, Ms Widmer and Ms Stevenson, who we find out at the very end have been together as a couple since they were teenagers, and who have dealt with exactly the same kind of confusion and disbelief that Liza and Annie are confronted with. The book takes the shape of Liza's reflections now that she is in her first semester at MIT, because she has distanced herself from Annie, who is now attending Berkeley College in California. Liza struggles to write Annie a letter and realizes she needs to work through her memories of the last year in order to continue her relationship with Annie.
Dates Read: 1 February – 4 February
Friday, January 30, 2009
Freaky Green Eyes - Joyce Carol Oates
Author: Joyce Carol Oates
Title: Freaky Green Eyes
Publisher: HarperTempest
Publication Date: 2003
Age range: 14 - 18
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Rating: 1 2 3 4 5
Plot summary: Fifteen year old Francesa "Franky" Pierson is caught in the middle of a disintegrating family life. Faced with the confusion of parents who say one thing and then act completely differently, Franky starts to feel like a second personality is taking over her at the most stressful times, a coping mechanism for how to explain her own erratic behavior. Franky called this other side of herself Freaky Green Eyes; with curly red hair and intense green eyes, Franky feels that when Freaky takes over, someone might be able to see her other side through her eyes and suspect that she has lost control. Freaky is the one who acts on the strong emotions Franky sometimes feels.
Franky's father is a famous TV personality – an ex-athlete who was forced to retire early due to injury. Reid Pierson is excellent at putting up a perfect, glamorous front, and abhors weakness of any sort. Franky's mother, Krista, has worked for years at being the picture-perfect wife, but after almost two decades of marriage she begins to chafe under Reid's controlling personality, and tries to carve out a life for herself in a quiet artistic community. Reid refuses to let their two daughters speak to Krista or even see her, telling them that Krista has betrayed them all by leaving the family. Franky vacillates between wanting to believe the lies her father is telling them, and knowing that his actions do not match his increasingly erratic and desperate behavior. When Krista goes missing, Reid is suspected by the authorities, and he tells his family to pull together and support him. In a last effort to help Krista, Franky finally has to listen to what the part of her mind she has been trying to shut out has been telling her – her father's story doesn't add up, and Krista is in real trouble.
Comments: Oates normally writes for adults, and I was previously unaware that she has also written for young adults. This is a page-turning story with several different writing styles. Franky writes mostly in the first person, then later in the book the text reads like a police report of her responses to questions, without the questions being given to the reader – because in the context of her answers they are obvious. Later, Franky finds some of her mother's journal writing and the reader gets to briefly experience some of Krista's thoughts and impressions as well, in her own words. It is easy to become frustrated with Franky because she usually allows herself to be controlled by her abusive father, excusing his words and actions while he is constantly threatening his young daughters and influencing their perception of their mother's actions with his lies and theatrics. Ultimately, Franky does the right thing and tears off the blinders her father has been controlling her with, putting together the pieces and relying on an outside ally – Krista's sister, Franky's aunt Vicky – to help Krista as best they can. Throughout the book, however, it is frustrating to read Franky's words and recognize how she is being controlled by her father. This is more of a psychological YA novel than any I've read previously. The end is satisfying but the story is painful. Teen readers will be forced to think about how what people say and how they act may not match up – and how important it is to think for oneself and try to step outside of an emotional situation in order to judge what is really happening.
Dates Read: 25 – 30 January
Title: Freaky Green Eyes
Publisher: HarperTempest
Publication Date: 2003
Age range: 14 - 18
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Rating: 1 2 3 4 5
Plot summary: Fifteen year old Francesa "Franky" Pierson is caught in the middle of a disintegrating family life. Faced with the confusion of parents who say one thing and then act completely differently, Franky starts to feel like a second personality is taking over her at the most stressful times, a coping mechanism for how to explain her own erratic behavior. Franky called this other side of herself Freaky Green Eyes; with curly red hair and intense green eyes, Franky feels that when Freaky takes over, someone might be able to see her other side through her eyes and suspect that she has lost control. Freaky is the one who acts on the strong emotions Franky sometimes feels.
Franky's father is a famous TV personality – an ex-athlete who was forced to retire early due to injury. Reid Pierson is excellent at putting up a perfect, glamorous front, and abhors weakness of any sort. Franky's mother, Krista, has worked for years at being the picture-perfect wife, but after almost two decades of marriage she begins to chafe under Reid's controlling personality, and tries to carve out a life for herself in a quiet artistic community. Reid refuses to let their two daughters speak to Krista or even see her, telling them that Krista has betrayed them all by leaving the family. Franky vacillates between wanting to believe the lies her father is telling them, and knowing that his actions do not match his increasingly erratic and desperate behavior. When Krista goes missing, Reid is suspected by the authorities, and he tells his family to pull together and support him. In a last effort to help Krista, Franky finally has to listen to what the part of her mind she has been trying to shut out has been telling her – her father's story doesn't add up, and Krista is in real trouble.
