Review: Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane

Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane by Suzanne Collins
4 stars

Reasons for reading: I loved the first book in this series; Seconds Challenge

Synopsis: "Gregor learns of his role in another Underland prophecy, yet he swears he will never return to that place. But his vow crumbles when his little sister, Boots, is snatched. Gregor knows it is a ploy to lure him to the subterranean world, but he gives in and heads back underground, where he is reunited with his bat, Ares, the princess Luxa, and new allies. Together, they descend into the deadly Waterway in search of an ominous rat known as Bane. But Gregor must face the possibility of his greatest loss yet, and make life and death choices that will determine the future of the Underland."

First line: "When Gregor opened his eyes he had the distinct impression that someone was watching him."

My thoughts: The second book in this series is a great read, too! I was concerned it would just ben another "adventure" that was exactly the same as the first, but Collins manages to fit it into the format she established (Gregor has to go on a quest to fulfill a confusing prophecy for the Underlanders) while still including fresh elements. Boots is as adorable as ever. The underground creatures like enormous rats and roaches continue to be fascinating, and are joined by funny but very annoying giant fireflies who eat like pigs and bicker constantly. Gregor's connection to the Underland continues to grow, especially as he learns that he has a special capacity for fighting. Princess Luxa didn't play as much of a role as she did in the first book, I hope there will be more of her in the next one. Also, I hope that Gregor's dad regains his strength and his character develops and he's able to join in the adventures.

The verdict: A great sequel!

Review: Rilla of Ingleside

Rilla of Ingleside by L.M. Montgomery
3.5 stars


Reasons for reading: it's the last book in the Anne series and I never got to it; I'm celebrating Maud's November 30, 1874 birthday for November's Celebrate the Author challenge



Synopsis: "Anne's children were almost grown up, except for pretty, high-spirited Rilla. No one could resist her bright hazel eyes and dazzling smile. Rilla, almost fifteen, can't think any further ahead than going to her very first dance at the Four Winds lighthouse and getting her first kiss from handsome Kenneth Ford. But undreamed-of challenges await the irrepressible Rilla when the world of Ingleside becomes endangered by a far-off war. Her brothers go off to fight, and Rilla brings home an orphaned newborn in a soup tureen. She is swept into a drama that tests her courage and leaves her changed forever."
First line: "It was a warm, golden-cloudy, lovable afternoon."

My thoughts: I always had a soft spot for Rilla, the "roly-poly baby" of the Blythe family. But I'd put off reading this one, largely because of its realism. It's basically the only book of the Anne series that really mentions much about the outside world and in this case, it's the terrible world of the Great War. While it reads like historical fiction now, the book was written in 1920, just 2 years after the war ended. This added an extra layer of interest for me, in addition to reading about my beloved Blythes. Montgomery obviously drew on her own experiences during the time - the horror, as well as the details of the war, really ring true. (Sadly, in the biography at the end it says that she was so depressed by World War II that she basically stopped writing, even letters, and died in 1942.)

While Anne is relegated to being "Mrs. Blythe," Rilla takes on a lot of her old spirit - romantic and feisty, although with a great deal more beauty than her mother had as a child. Along with the pain of the family's boys going to war, one by one, there are the usual scrapes, agonizing embarrassments, and hopes and dreams found in all of the series. I particularly enjoyed the chapter where Rilla eats a slice of humble pie (something her mother was very familiar with) and goes to ask a former chum for help with a money-raising concert only to find she's wearing two completely different shoes and stockings. And there's a lovely, heartbreaking but heartening story about Jem Blythe's faithful dog running throughout the book, as he waits for his master to return.

With the war theme, this was a good book to read around Remembrance Day. And it turns out I've missed the second to last book in the series, Rainbow Valley. Quite a few of the characters were new to me. So, I'll have to go back and read that one. Honestly, it's shameful for me call myself an Anne fan and not realize I'd missed a book! :-)

Review: The Penderwicks on Gardam Street

The Penderwicks on Gardam Street by Jeanne Birdsall
4 stars

Reasons for reading: I really enjoyed the first book (The Penderwicks); Brittanie suggested it for Herding Cats II

Description: "The Penderwick sisters are home on Gardam Street and ready for an adventure! But the adventure they get isn’t quite what they had in mind. Mr. Penderwick’s sister has decided it’s time for him to start dating—and the girls know that can only mean one thing: disaster. Enter the Save-Daddy Plan—a plot so brilliant, so bold, so funny, that only the Penderwick girls could have come up with it."

