by Caroline B. Cooney
So much fun to re-read this one, too! I forgot so many details and had a different recollection of the ending to the actual ending. Maybe I read the sequel and mixed them up. The pacing is just perfect: the suspense continues without sacrificing the passing of (quite a long) time it takes a teenager to deal with a truly traumatic event in life. Janie’s journey is entirely credible. Now I have to go and re-read Whatever Happened to Janie.
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by Laini Taylor
Gorgeous book — in every aspect. The cover is gorgeously attractive, the interior artwork is exquisite, and the writing is simply delicious. The three stories are rich in imagery, imagination, and deep emotion, and I want to collect so many sentences to make found poetry with the text. Totally taken by this book. So far, the young people that I gave the book to have enjoyed it tremendously as well.
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by Maggie Stiefvater
I could not believe that any book would have made me “miss” the heat of the Twilight Saga (and temporarily forgotten how poorly the sentences and paragraphs were constructed in those books.) There is so much telling of the love between Grace and Sam in Shiver that it felt clinical and left me quite detached and cold, fitting the title perfectly. There are moments of sparkling writing and imagery but I felt dissatisfied somehow.
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by Robert Venditti
I had high hopes and maybe it was my fault hoping for a really gripping read accompanied by high-level artwork. It turned out to be something of a dud. There is definitely the seed of a great story but it never quite blossomed and the hastily presented resolution is dissatisfying to say the least. The crude artwork is without raw energy often associated with such style and the Surries, perfect and sleek and are such an improvement of “vanilla” humans, do not to be so. I believe the stale look of the panels is largely due to a fairly-uniformed Photoshopping process. Too bad.
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This book reminds of a third grade project that my daughter did: to write a short story that accompanies one picture from Chris Van Allsburg’s The Mysteries of Harris Burdick. In fact, on Van Allsburg’s site, there is an entire section dedicated to stories from “readers” of the book inspired by the images in the book.
Outer Suburbia has that same absurdity, the same eeriness and outlandish qualities that constantly surprise and delight the reader, even when we feel slightly uncomfortable with what we read and see. It is at times unsettling and other times deeply moving.
I am not sure that this is a book just for children or teens. It seems to me that it is very much a book made to just express the artist’s imagination and to satisfy his own storytelling needs — which, ultimately, benefits the readers who would appreciate this kind of short vignettes. My favorite stories/images are: Eric, No Other Country, Alert But Not Alarmed, Make Your Own Pet, and strangely my top choice: The Nameless Holiday.
The entire book design is so amazing as well. I remember the sense of thrill and awe when I first discovered the Griffin and Sabine trilogy by Nick Bantock. This one comes close.
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by Kate Thompson
The story definitely gripped me from the get go, and the voice of Bobby is raw and oh-so-real. I only wish that it had not been so “realistic,” that the creature of the night (which turns out to be Bobby in a sense when he realized how dark his life has been) – the Little Woman/Badger – features more prominently and the slightly creepy, surreal mood is maintained throughout the book. The long stretches Bobby’s work habits and his finding his way into PJ Dooley’s life are essential to the character development but it definitely slows down the momentum and almost feels like too much light and too light in a dark and heavy story.
Eventually, this is a realistic fiction, a coming-of-age story, a hopeful tale (with its feel-good epilogue,) and an intimate look at a troubled teen’s life. It shows a boy who battles with his inner demon, like a boxing match — He’s Down, the Demon’s Down, oh, no, He’s Down again.. he gets up… and the Demon strikes back… … … and yet.. we never got that really satisfying FINAL *POW* PUNCH. It is so real-life that it does not have enough dramatic force toward the end.
I might have been happy to NOT have that Epilogue — to keep myself guessing and thinking hard about his potential future(s).