Comments: Oates normally writes for adults, and I was previously unaware that she has also written for young adults. This is a page-turning story with several different writing styles. Franky writes mostly in the first person, then later in the book the text reads like a police report of her responses to questions, without the questions being given to the reader – because in the context of her answers they are obvious. Later, Franky finds some of her mother's journal writing and the reader gets to briefly experience some of Krista's thoughts and impressions as well, in her own words. It is easy to become frustrated with Franky because she usually allows herself to be controlled by her abusive father, excusing his words and actions while he is constantly threatening his young daughters and influencing their perception of their mother's actions with his lies and theatrics. Ultimately, Franky does the right thing and tears off the blinders her father has been controlling her with, putting together the pieces and relying on an outside ally – Krista's sister, Franky's aunt Vicky – to help Krista as best they can. Throughout the book, however, it is frustrating to read Franky's words and recognize how she is being controlled by her father. This is more of a psychological YA novel than any I've read previously. The end is satisfying but the story is painful. Teen readers will be forced to think about how what people say and how they act may not match up – and how important it is to think for oneself and try to step outside of an emotional situation in order to judge what is really happening.
Dates Read: 25 – 30 January
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Magazine Review: Vibe
Magazine: Vibe
Cover Story: Kanye West
Publication Date: February 2009
Age Range: 14 - 19
Genre: Multicultural / Music / Celebrities
Rating: 1 2 3 4 5
Comments: While doing my library observation at the Halifax North branch of HPL this weekend I took a look at the latest Vibe magazine. A close up of pop superstar Kanye West's face graced the cover. I noticed that the advertisements feature mostly black and latino models and celebrities. Most of the articles were about current pop or hip hop music, although there were a couple of nods to the history of pop music and Motown, with a vintage photograph of Michael Jackson in his 'Thriller' days, and Smokey Robinson's writing and performing skills. There was a little bit of sports coverage, and more than one advertisement for the movie, Notorious, about Notorious B.I.G., soon to be released. There was also a little bit on travel, like the description of Beyoncé's latest world tour. I think Britney Spears was the only white performer mentioned in the whole magazine, so the intended audience is probably largely multiracial. I was surprised by the sexiness of some of the photo shoots, especially those for fashion labels – the models looked to be about 16 years old, but acting like they're ten years older. There was also some coverage of current television shows, including a couple that focus on queer issues, which was good to see included in this mainstream magazine. Overall, I would say this magazine is appropriate for older teens with an interest in mainstream popular culture.
Date Read: 24 January 2009
Cover Story: Kanye West
Publication Date: February 2009
Age Range: 14 - 19
Genre: Multicultural / Music / Celebrities
Rating: 1 2 3 4 5
Comments: While doing my library observation at the Halifax North branch of HPL this weekend I took a look at the latest Vibe magazine. A close up of pop superstar Kanye West's face graced the cover. I noticed that the advertisements feature mostly black and latino models and celebrities. Most of the articles were about current pop or hip hop music, although there were a couple of nods to the history of pop music and Motown, with a vintage photograph of Michael Jackson in his 'Thriller' days, and Smokey Robinson's writing and performing skills. There was a little bit of sports coverage, and more than one advertisement for the movie, Notorious, about Notorious B.I.G., soon to be released. There was also a little bit on travel, like the description of Beyoncé's latest world tour. I think Britney Spears was the only white performer mentioned in the whole magazine, so the intended audience is probably largely multiracial. I was surprised by the sexiness of some of the photo shoots, especially those for fashion labels – the models looked to be about 16 years old, but acting like they're ten years older. There was also some coverage of current television shows, including a couple that focus on queer issues, which was good to see included in this mainstream magazine. Overall, I would say this magazine is appropriate for older teens with an interest in mainstream popular culture.
Date Read: 24 January 2009
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging: Confessions of Georgia Nicolson – Louise Rennison
Author: Louise Rennison
Title: Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging: Confessions of Georgia Nicolson
Publisher: HarperTempest (of Harper Collins)
Publication Date: 1999
Age range: 13 - 17
Genre: Awared Winning Ficiton (Printz Award) / Romance / Realistic Fiction
Rating: 1 2 3 4 5
Plot summary: Georgia Nicolson is a girl on the cusp of womanhood – and she worries constantly about how to behave around boys, how to get through her dreary school days, and – this is important! - how to make her nose look smaller. This diary-style story is packed full of young adult drama in the form of school-chum rivalries, parental confrontations, and a cat that is half Scottish wildcat and therefore totally out of control. There is a glossary at the back to help US readers decipher some of the more colorful British terms, like "snogging" (kissing), "fringe" (bangs, as in part of a hairstyle), and "dummy" (a pacifier). Over the course of a year, Georgia has trouble with her school mates, difficulties at home when her dad can't find a job and moves to New Zealand to try to stabilize the family finances, and extreme drama over Robbie "the Sex God" who is a good looking 17 year old boy who seems to get any girl he chooses. Reading Georgia's journal entries, which reflect her wild mood swings as well as her utter lack of common sense, and yet wicked sense of humor, is highly entertaining.