First line: "Their mother had been here in the hospital with the new baby for almost a week."

My thoughts: "Old-fashioned" comes up in reviews for this budding series and it really is - in the best way. It's warm and funny and full of loving (though not sappily so) relationships. Brittanie says "This series is timeless. I did not even realize it is set present day." It's true - remove a few references to things like computers, and it could be set in a bygone era. And that's a good thing!

It also has an undertone of melancholy, as the sisters' mother passed away right after the last Penderwick sister was born. This book looks a bit more at that sad event and also shows that Mrs. Penderwick had a plan - she didn't want her husband to be lonely, so she charged his sister (Aunt Claire) with delivering a letter to Mr. Penderwick ordering him to start dating once the girls were old enough.

So the girls try to set him up on horrible dates (he's required to go on a certain number) so that he won't find anyone to marry. In between, scientific Skye and writer/drama queen Jane get into trouble over switched homework assignments, eldest Rosalind is sure that she really doesn't care at all about their neighbour Tommy, and no-one believes adorable Batty when she says a man who looks like a bug is hanging around Gardam Street. And as for Daddy's dating? He comes up with a plan of his own, only to find that perhaps the answer is closer than the Penderwicks thought...

The verdict: A great sequel, hooray! A sweet, lovely, funny story about a close-knit family looking for a missing piece of the Penderwick puzzle.

Review: The Graveyard Book

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
4 stars

Reasons for reading: 2009 Newbery Medal-winner for the Book Awards Challenge

Description: "Nobody Owens, known to his friends as Bod, is a normal boy. He would be completely normal if he didn't live in a sprawling graveyard, being raised and educated by ghosts, with a solitary guardian who belongs to neither the world of the living nor of the dead. There are dangers and adventures in the graveyard for a boy. But if Bod leaves the graveyard, then he will come under attack from the man Jack—who has already killed Bod's family . . . "

First line: "There was a hand in the darkness, and it held a knife."

My thoughts: I didn't think I was going to like this book. The only Gaiman I've read is American Gods and it was tooooo weird for me (though, to give him credit, very memorable). And, as it opened with horrible murders, I figured I was going to be right. But it was okay - because out of those murders came Nobody Owens, an extraordinary boy. He's raised by an entire graveyard of ghosts and one shadowy guardian who is neither alive nor dead. Gaiman really makes the ghosts come alive, as much as they can - they never change, but they all have their own distinct personalities and they all come to love the living boy who grows up to be a brave, clever young man.

My only quibble is that backstory of why Bod's family was murdered by "the man Jack" is a bit...vague, in my opinion. It felt a bit like there had to be a reason for the murders and that was inserted in. (I'm sure it wasn't the case, but it felt like it to me.) But I loved how the evil league of Jacks of All Trades had the names of every famous legendaryJack in history.

Gaiman is definitely a very talented writer, I should stop thinking of him as weird and creepy and give him more of a chance. :) His description of the Danse Macabre - when the dead come down to town and dance with the living - is beautiful, haunting, sad, and joyful. The section with the ghouls (who name themselves after dead historical figures, like The Emperor of China or The Bishop of Bath and Wells) is both hilarious and horrifying. And the climax with Bod being chased by Jacks around the graveyard kept me up last night.

The verdict: I had my doubts, but I can definitely see why this won the Newbery.

Review: A Wrinkle in Time

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
3 stars

Reasons for reading: have always meant to; Sci Fi for the Genre Challenge; 1963 Newbery Medal-winner for the Book Awards Challenge

Description: "It was a dark and stormy night; Meg Murry, her small brother Charles Wallace, and her mother had come down to the kitchen for a midnight snack when they were upset by the arrival of a most disturbing stranger.

"Wild nights are my glory," the unearthly stranger told them. "I just got caught in a downdraft and blown off course. Let me sit down for a moment, and then I'll be on my way. Speaking of ways, by the way, there is such a thing as a tesseract."

A tesseract (in case the reader doesn't know) is a wrinkle in time. To tell more would rob the reader of the enjoyment of Miss L'Engle's unusual book. A Wrinkle in Time, winner of the Newbery Medal in 1963, is the story of the adventures in space and time of Meg, Charles Wallace, and Calvin O'Keefe (athlete, student, and one of the most popular boys in high school). They are in search of Meg's father, a scientist who disappeared while engaged in secret work for the government on the tesseract problem."