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by Barry Lyga
So much of the book works for me — the painfully honest and self-deprecating tone of Fanboy who tells his own “adventure,” the unexpected plot surprises, and tension, the pacing, moving briskly and breathlessly from one chapter to the next, and the discussion of excellent graphic novels throughout the tale. And yet, some thing is not quite gelling at the end. I’m not as bothered by the non-conclusive ending as by the “revelation” that all adults are just like the bullies in the school: you just have to bully and fool them back and your life will be peachy. Hmm… is that what this amazingly big adventure all about? Very much puzzled.
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Author: Koushun Takami
Pages: 624
Publisher: VIZ
Edition:2003, Paperback
Finally. Read and finished this one. Ever since I heard about it (and watched the movie on youtube ;p) I had the book set aside to read but so many other things came along the way… it was WORTH my own wait and I wish that I had read it earlier in the school year so I could have recommended it to more readers.
It’s an interesting way to tell a story — there is an over arching plot, a simple one, an explosive one, a thoughtful one, but there are basically a series of character sketches as well. You meet some of the minor characters along the path, you know something about them, and they you see them being killed (mostly brutally, with graphic details — not for the faint of heart!) It’s an examination of human nature – the good, the bad, and the in between; the kind, the evil, and the confused. I actually shed tears at 4 different points — some for characters I learned to love; some for “throw-away” characters whose stories happen to touch my heart.
It seems to be a long book, but it’s such a fast and easy read. The alternative history aspect and the social criticism aspect are slightly didactic, but still work well with the narrative flow. Lots of action and “fun” — if one can define reading about 15-year-olds forced into killing each other as a fun experience.
My last words of wisdom? DO NOT WATCH THE MOVIE before reading the book; after reading the book, you will be disappointed by the movie. So, if you plan on reading the book, basically, just let the notion of watching the movie go!
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Author: Tamora Pierce
Publisher: Random House
Edition: Galley, 2009
I really liked the first one and have been waiting for the second installment for a long long time. The second book still works. My initial quibble of not believing Beka able to write all of the stuff down in her journal still stands — even with the explanation of ciphers and reports and how events are chopped down into several installments. Still seems a bit far-fetched. However, I guess if one believes in ghost-carrying pigeons and a young woman talking to street dust winds, one has to somewhat allow her to be able to write dialogs and descriptions in such minute details when recording her own exploits.
That’s another thing: the pacing is a bit draggy at moments because it seems a bit too much of JUST Beka — just her thoughts, just her experiences, and just her achievements. All the secondary characters (POUNCE, for example, who is absent for most of the story) take a real Secondary position here. Achoo the hound, although very important to the plot, is not satisfying as a strong supporting character because she is too much of a hound, no human traits at all. I love her, but she cannot replace Pounce whose wry humor adds so much to the flavor of the story.
Dale, as a secondary character at the beginning of the story, never got his chance to even remain in that position. By mid-book, he’s already just a bit of thoughts in Beka’s mind. This shows Beka’s dedication to her work and how incredibly sensible she is, but I feel slightly let down by Dale’s demotion. He definitely could have played a larger part in the story (either helping or hindering Beka’s tasks) because he was positioned to do so from the get go (but peters out…)
Having Hanse explain all the rhymes and reasons seems a bit of an easy and very basic mystery device (for that is what this series is… Law and Order meets Tortall Fantasy.) I was hoping for huge surprises and unexpected villains and deeper plots.
Oh, I sound too critical, I do believe. Going to end by saying that I definitely enjoyed following Beka through the streets, watching her eat sea food, seeing her fight various villains — above ground and underground. It’s great to be back in the land of such cool magic. Am I now again eagerly waiting for the next book? You betcha!
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Reading Level: 6th grade and up
This is a guest blogger post. Josh is 16 years old and just finished the trilogy. (I feel remiss here — since I neglected to recommend this series to him when he was in middle school!) He sent me a long email with his reviews of the three books and we subsequently exchanged a couple more emails, especially about the endings of this trilogy and the His Dark Materials trilogy. There are plot spoilers.