Comments: I definitely laughed out loud. Georgia's style of writing is so straightforward and blunt, and reflective of the questions and emotions that a teenage girl faces with the many difficulties of just getting up in the morning. The diary-style writing is a somewhat new form for me, but I think it works, as it keeps the story rolling. It is sweet to see how Georgia really values her family – for example, finding her toddler sister Libby (who occasionally pees in the bed) cute and cuddly rather than disgusting – even when Libby constantly refers to Georgia as "bad boy!" It would be nice to see Georgia get a bit more self-esteem, as she is clever and funny, and apparently taller than all her friends, thought it's hard to know what her looks are truly like, and perhaps her self-esteem will improve in the next volume of her diary annals – I will be on the lookout for them!
Dates Read: 20 January – 24 January
Title: Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging: Confessions of Georgia Nicolson
Publisher: HarperTempest (of Harper Collins)
Publication Date: 1999
Age range: 13 - 17
Genre: Awared Winning Ficiton (Printz Award) / Romance / Realistic Fiction
Rating: 1 2 3 4 5
Plot summary: Georgia Nicolson is a girl on the cusp of womanhood – and she worries constantly about how to behave around boys, how to get through her dreary school days, and – this is important! - how to make her nose look smaller. This diary-style story is packed full of young adult drama in the form of school-chum rivalries, parental confrontations, and a cat that is half Scottish wildcat and therefore totally out of control. There is a glossary at the back to help US readers decipher some of the more colorful British terms, like "snogging" (kissing), "fringe" (bangs, as in part of a hairstyle), and "dummy" (a pacifier). Over the course of a year, Georgia has trouble with her school mates, difficulties at home when her dad can't find a job and moves to New Zealand to try to stabilize the family finances, and extreme drama over Robbie "the Sex God" who is a good looking 17 year old boy who seems to get any girl he chooses. Reading Georgia's journal entries, which reflect her wild mood swings as well as her utter lack of common sense, and yet wicked sense of humor, is highly entertaining.
Comments: I definitely laughed out loud. Georgia's style of writing is so straightforward and blunt, and reflective of the questions and emotions that a teenage girl faces with the many difficulties of just getting up in the morning. The diary-style writing is a somewhat new form for me, but I think it works, as it keeps the story rolling. It is sweet to see how Georgia really values her family – for example, finding her toddler sister Libby (who occasionally pees in the bed) cute and cuddly rather than disgusting – even when Libby constantly refers to Georgia as "bad boy!" It would be nice to see Georgia get a bit more self-esteem, as she is clever and funny, and apparently taller than all her friends, thought it's hard to know what her looks are truly like, and perhaps her self-esteem will improve in the next volume of her diary annals – I will be on the lookout for them!
Dates Read: 20 January – 24 January
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
The Blue Djinn of Babylon – P. B. Kerr
Author: P. B. Kerr
Title: The Blue Djinn of Babylon (Children of the Lamp Series, Book Two)
Publisher: Scholastic
Publication Date: 2006
Age range: 10 - 14
Genre: Fantasy (Series)
Rating: 1 2 3 4 5
Plot summary: Philippa and John Gaunt are 12 year old twins who find out they are descended from a line of djinn (who happen to dislike the word "genie"). They live in New York City with their wealthy parents, but have more fun and adventure whenever they visit with their uncle Nimrod, who divides his time between London and Cairo. All over the world there are various tribes of djinn, and they tend to be generally good or generally evil. Djinn are responsible for controlling the world's supply of luck, and, ideally, the balance is kept in homeostasis, for the benefit of humankind. Through this constant struggle, there is one ruling power, the Blue Djinn of Babylon, who steps in when things fall too out of whack, and metes out punishment if necessary. Her word is law.