First line: "It was a dark and stormy night." [Really, that's it!]

My thoughts: I'm just not really a sci-fi gal. I enjoy sci-fi TV and movies more than I used to, thanks to my geek husband, but books, not so much. And I'm finding a lot of the kids' classics I've been reading lately to be quite-feeling dated, including this one. Although the level of sci fi was sort of like the level of fantasy in Harry Potter - based enough in our own world that I could handle it.

That said, I did like the overall message of love being the greatest force in the universe. There's a forward by Anna Quindlen that points out that the creepy sameness of the bad planet they travel to was a reaction against Communism, which was pretty interesting, although it adds a bit to the dated feeling. Although I guess North Americans always tend to struggle against conformity, whatever its form.

The book is one of the ALA's top 100 most-challenged books, apparently because of L'Engle's "liberal" Christianity and its references to witches (of which there are none in the book) and crystal balls. I always love the challenges to books - if putting Jesus on the same list as great artists and writers is all you've got to complain about, you're not looking hard enough and have way too much time on your hands.

The verdict: Not really my bag but I can see why it's a classic. And even if I found the tone a bit dated, the message never gets old.

Review: The City of Ember

The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau
4 stars


Reasons for reading: it's next month's pick for our kids' book club


Description: "The city of Ember was built as a last refuge for the human race. Two hundred years later, the great lamps that light the city are beginning to flicker. When Lina finds part of an ancient message, she’s sure it holds a secret that will save the city. She and her friend Doon must decipher the message before the lights go out on Ember forever!"


First line: "When the city of Ember was just built and not yet inhabited, the chief builder and the assistant builder, both of them weary, sat down to speak of the future."

My thoughts: I enjoyed this book a lot more than I thought I would! I read it for book club and had heard it was a good book, but didn't think it would be my style. But now I can't wait to read the second book in the series and find out how the heck these people ended up in Ember and what they're going to do now!

The novel is very atmospheric - Ember is very dim and claustrophobic. The constant threat of the lights going out forever weighs heavily on the people and while I think the reader guesses the secret of Ember long before Lina and Doon figure it out, you spend a lot of the novel wondering what on earth is happening to this strange place.

Lina and Doon are very brave in the face of a corrupt government and a populace that doesn't understand how much danger they're in. I was definitely rooting for them, sometimes with bated breath, and I can't wait to see how they'll handle the next chapter in their suddenly completely changed lives.

Review: The Maze of Bones

The Maze of Bones (39 Clues, book 1) by Rick Riordan
3.5 stars

Reasons for reading: This is a hot series for kids right now, so I wanted to see what the fuss was about

Description: "Minutes before she died Grace Cahill changed her will, leaving her descendants an impossible decision: "You have a choice - one million dollars or a clue." Grace is the last matriarch of the Cahills, the world's most powerful family. Everyone from Napoleon to Houdini is related to the Cahills, yet the source of the family power is lost. 39 Clues hidden around the world will reveal the family's secret, but no one has been able to assemble them. Now the clues race is on, and young Amy and Dan must decide what's important: hunting clues or uncovering what REALLY happened to their parents."

First line: "Five minutes before she died, Grace Cahill changed her will."

My thoughts: This was a quick-paced, interesting adventure story with a liberal sprinkling of educational facts, to boot! I liked librarian-loving, tongue-tied Amy and math-whiz, collector of many things, daredevil Dan. The history lessons in this volume focus mainly on Benjamin Franklin, who is even more interesting than I realized!

The evil relatives who are plaguing the Cahill siblings are suitably sinister - a former Russian spy wields poison-tiped fingernails, a dapper elderly Korean man wears brightly-coloured suits and ascots, there's a trio of triplets and a muscle-headed family who all bear the names of presidents.

I'm not entirely sure about the huge multi-media marketing campaign behind the books - there are trading cards with each book (problematic for libraries!), a website and prizes to be won online. But I like the use-your-brain/history facts slant and the books seem to be written by great authors - 10 different ones, which is neat - so the quality is there. If kids are online anyway, they might as well be solving a book-based puzzle.