ABOUT The Amulet of Samarkand
Bartimaeus is hilarious. I simply love the djinn. Nathaniel is interesting to follow as well, a fun character with a couple flaws. There really isn’t much to speak of in this book other than plot: it’s fun, but Bartimaeus is the real winner of this one.
ABOUT The Golem’s Eye
Here we see Nathaniel turn into the pompous, arrogant named John Mandrake. He falls into the very trap Bartimaeus told him to avoid: letting the corrupting influence of magicians twist him into something horrible. The things he does and says are unbelievable, and the effect is doubled by how he behaved in the 1st book. We get introduced to Kitty, who’s a good person at heart, and then gets caught up in the whole Honorius affair. Mandrake shows his bastardness with his perpetual breaking of vows, many only hours or less after having made them. Bartimaeus is fun as ever: was sad about Queezle, that she got introduced and then snuffed out, but oh well. So goes the storyline.
ABOUT Ptolemy’s Gate
By far the most interesting, most powerful, most moving, most climactic of the three (well, for that last one I suppose there’s a reason, being the end and all). We see Mandrake turn from arrogant into the marginally better (or worse, depending on your POV) “top magician”. Bartimaeus evokes a lot of sympathy with his sorry state, and Kitty becomes my favorite character for the majority of the book.
And then Mandrake slowly crumbles, leaving a mature Nathaniel. He still has flaws, but then, so does everyone but Bartimaeus. As Kitty and Nathaniel work together, with each other (and slowly begin to admire each other: my guess is given a couple years, they’d end up as very good friends or more, provided Nathaniel doesn’t relapse, which I don’t think he would), it’s my favorite part. To see Kitty put the same trust in Bartimaeus that Ptolemy did, showing greater understanding of him than perhaps even the Egyptian boy (though Ptolemy did not have someone’s notes or previous history as guides, admittedly).
And then, when Nathaniel accepts Bartimaeus into his own body…this is where N/B takes over as my favorite character(s). The fact that, working together, they manage to destroy far more powerful spirits than they. The fact that, working together, they are the culmination of Ptolemy’s hopes and dreams, the ultimate climax of Nathaniel and Bartimaeus’ relationship, the fulfilling of the purpose of Kitty’s visit to the Other Place…once they become both two souls and one, a single 2-part mind in a single body, I could not put it down even for work. I was breathless as they turned the staff on Nouda…
AM. Nathaniel hit by the Detonation. Coming from Barti’s POV, it is even more effective. And then when Nathaniel realizes the seriousness of the wound, his acceptance of his fate and determination to do selfless good is such strong writing. The last meeting with Kitty, where N/B both know what has to be done, and the whole concealing it from K thing…I really felt it. Comparable, at least for me in my after-reading-state, to when Lyra and Will realize they must separate in Amber Spyglass.
True to form, he breaks his final promise, having finally made one beyond his power to keep. This was where I was sad that the “item” could never happen (Kitty’s picking through the wreckage at the end made me think she was feeling the loss of a possible future, one containing more happiness, or at least more possibility, than her current one, a future with a united djinn/human in it).
I thought that writing N and B’s end at the very end was the best move of the whole trilogy. We already know what happens: we know that the great evil is destroyed by the heroic death of N/B. Now we get to see the heart of darkness, the center of the inferno, as N/B march to their death. The connection between them in this scene is so powerful I thought they might actually survive. This isn’t the usual master-servant relationship; this isn’t even Ptolemy’s relationship. Ptolemy was a trusting, kind, benevolent, freedom-giving master, yes, but he was a master, as evidenced by his final dismissal of Barti. N and B banter as friends, they speak as equals, as 2 halves of the whole. Nathaniel’s character at the end here practically radiates goodness off the page. And then, the way he dismisses Bartimaeus, I feel, is from an equal to an equal. The delivery of the dismissal is not that of a master dismissing a slave, but of a friend releasing a friend.