In this, the second volume of the series, Philippa practices playing the famous djinn game of bluffing, Djinnverso, and enters the youth tournament. She attracts the attention of some of the enemy tribes of djinn, as well as the notice of the Blue Djinn of Babylon, who is on the lookout for her replacement. The Blue Djinn kidnaps Philippa after framing her for cheating in the tournament (all for the greater good), and brings her to the ancient (now underground) city of Babylon. The location is also the former Biblical Garden of Good and Evil, with a tree of logic that produces fruit and emits a scent which hardens one's heart to emotional involvement and allows the Blue Djinn to dispense justice fairly. John sets out to rescue Philippa with the help of his uncle Nimrod, one-armed chauffeur Mr. Groanin, and the family dogs, Alan and Neil, who happen to be the twins' uncles (they were formerly human). John must navigate a series of challenges, the first of which is infiltrating a US army base in Iraq – the series includes some awareness of current events, even as it hints at millennia of djinn involvement in human affairs. In the time that it takes John to reach Philippa, she has been changed by exposure to the tree of logic, but the bond between twins is stronger, and John manages to save her.
Comments: This is a well-written series and John and Philippa are a lot of fun because although they share an extremely close bond and value each other's strengths, they also get frustrated with each other and behave like normal siblings. Although some of the coincidences in the series are too good to be true, it wonderful that Kerr inserts many exotic locations and tidbits about customs in foreign countries and cultures. Young adults could learn a lot about other places and perhaps be inspired to travel. This book ends on a cliffhanger, with some of the loose ends from the story not tied up – like one of the enemy djinn whom Philippa, John and Nimrod helped to imprison in the first book escaping his sentence from the Blue Djinn and tipping the balance of luck into the bad area once again. Also, it is not clear who will take over from the Blue Djinn when she dies, which will be shortly as she knows she is reaching the end of her lifeline. There are a couple of candidates – Philippa's mother has agreed to take her daughter's place, though she hasn't told her family, and Nimrod has also come up with a possible candidate in the meantime. I see on Amazon that the fifth book in this series has just been released this month, and while at Spring Garden Public Library looking for book two after I read book one, I saw that they had up to book four as well, so they've been adding to the collection as these books are released.
Great Dialog at djinn tournament (where no magic can be used, so djinn use wit to insult each other – it's tradition!):
"'Clever boy,' smiled Izaak [a sneaky djinn]. You're not as dumb as you look.'
'I can always read another book,' said John. 'But you'll always be ugly.'
Izaak grinned. 'You're quite good at this insult thing.'
'I have a sister', said John. 'I get plenty of practice.'"
Dates Read: 17 January – 20 January
Title: The Blue Djinn of Babylon (Children of the Lamp Series, Book Two)
Publisher: Scholastic
Publication Date: 2006
Age range: 10 - 14
Genre: Fantasy (Series)
Rating: 1 2 3 4 5
Plot summary: Philippa and John Gaunt are 12 year old twins who find out they are descended from a line of djinn (who happen to dislike the word "genie"). They live in New York City with their wealthy parents, but have more fun and adventure whenever they visit with their uncle Nimrod, who divides his time between London and Cairo. All over the world there are various tribes of djinn, and they tend to be generally good or generally evil. Djinn are responsible for controlling the world's supply of luck, and, ideally, the balance is kept in homeostasis, for the benefit of humankind. Through this constant struggle, there is one ruling power, the Blue Djinn of Babylon, who steps in when things fall too out of whack, and metes out punishment if necessary. Her word is law.
In this, the second volume of the series, Philippa practices playing the famous djinn game of bluffing, Djinnverso, and enters the youth tournament. She attracts the attention of some of the enemy tribes of djinn, as well as the notice of the Blue Djinn of Babylon, who is on the lookout for her replacement. The Blue Djinn kidnaps Philippa after framing her for cheating in the tournament (all for the greater good), and brings her to the ancient (now underground) city of Babylon. The location is also the former Biblical Garden of Good and Evil, with a tree of logic that produces fruit and emits a scent which hardens one's heart to emotional involvement and allows the Blue Djinn to dispense justice fairly. John sets out to rescue Philippa with the help of his uncle Nimrod, one-armed chauffeur Mr. Groanin, and the family dogs, Alan and Neil, who happen to be the twins' uncles (they were formerly human). John must navigate a series of challenges, the first of which is infiltrating a US army base in Iraq – the series includes some awareness of current events, even as it hints at millennia of djinn involvement in human affairs. In the time that it takes John to reach Philippa, she has been changed by exposure to the tree of logic, but the bond between twins is stronger, and John manages to save her.
