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
Showing posts with label fantasy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fantasy. Show all posts
Monday, March 23, 2009
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
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
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
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
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, 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
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