My throat was seized up the whole final scene, but it was the 2nd-to-last paragraph, where the Staff breaks, that the tears almost fell (almost, because I usually manage to keep them in while reading, though I failed during Amber Spyglass several years ago). The simplicity of the writing there – “Nouda did this. Nathaniel finished the Dismissal. I went. The Staff broke.” had so much raw POWER in the way it was written. Stroud simply couldn’t have written that end any better (except maybe Nathaniel surviving: just as he turns good, he turns so good that he must make up for the magicians’ sins and evildoing. He dies for a better world, and I do rather prefer when they get to actually see that world).
I’d discuss the last paragraph but I need breakfast. Barti’s final words in the trilogy, starting with “typical master”, given that Nathaniel was anything but, either give the paragraph a tone of affection or a tone of disgust. Choice of the reader, so I chose affection :)
*** (Another email discussing the endings of Amber Spyglass and Ptolemy’s Gate is omitted.) ***
Amber Spyglass had a Tough ending…but I think that, for me, Ptolemy’s Gate takes the cake. To see what Nathaniel becomes by the end of the trilogy…in book 1 he was bumbling but likable, in book 2 I nearly burned the pages with him, in book 3 first couple parts I was a little put out with him (especially given his treatment of Barti), in last 150ish pages I thought, “This is what he should have become from book 1.” The opposition of him + Barti and him from the previous books was so pronounced, and the tentative friendship springing up between him and K…it all made his death doubly sad and twice as noble.
Still tugs at the hearstrings, reading it. It’s his Redemption, and yet he goes so much farther than he “needed” to, to redeem himself. For once, a magician of the old generation does what people of such power are supposed to do (at least in our society): use it for the people, sacrifice himself for the commoners.
FAIRROSA:
I cannot really honestly say which one affected me more at the moment of reading — but I do think that Lyra and Will’s final parting has a much stronger lingering effect. I read that scene, what, 8 – 9 years ago and I can still feel the sorrow now; whereas I do recall Nathaniel’s final sacrifice (and you described it so well below) and how much I sobbed over it, it does not give my heart a blow whenever I think of it.
JOSH:
It’s something about the way the two are written, I think. Something about them makes Bartimaeus stronger than HDM for me. I can’t place it…my first guess would be that in Barti, the whole experience comes from 1st person, and their unity is such a 180 from everything before it, but I’m not sure if that’s it.
Maybe it’s the fact that N/B was 4 days ago, and L/W was 4 years ago…but there’s no way to either prove or disprove that.
Argh.
Given the time difference between reading the two (not too much for an adult, but for me it’s my entire emotional maturation to date), I don’t think I can honestly say either one. L/W affected me more, but I hadn’t read many books before then in which the heroes either die or must sacrifice something HUGE to win. I’m more used to it by now, and being a fan of happy endings, anything with such sacrifice will .
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Author: Alan Moore, illus. by Dave GibbonsPublisher: DC Comic
Edition: Paperback, 1987
It took me a long time to finish this seemingly slim volume. I took in every word, every image, and every reference as slowly as I could manage. Not that the story is too complex, but its form does demand some attention and appreciation: the interwoven stories of the masked vigilantes and the embedded graphic novel of the Black Freighter (or the Pirate story as my students refer to it) and the various texts of the story-within-the story by one of the side characters and all the other para-“documents.”
I enjoyed all the double-descriptors: words and phrases that convey the meaning for one scene but also aptly describe the situations of another scene. Moore employed this technique through out the novel — it did not get tired for me, just amusing.
The final two “chapters,” however, seem to rely too much on Adrian’s explanation of his whole back story and his reasons behind all the plans and schemes, slowing down the momentum and diminishing the thrilling mystery part of the whole tale. I wish Moore had figured out a more active and exciting way for the exposing of Adrian and his plot.