Comments: This is a well-written series and John and Philippa are a lot of fun because although they share an extremely close bond and value each other's strengths, they also get frustrated with each other and behave like normal siblings. Although some of the coincidences in the series are too good to be true, it wonderful that Kerr inserts many exotic locations and tidbits about customs in foreign countries and cultures. Young adults could learn a lot about other places and perhaps be inspired to travel. This book ends on a cliffhanger, with some of the loose ends from the story not tied up – like one of the enemy djinn whom Philippa, John and Nimrod helped to imprison in the first book escaping his sentence from the Blue Djinn and tipping the balance of luck into the bad area once again. Also, it is not clear who will take over from the Blue Djinn when she dies, which will be shortly as she knows she is reaching the end of her lifeline. There are a couple of candidates – Philippa's mother has agreed to take her daughter's place, though she hasn't told her family, and Nimrod has also come up with a possible candidate in the meantime. I see on Amazon that the fifth book in this series has just been released this month, and while at Spring Garden Public Library looking for book two after I read book one, I saw that they had up to book four as well, so they've been adding to the collection as these books are released.
Great Dialog at djinn tournament (where no magic can be used, so djinn use wit to insult each other – it's tradition!):
"'Clever boy,' smiled Izaak [a sneaky djinn]. You're not as dumb as you look.'
'I can always read another book,' said John. 'But you'll always be ugly.'
Izaak grinned. 'You're quite good at this insult thing.'
'I have a sister', said John. 'I get plenty of practice.'"
Dates Read: 17 January – 20 January
The Akhenaten Adventure – P. B. Kerr
Author: P. B. Kerr
Title: The Akhenaten Adventure (Children of the Lamp Series, Book One)
Publisher: Scholastic
Publication Date: 2005
Age range: 10 - 14
Genre: Fantasy (Series)
Rating: 1 2 3 4 5
Plot summary: In the first book in this series, Philippa and John Gaunt find out that their mother is a djinn when they both get out their wisdom teeth and have a joint dream where their uncle Nimrod from London, also a djinn, explains a bit about their powers and tests the children. Nimrod finds that the power of the twins is strong indeed, as when they work together they can accomplish a lot more than most normal young djinn. The wisdom teeth are the signal that a young djinn is coming into his or her power. The twins discover that their mother vowed to give up her djinn power after uncovering a plot by her human husband's brothers Alan and Neil to murder their rich brother and steal his fortune. Layla Gaunt's solution is to turn the brothers into dogs, and they become intensely loyal to the whole family, constant companions of the twins, and very smart and observant indeed. The twins go to London to learn from their uncle Nimrod about what life as a djinn is like, and whenever these three get together there is adventure. The twins are always up for a challenge, and Nimrod treats them like equals. Philippa and John get a rough introduction into the world and logic of the djinn tribes, as Nimrod begins their training in Egypt, and they stumble across a plot by a notoriously evil djinn to enslave a group of ancient, entombed djinn to his will, tipping the balance of good and evil quite far in his direction.
Comments: Kerr's writing style is fast-paced and entertaining. His descriptions of ancient artifacts and archaeological digs should be fascinating to middle-school aged young adults. Kerr's depiction of family relationships is believable, and the excitement of the twins on discovering more about their powers is fun. It's also nice to see that even as the twins become more powerful and learn more about the djinn world, they retain the respect for their elders that other djinn children they come into contact with do not have. By raising the children as normal humans, Mrs Gaunt seems to have done them a real favor, even if they do not appreciate it initially. With the power to grant wishes, other young djinn have difficulty staying grounded, but John and Philippa value quick thinking and problem solving just as much as performing magic – probably because their minds are more often the tool that gets them out of precarious situations. Kerr has set up a world where endless adventures can be had, as the culture and history of the dinn is uncovered.
Date Read: December 2008
Title: The Akhenaten Adventure (Children of the Lamp Series, Book One)
Publisher: Scholastic
Publication Date: 2005
Age range: 10 - 14
Genre: Fantasy (Series)
Rating: 1 2 3 4 5
Plot summary: In the first book in this series, Philippa and John Gaunt find out that their mother is a djinn when they both get out their wisdom teeth and have a joint dream where their uncle Nimrod from London, also a djinn, explains a bit about their powers and tests the children. Nimrod finds that the power of the twins is strong indeed, as when they work together they can accomplish a lot more than most normal young djinn. The wisdom teeth are the signal that a young djinn is coming into his or her power. The twins discover that their mother vowed to give up her djinn power after uncovering a plot by her human husband's brothers Alan and Neil to murder their rich brother and steal his fortune. Layla Gaunt's solution is to turn the brothers into dogs, and they become intensely loyal to the whole family, constant companions of the twins, and very smart and observant indeed. The twins go to London to learn from their uncle Nimrod about what life as a djinn is like, and whenever these three get together there is adventure. The twins are always up for a challenge, and Nimrod treats them like equals. Philippa and John get a rough introduction into the world and logic of the djinn tribes, as Nimrod begins their training in Egypt, and they stumble across a plot by a notoriously evil djinn to enslave a group of ancient, entombed djinn to his will, tipping the balance of good and evil quite far in his direction.
