Bitterblue has four PARTS: Stories and Lies; Puzzles and Muddles: Ciphers and Keys; Bridges and Crossings — so you can see, it is a book that’s full of puzzles, riddles, bafflements, hidden dangers, foggy agendas… EXACTLY what I thoroughly love! Getting to half-way point and even though everything is still so “muddled,” my interest remains strong and my enjoyment of the chapters remains high.
Finished making questions for Prisoner of Azkaban I…
Finished making questions for Prisoner of Azkaban. I cried at the last couple of pages — just because Sirius is such a sincere and loving and misunderstood character. (And Gary Oldman definitely makes him even more dear to my heart!) I guess my favorite character in the entire Harry Potter series is Sirius Black. Wondering what the top three characters dear to everyone’s heart are! Sirius, Fred/George, and Luna are probably mine.
January 9, 2012 · 6:43 pm
Bitterblue in ARC the book will be out…
Bitterblue (in ARC — the book will be out by May, 2012) by Kristin Cashore starts off exactly how and where I like it: full of intriguing political underhandedness that I’m as baffled by as the main character. The short prologue, still featuring Lech, sets the stage well and feels like the book is totally connected to the previous titles and world. The “sneaking out of the palace to mingle with commoners by the royalty” plot device never grows old for this reader. Only 10% into the book and hoping for the rest 500 pages to be as delicious as the first 50 odd pages.
January 8, 2012 · 8:45 am
Robopocalypse by Daniel H. Wilson
I absolutely enjoyed the many separate pieces in the book — thinking that each chapter can be treated as a short story since there is always a beginning and an end and not too much set up is needed to comprehend most of them. There are some really intensely gory and cringe-inducing scenes and a couple tales border on horror. Some are heart-warming, too.
One thing that I couldn’t quite get over, though, was the unevenness in keeping to the rules that the author set up for himself: That, supposedly, each piece in the book is a “translation” of something the “narrator” gathered from a massive electronic archive with audio, video, text, etc. — recorded history of various participants in the Robot Uprising and the global warfare afterwards. However, instead of using a 3rd person, observational tone, Wilson chose to tell many of these heroes’ stories from a first person point of view — EVEN if the recordings themselves are from an exterior angle. (And I just noticed that the first few stories are more in keeping with this framework — some stories are from a third person viewpoint while others are supposedly “narrated” by the participants themselves as interviewees or writers, etc. — but that consistency gradually fell apart and at the end there is a lot of “I” and how “I” felt even though the gathered records couldn’t have provided those perspectives.) And some of the voices are not quite in keeping with the characters themselves — or at least, not quite distinctive to be discernibly different from each other, even though some of these characters are drastically different in backgrounds and should probably have different tones. — Although I guess I can accept it because many of them are told from the reporter/archivist’s “voice.” (However, then why are they told from the “I” perspective?)
Still, I can see many readers enjoying the stories and gobbling up the scenes with relish! And, I am so enamored with the cover design!
Filed under Book Notes
Since I already forgot to post yesterday I…
Since I already forgot to post yesterday, I have to post at least 2 entries today. Sitting on my table is an advanced reader’s copy of Cashore’s Bitterblue. It’s much thicker than Graceling (545 pages.) I am eager to start it and apprehensive, too. I really want it to be GREAT!!!
January 3, 2012 · 10:03 pm
Re reading Harry Potter and the Prisoner of…
Re-reading Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban to make quiz questions for the students. Loving the quiz-making part, but not too wild about how excessively JK used adverbs. I do enjoy comparing the book’s details against the movie’s.
January 3, 2012 · 10:01 pm
One of a few new year’s resolutions Post…
One of a few new year’s resolutions:
Post here every day about the books I’m reading. Buckling down now to start reading as many 2012 American children’s books as possible for my second assignment to the Newbery Committee.
January 1, 2012 · 1:56 pm
Hoping to finish listening to Legend in a…
Hoping to finish listening to Legend in a day or two. Although the major plot twist is not a surprise to me, the story still holds enough unknown next steps to keep my interest high. June and Day are both solidly drawn likable characters.
Filed under Uncategorized
I’m currently being thrilled and disturbed by the…
I’m currently being thrilled and disturbed by the many gory scenes in Robopocalypse.
Filed under Uncategorized
Secrets at Sea by Richard Peck
Who would have thought? Richard Peck: the 21st Century Austen for the 8 to 10 set? But he IS! This little gem of a book has all the good stuff:
A cast of talking mice whose actions and living conditions are completely believable and are in tune with children’s fantasy play; a twisting, surprising, and humorous upstairs/downstairs comedy that involves Royalty and seafaring; the perennial favorite plot progression allowing the lower class main characters go up the social ladder due to good luck and hard work; and clean grown-up romances.
Peck’s deft hand also created a great protagonist in the no-nonsense Helena and made her think and speak properly like one would have from the late 1800s. I was completely charmed!
(And the full-page incidental illustrations add to its charm even more!)
