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
Showing posts with label series fiction. Show all posts
Showing posts with label series fiction. Show all posts
Sunday, March 15, 2009
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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