Comments: Kerr's writing style is fast-paced and entertaining. His descriptions of ancient artifacts and archaeological digs should be fascinating to middle-school aged young adults. Kerr's depiction of family relationships is believable, and the excitement of the twins on discovering more about their powers is fun. It's also nice to see that even as the twins become more powerful and learn more about the djinn world, they retain the respect for their elders that other djinn children they come into contact with do not have. By raising the children as normal humans, Mrs Gaunt seems to have done them a real favor, even if they do not appreciate it initially. With the power to grant wishes, other young djinn have difficulty staying grounded, but John and Philippa value quick thinking and problem solving just as much as performing magic – probably because their minds are more often the tool that gets them out of precarious situations. Kerr has set up a world where endless adventures can be had, as the culture and history of the dinn is uncovered.
Date Read: December 2008
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Flavor of the Week – Tucker Shaw
Author: Tucker Shaw
Title: Flavor of the Week
Publisher: Hyperion
Publication Date: 2003
Age range: 12 - 16
Genre: Realistic Fiction / Romance
Rating: 1 2 3 4 5
Plot summary: Cyril Bartholomew is 16 years old and a fantastic cook; his family relies on him to plan and prepare all their meals. His dream is to attend the nearby culinary school and become a real chef. Though Cyril loves to eat delicious food and to share what he makes with others, he doesn't want his classmates at school to know about his talents because he's very sensitive about his weight. Cyril is crazy about his friend Rose, even though he knows she doesn't see him "that way". Unfortunately, she does think Cyril's best friend Nick is pretty cute, and he likes her too. To Cyril's dismay, Nick ends up enlisting his help to win over Rose – and the way to Rose's heart is through her stomach. Though Cyril doesn't want to see Rose with Nick, he does want to see Rose happy, so he prepares all the things he knows she'll love, and watches Nick take the credit for the fabulous cooking. Nick's longtime blindness with regard to Cyril's weight is also something Cyril is grateful for, and another reason Cyril allows himself to get involved with Nick's plan. Of course, Rose clues in eventually when Nick's behavior doesn't match the subtlety of the flavors in the delicious dishes and snacks he tries to take credit for.
Comments: I thought this was an original approach, with a male narrator who is embarrassed about his weight, as well as the recipes interspersed throughout the book. Some of the recipes are outright complicated, and it's nice to see that the challenges of cooking and having the right ingredients and tools hasn't been 'dumbed down' for the YA audience. Each recipe relates to something served in the previous chapter, from Cyril's own 'kitchen-sink cookies' recipe to 'pressed roasted vegetable sandwiches' – and they all sound totally tasty. Cyril is the nice-guy-friend who girls don't normally want to get intimate with, but with his hidden talents, sensitivity and humor, he is really a catch. Though some of the dialog is forced, and the author is clearly trying to speak the language of his target audience, the positive messages in the book come through. Given enough time, your friends will see through your external appearance and appreciate the real you inside.
Dates Read: 10 January – 16 January
Title: Flavor of the Week
Publisher: Hyperion
Publication Date: 2003
Age range: 12 - 16
Genre: Realistic Fiction / Romance
Rating: 1 2 3 4 5
Plot summary: Cyril Bartholomew is 16 years old and a fantastic cook; his family relies on him to plan and prepare all their meals. His dream is to attend the nearby culinary school and become a real chef. Though Cyril loves to eat delicious food and to share what he makes with others, he doesn't want his classmates at school to know about his talents because he's very sensitive about his weight. Cyril is crazy about his friend Rose, even though he knows she doesn't see him "that way". Unfortunately, she does think Cyril's best friend Nick is pretty cute, and he likes her too. To Cyril's dismay, Nick ends up enlisting his help to win over Rose – and the way to Rose's heart is through her stomach. Though Cyril doesn't want to see Rose with Nick, he does want to see Rose happy, so he prepares all the things he knows she'll love, and watches Nick take the credit for the fabulous cooking. Nick's longtime blindness with regard to Cyril's weight is also something Cyril is grateful for, and another reason Cyril allows himself to get involved with Nick's plan. Of course, Rose clues in eventually when Nick's behavior doesn't match the subtlety of the flavors in the delicious dishes and snacks he tries to take credit for.
Comments: I thought this was an original approach, with a male narrator who is embarrassed about his weight, as well as the recipes interspersed throughout the book. Some of the recipes are outright complicated, and it's nice to see that the challenges of cooking and having the right ingredients and tools hasn't been 'dumbed down' for the YA audience. Each recipe relates to something served in the previous chapter, from Cyril's own 'kitchen-sink cookies' recipe to 'pressed roasted vegetable sandwiches' – and they all sound totally tasty. Cyril is the nice-guy-friend who girls don't normally want to get intimate with, but with his hidden talents, sensitivity and humor, he is really a catch. Though some of the dialog is forced, and the author is clearly trying to speak the language of his target audience, the positive messages in the book come through. Given enough time, your friends will see through your external appearance and appreciate the real you inside.