I also must say that I think the filmmakers did a fantastic job translating the novel into the movie. The only real gripe I have is in the odd casting of Adrian’s role — instead of an athletic superhero, the actor seems fragile and without the kind of commanding presence that this role demands. The movie ends differently from the book — having gotten rid of the entire side story of the vanishing artists, novelists, and scientists with their creation of the “alien being” that devastates half of New York City — but by putting the blame on Dr. Manhattan, the film has added another layer of emotional burden onto a major character and I have to applaud that particular line of changes. And, may I say that I absolutely ADORE Rorschach in the movie — his scenes are most memorable and the actor’s skillful portrayal of this tragic hero is impeccable!
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Author: Kristin CashorePages: 471
Publisher: Harcourt
Edition: Hardcover, 2008
I absolutely loved this book — against my initial somewhat negative reaction to the very plain and sometimes clumsy prose and exposition. (The “listing” of kingdoms/names and their relationships definitely, or starting two consecutive sentences with the word And, or slightly muddled sentences like this, “… as if he’d done nothing wrong, nothing completely and absolutely wrong.” — none of this held much promise.) And of course, since I was reading it with the Notable Children’s books in mind, the one sort of heavy sex scene stood out as not entirely necessary at the time. (Although, a lovely scene.)
And then, something changed: the characters became real and vivid and completely compelling and the plot took some unexpected turns that caught even me, a veteran fantasy reader, by surprise. I could not put it down and rushed to find out what happened next. Here are some of my thoughts as I read it:
1. In some ways, this one reminds me of Twilight: with its two main young protagonists completely absorbed with each other, against all odds and other people’s views over their “talents.” But, it is somehow “anti-Twilight” in that these two made a choice to have a physical relationship without conforming to the socially acceptable norm.
2. In some ways, this one reminds me of Jane Austen — I know it is a far cry — in that the two characters are initially at odds against each other emotionally, even though they are completely attracted to each other. It also is much like many many Harlequin Romance novels in this aspect — except, except that they reconcile their differences early on, not dragging or making that sexual/emotional tension into the entire focus of the story (THANK GOODNESS!)
3. In some ways, this one alleviated a little bit of my need to read something akin to George R.R. Martin’s Song of Ice and Fire series: there are several very surprising plot twists that made me go, “WHAT?” and almost drop the book! (Of course, SoIF is so much so much more complex and so much grander in so many ways…)
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Author: Ben Boos
Pages: 96
Publisher: Candlewick
Edition: Hardcover, 2008
I couldn’t believe my eyes, flipping through page after page of beautifully rendered swords from many time periods and many cultures, how visually perfect this book is! No matter whom I showed this book to (HS students, MS kids, other adults) – the reaction was the same: an astounded delight at this Feast of the Artistry of Beautiful and Elegant Swords. I’m glad the inclusion of Asian and African swords and their histories (although would have like a more balanced proportion in treatment…)
This makes a great holiday gift for any child who enjoys this topic. The general and specific notes on various types, their usages, their histories, and those who used such and such swords are easy to read and absorb. But one definitely doesn’t need to read all the text to enjoy the book.
I am so happy of this book’s existence!
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Author: John Porcellino (illus.)Pages: 112
Publisher: Hyperion
Edition: Paperback, 2008
To say the least, this book is “interesting” — presenting some of Thoreau’s writing and ideas in cartoon format — there is not much innovative panel design but the color scheme, the panel progression, the choices of images all work harmoniously together — which fit very nicely with Thoreau’s sentiments. I especially appreciate those wordless panels — the one that he and the owl looked at each other and then went back to do their “own businesses” without further disturbance. So peaceful and effectively illustrating the essence of his existence at the time.
The extensive back matter will make this deceptively simple book “useful” for an older audience (middle school? early high school?)