Quick – go and get a copy and treat yourself and your young readers!!
Filed under Book Notes
Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan
As all children’s lit lovers know, this is one of the most anticipated sequels of the year. With the success of The Lost Hero, Riordan set himself quite a high bar to pass — and he came in slight short. Percy is not as witty or clueless (ironic given that he lost most of him memories) as the beloved, unexpected everyday hero in the previous series. The two new “heroes” do not generate the same reader admiration that the three new leading characters (Jason, Leo, and Piper) from Lost Hero. And Hazel and Frank’s potentially awesome powers did not quite get the play each could have.
That said, the book is still full of quirky scenes and exciting adventures. I especially love the notion that the Amazons are the power behind amazon.com and totally enjoy the Harpy Ella and her voracious appetite for books. One of my students wrote a reaction to this book and I agree with her musings on some stylistic and character development matters. Here’s the link: http://blogs.dalton.org/scifan/2011/11/17/603/
Filed under Uncategorized
I’m also listening to Legend by Marie Lu
I’m also listening to Legend by Marie Lu.
Filed under Uncategorized
I’m reading Secrets at Sea by Richard Peck…
I’m reading Secrets at Sea by Richard Peck — it’s witty and charming and I expect quite a bit of exciting adventures ahead.
Filed under Uncategorized
Just about to start 50 Cent’s Playground
Just about to start 50 Cent’s Playground
Filed under Uncategorized
Anya’s Ghost by Vera Brosgol
The story has quite a bit of potential – it could have been really creepy, or really moving, but it turned out to be a mild horror with a not-so-hidden agenda of appreciating and being oneself.
Filed under Uncategorized
Okay for Now
by Gary Schmidt
Tenderness. As a reader, I felt surge after surge of tenderness toward this 14-year-old young man, emotionally and physically abused by a few, supported and understood and nurtured by many. And, so tenacious, so strong, and so smart, not to mention, so talented. Yes, Schmidt did create a character that is much larger than life whose story would have been implausible or unbelievable. In Schmidt’s apt hand, however, with genuine emotions and a large dosage of wit, Doug’s 8th grade year in Marysville feels archetypal and heroic. Like the Audubon paintings that serve as the scaffolding for the plot, the artistic stitchings and planning for the storytelling are visible every step of the way, and yet the final outcome is a pure force of nature. How does one explain it except that the story obviously came from both deep within a compassionate heart and a practiced and diligent hand.
Filed under Book Notes
Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
This is one gorgeously written book. Laini Taylor knows how to create a fresh, inventive fantasy world of dark and unsettling magic and she writes with such relish of words and phrase turns that I felt I was treated to a feast of poetry and imagination. And I loved every bite and sip. And because she knew how to portion her offerings, at the end of the long meal, I felt simply satisfied and not overly stuffed. I fell in love with Karou, the 17-year-old main character who straddles the human and the “monster” worlds. She is artistic, fiercely loyal, and full of mystery. And that love sustains throughout the tale. The Madrigal chapters slow down the pace a bit and I did get a bit impatient to get back to the Karou story (although Madrigal’s IS part of her tale, too, the placement and the length of this part did disrupt the flow of the telling for me) and was a bit annoyed that the story does not end at the conclusion of this volume.
Filed under Book Notes
100 pages into Matched by Ally Condie
I’m about 100 pages into Matched, a book quite beloved by many of my students these last seasons. So far, I enjoy the straightforward narrative voice, the basic premise of the rigid society, and the sense that this Society is on a grand scale — there are reasons for why the Society “chose” to become this way. The idea of IT as a counteraction of an information-overloaded world culture definitely will resonate with many young readers. I am curious as to where Condie takes the tale and me next.
Filed under Uncategorized
Wonder-struck by Brian Selznick
I already wrote about how much I enjoyed Brian’s new book. It’s finally out in the store!! Glorious.
In the past week, I had the opportunity to attend two events hosted by Scholastic and, they were as GLORIOUS as the book itself.
Monday night the book launch party was held against the the magnificent Milstein Hall of Ocean. It was simply the coolest setting for a book party and Brian couldn’t have been more gracious or more humorous as a speaker, or more passionate about the museum and all that it holds, or more humble about his own work. Here are some pictures taken on my phone that evening:
On Wednesday evening, Brian spoke about his inspirations, work methods, and the editorial process of the writing of this new book. This took place in the Scholastic Auditorium and he was brought on stage under strobe lights and the rumblings of thunder sound effects. We also got to watch the trailer for HUGO (the upcoming movie based on The Invention of Hugo Cabret) and were told that he saw the movie for the first time and was moved by it.
Brian spoke eloquently and answered very thoughtful questions from the audience with candor and humor. A sign-language interpreter was on stage with him and I spent moer than half of the time watching the dance of the hands and the dramatic postures and facial expressions of the deaf communication system. It was beautiful to behold and we were all thoroughly wonder-struck!
Filed under Book Notes