Dates Read: 10 January – 16 January
Saturday, January 10, 2009
CD Review: Fall Out Boy
Artist: Fall Out Boy
Album: Infinity on High
Release Date: February 2007
Age Range: 10 - 18
Genre: Rock/Pop/Emo
Rating: 1 2 3 4 5
Comments: This is a band I've heard about in the news especially with singer/lyricist Pete Wentz having a baby with another pop singer, Ashlee Simpson in the last year. When I took this album out from the library, I thought that I might be familiar with one or two tracks. Track seven is called 'Thnks fr th Mmrs', and I've definitely heard it on the radio. As a whole the album is very much a pop album, though with less emphasis on electronic beats or digital manipulation than a lot of pop music seems to be these days. The four members of the band have a fairly unremarkable rock/pop sound, with occasional interesting lyrics that make me wonder if teenagers understand the references. One example is track 14, called 'I've Got All This Ringing in My Ears and None on My Fingers.' The first line of the song is, "You're a canary, I'm a coal mine", and I wonder if today's teenagers will follow this reference. Track eight is called, 'Don't you know who I think I am?' and has possibly the creepiest line I picked out: "We only want to sing you to sleep". The way this line is sung is not creepy, however, but kind of sweet, so the delivery is good. The CD ends with a computerized voice saying "Now press repeat", which I thought was a fun touch.
Listened: 10 January
Album: Infinity on High
Release Date: February 2007
Age Range: 10 - 18
Genre: Rock/Pop/Emo
Rating: 1 2 3 4 5
Comments: This is a band I've heard about in the news especially with singer/lyricist Pete Wentz having a baby with another pop singer, Ashlee Simpson in the last year. When I took this album out from the library, I thought that I might be familiar with one or two tracks. Track seven is called 'Thnks fr th Mmrs', and I've definitely heard it on the radio. As a whole the album is very much a pop album, though with less emphasis on electronic beats or digital manipulation than a lot of pop music seems to be these days. The four members of the band have a fairly unremarkable rock/pop sound, with occasional interesting lyrics that make me wonder if teenagers understand the references. One example is track 14, called 'I've Got All This Ringing in My Ears and None on My Fingers.' The first line of the song is, "You're a canary, I'm a coal mine", and I wonder if today's teenagers will follow this reference. Track eight is called, 'Don't you know who I think I am?' and has possibly the creepiest line I picked out: "We only want to sing you to sleep". The way this line is sung is not creepy, however, but kind of sweet, so the delivery is good. The CD ends with a computerized voice saying "Now press repeat", which I thought was a fun touch.
Listened: 10 January
Friday, January 9, 2009
Janet McNaughton - An Earthly Knight
Author: Janet McNaughton
Title: An Earthly Knight
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publication Date: 2003
Age range: 12 - 18 (no true upper limit!)
Genre: Historical Fiction / Romance / Revised Fairy or Folktale (based on two ballads)
Rating: 1 2 3 4 5
Plot Summary: The story is set in 1162, in Scotland. Jenny (Lady Jeannette) is the 16 year old second daughter of a minor nobleman. Jenny is vivacious and pretty, but with a temper and honest manner of speaking that does not match the standards of contemporary ladies. When her older sister Isabel falls into social disgrace, it is up to Jenny to make a good match and secure the future of her family. Unfortunately she catches the eye of Earl William, brother to King Malcolm of Scotland. William is charismatic and attractive, but cruel and selfish, as well as a man who abuses his status and power by seducing young women of lower classes. Meanwhile, Tam Lin, the grandson of another nobleman, thought to be lost to the fairy folk of the forest and their magical ways (even with the presence of the Church in Scotland, many people still believe in the fairies) returns to his birthplace and meets Jenny in the forest. They fall in love, and Jenny has to face the wrath of William, the disappointment of her family, and the danger of crossing the fairy queen, who is unwilling to let go of her first knight, as she seeks to save Tam Lin's life.