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Author: Karen HessePages: 240
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Edition: Hardcover, 2008
I did not know that this would have been so good. I did not expect that I would have loved it so much and that I could not stop reading it and pretty much finishing it in one “fell swoop.” It seems Dickensian, but that might not be a fair comparison because it is actually quite sparing and except for the intentional repetitive phrasing in those dream-like segments about the children “under the bridge” (and so effective, those poetic passages.. *sigh*), there is not that much repeated sentiment. I was drawn in, felt like I lived side by side with Joseph, and often was surprised at the richness and the vividness of the world I “saw” through the text. It doesn’t hurt that I (and my family) adore the sense of place and history and the bustling life of Coney Island.
I wasn’t sure at first about the vignettes of the children under the bridge but found them so mesmerizing and expanding of the experience of the turn-of-century Brooklyn – not only those who “made it” but of those who struggled and failed… I imagine that I’ll remember Joseph’s story for a long time, but I will never forget the Radiant Boy’s, or Mattie’s, or Otto’s, or the story of May who almost died from eating the poisonous meal, twice.
It’s an intricate tapestry and an “important tale” that is beautifully woven in the hand of artisan.
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Author: Shannon and Dean Hale; illus. by Nathan HalePages: 144
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Edition: Paperback/Graphic Novel, 2008
It did not disappoint! Yeah! I had so much fun reading and looking at this book and its illustrations. Shannon Hale’s telling, even with reduced amount of text due to the graphic novel nature of the book, is crisp and humorous, and with certain subtlety that amuses me, the adult reader, and yet not difficult to appreciate for young readers. (I had a 10-year-old girl today reading it and she absolutely loved the book — then she found out that this is by the same author who gave her the pleasure of GOOSE GIRL and PRINCESS ACADEMY. She was thrilled!) The wild wild west setting is cleverly executed. I wonder how others react to the the references to the Native American cultures and characters — personally I thought it’s done very sensitively and much of it is conveyed visually — so I also wonder how all that was communicated between the authors and the artist. What a fun tall tale we’ve got us here. I am so pleased!
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Author: Walter Dean MyersPages: 290
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Edition: Hardcover, 2008
It took me a while to read this one — in between, I finished quite a few other books — my opinions of the story and the telling wavered like a pendulum: sometimes I felt detached, bored and other times my heart almost stopped and I did not want to read on for fear of what was to come in the story, to the soldiers, to the “enemies.” It was at times, predictable, like the last death of the story — you did see it coming, somewhat. However, it did not diminish its impact and the manner of the soldier’s death elevated the book for me — the last letter was so real. So my final “verdict”? This book feels “real” — the mundane parts are mundane, because that is what an ordinary life is and we are seeing just an ordinary young person’s life, in an unusual setting. It is also real when things get to be so surreal that not the character, nor the reader can really absorb or interpret what’s going on. The emotion is true and raw and the manner of telling matches the character. So, all in all, an excellent book about a timely and important topic.
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Edition: Podcast/Podcastle, 2008
This is the first podcastle episode, released on April 1st, 2008. Read by Paul S. Jenkins. It’s a delightfully dark piece that has a very Victorian undertone but it was first published in 1963. Just a fun “listening.” It makes me really want to produce my own podcast stories — not read by me, but produced and directed by me. That will be much fun. Wouldn’t it?
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Edition: 2007/2008 Audio Podcast
I have been listening to this Sci-Fan podcast for the past few weeks… catching up their early episodes from late 2007 and approaching this year’s newer productions. Every story happens in Metamor City — a futuristic sci-fi setting with magical creatures and fantasy elements. Fairies, demi-gods, mages ride on super-motorbike like vehicles and fight each other with not only magic but modern weaponry. The main ingredients of the stories I’ve listened to so far are violence, magic, sex, and humor: both light and dark. It’s definitely entertaining.
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Publisher: ESCAPEPOD.ORG
Edition: Podcast
I have been following stories on EscapePod for a while now and have decided to at least mark the days that I’ve listened to an episode. This one is interesting, light, exploring the idea of cloning, with a couple of instances of strong language (I would NOT have given it an R rating as the podcaster Steve Eley had rated it.)
Direct Link to the Story
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