Comments: This is the book I picked up in the first day of class because the cover, with an old style calligraphy font, reminded me of the historical romances I started reading as a teenager. The picture is of a young woman with long golden hair shown in front of a tree trunk, looking over her shoulder at the viewer so that her face is half-hidden behind her hair. There is some wonderful historical detail in this book, so the author has clearly done her research. At its heart this is a love story of a slightly immature young woman doing a lot of growing up in a short period of time, and learning to recognize the motivations people have for their actions. Caught up in the possibility of someday becoming the Queen of Scotland, Jenny allows her behavior toward family servants to become petty, as she stamps her feet and shouts when she doesn't get what she wants. Tam Lin is always gentle and kind, and Jenny feels herself around him - calm and at peace. Jenny also feels a strong connection to the forest and to simple, natural things, like sunlight filtering through the tree canopy, and Tam Lin himself lives away from other people, in the ruins of a former home. Though Jenny longs to have status, fine things, and a powerful husband, she also realizes quickly that actions speak louder than words, when Earl William ignores her, then showers her with attention, then practically blackmails Jenny's father to provide a larger dowry so that William will agree to marry Jenny. Just as she is about to be betrothed to William, Jenny decides to risk everything to try to sever Tam Lin's connection with the magic of the fairies and make a life with the man she loves.
Teens, particularly young women, are likely to identify with Jenny's rapid changes of temper and emotion, as well as her desire to be her own person and yet cultivate the approval of the more powerful figures in her life, especially the men. She behaves badly, then realizes that in her heart it is more important to have friendship and love than power and pretty clothes. Jenny finds that she can be brave when necessary, and that she can look for opportunities to better the lot of her family members as well as other members of the household. I enjoyed the historical details McNaughton included, as well as aspects of language and culture, at this intersection where local Scottish culture interacted with the English Church and Norman culture as well. Without overwhelming her audience with too much historical detail, McNaughton tells a good story, while educating her reader a bit at the same time.
Date read: 5 January - 9 January
Title: An Earthly Knight
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publication Date: 2003
Age range: 12 - 18 (no true upper limit!)
Genre: Historical Fiction / Romance / Revised Fairy or Folktale (based on two ballads)
Rating: 1 2 3 4 5
Plot Summary: The story is set in 1162, in Scotland. Jenny (Lady Jeannette) is the 16 year old second daughter of a minor nobleman. Jenny is vivacious and pretty, but with a temper and honest manner of speaking that does not match the standards of contemporary ladies. When her older sister Isabel falls into social disgrace, it is up to Jenny to make a good match and secure the future of her family. Unfortunately she catches the eye of Earl William, brother to King Malcolm of Scotland. William is charismatic and attractive, but cruel and selfish, as well as a man who abuses his status and power by seducing young women of lower classes. Meanwhile, Tam Lin, the grandson of another nobleman, thought to be lost to the fairy folk of the forest and their magical ways (even with the presence of the Church in Scotland, many people still believe in the fairies) returns to his birthplace and meets Jenny in the forest. They fall in love, and Jenny has to face the wrath of William, the disappointment of her family, and the danger of crossing the fairy queen, who is unwilling to let go of her first knight, as she seeks to save Tam Lin's life.
Comments: This is the book I picked up in the first day of class because the cover, with an old style calligraphy font, reminded me of the historical romances I started reading as a teenager. The picture is of a young woman with long golden hair shown in front of a tree trunk, looking over her shoulder at the viewer so that her face is half-hidden behind her hair. There is some wonderful historical detail in this book, so the author has clearly done her research. At its heart this is a love story of a slightly immature young woman doing a lot of growing up in a short period of time, and learning to recognize the motivations people have for their actions. Caught up in the possibility of someday becoming the Queen of Scotland, Jenny allows her behavior toward family servants to become petty, as she stamps her feet and shouts when she doesn't get what she wants. Tam Lin is always gentle and kind, and Jenny feels herself around him - calm and at peace. Jenny also feels a strong connection to the forest and to simple, natural things, like sunlight filtering through the tree canopy, and Tam Lin himself lives away from other people, in the ruins of a former home. Though Jenny longs to have status, fine things, and a powerful husband, she also realizes quickly that actions speak louder than words, when Earl William ignores her, then showers her with attention, then practically blackmails Jenny's father to provide a larger dowry so that William will agree to marry Jenny. Just as she is about to be betrothed to William, Jenny decides to risk everything to try to sever Tam Lin's connection with the magic of the fairies and make a life with the man she loves.
Teens, particularly young women, are likely to identify with Jenny's rapid changes of temper and emotion, as well as her desire to be her own person and yet cultivate the approval of the more powerful figures in her life, especially the men. She behaves badly, then realizes that in her heart it is more important to have friendship and love than power and pretty clothes. Jenny finds that she can be brave when necessary, and that she can look for opportunities to better the lot of her family members as well as other members of the household. I enjoyed the historical details McNaughton included, as well as aspects of language and culture, at this intersection where local Scottish culture interacted with the English Church and Norman culture as well. Without overwhelming her audience with too much historical detail, McNaughton tells a good story, while educating her reader a bit at the same time.
Date read: 5 January - 9 January
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)