The verdict: A worldwide scavenger hunt makes a really cool premise for a series. The sequel was written by my beloved Gordon Korman, so I might have to follow the Cahills to Vienna to find clues about a certain famous composer.

Review: The Last Dragon

The Last Dragon by Silvana De Mari
3.5 stars

Reason for reading: it's this month's choice for my library's kids' book club

Book description: "When the last dragon and the last elf break the circle, the past and the future will meet, and the sun of a new summer will shine in the sky. In a world shrouded in darkness and continually lashed by rain, a young elf named Yorsh struggles to survive. His village has been destroyed by the torrential waters, leaving Yorsh suddenly orphaned and alone-the earth's last elf. But soon Yorsh discovers he is part of a powerful prophecy to save the world from the Dark Age that has begun. First, however, the young elf will have to find another orphaned creature-the world's last dragon. Full of great tenderness and humor, this magical journey tells the story of a world plagued by intolerance and wickedness, and the elf and the dragon who will fight for its redemption and bring it back into the light."

First line: "The rain had been falling for days."

My thoughts: Again, I'm not a big fantasy fan and I have to say I sort of struggled through this one - at times it felt like a slog. Yet it was really well-written and once I got over some initial annoyances at the beginning, I did want to find out what happened. I'm beginning to wonder if I have a problem with works in translation (this one is originally Italian) - I often feel like I'm having a hard time getting through them.

This book is s curious mixture of sadness, heroism, humour, and the fantastic. There's lots of absurdity - the county of Daligar has been turned into an impoverished, communist-like state run by a Lord Justice that's straight out of Roald Dahl. There's also a great deal of humour, especially when Yorsh is young ("one born lately") and is trying to make sense of humans (though I actually found this is as irritating as it was funny). The rambling, brooding dragon is hilarious in his laments about his aches and pains and desires for fairy stories. But there's also an incredible amount of love and bravery in the book - the two humans who befriend Yorsh (even though it's forbidden to consort with elves) for a short time to help him fulfill the prophesy end up showing him (and each other) love that will last over a decade and ends up helping to save the world. And formerly irritating Yorsh turns out to be the saviour, with some help from a magnificent dragon.

Verdict: While my non-fantasy self struggled with it a bit, it was a rewarding read. And even though the meeting isn't for a while, some of the book club kids had already read it last month and loved it, so it's an A-plus for young fantasy fans who are good readers.

Review: The Book of Three

The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander
3 stars

Reasons for reading: I've been meaning to because it's one of my husband's childhood faves; Daring Book Challenge and Fantasy for the Genre Challenge

Summary (from Kirkus UK): "Assistant pig-farmer, Taran craves adventure and longs to be a hero. So when magical pig, Hen Wen escapes, his desires turn to reality as he embarks upon a dangerous quest to find her. Set in the mystical country of Prydain, Taran must brave perilous lands, mysterious creatures and face the terrifying and evil Horned King. Along the way, a colourful cast of characters provide Taran with worldly wisdom and witty banter, while the "crunchings and munchings" of the adorable Gurgi will captivate everyone's hearts. Originally published in 1964, The Book of Three is the first in Alexander's fantasy series, The Chronicles of Prydain, and has won him numerous praise and awards, including the prestigious Newbery Medal. Combining traditional storytelling with the struggle of good versus evil, this is a fast-paced and entertaining fantasy adventure."

First line: "Taran wanted to make a sword; but Coll, charged with the practical side of his education, decided on horseshoes."

My thoughts: I'm not really a high fantasy girl, so at first I was a bit resistant to the medieval, pseudo-Welsh setting of Prydain. I did like that it was fast-paced and not many hundreds of pages long. But I soon came to like Taran, who wants to be a warrior and hero before he truly knows what those words mean, but does become both by the end of the book. And really, who can resist an "oracular pig"? Big, white, smiling Hen Wen the pig is a character herself. Wolfhound/humanoid thing Gurgi reminded me a lot of Gollum and I wouldn't describe him as adorable, but he eventually won me over. And chatty, chatty Eilonwy is both an irritating little girl and quite fab - I liked how she kept putting Assistant Pig-Keeper Taran in his place and ended up being much more important than she seemed at first.

Verdict: Not sure if I'll read the whole series, but I might some day. And I'm glad that I've read this fave of my husband's and that I can now recommend it to fantasy-seeking kids.

Review: The Hoboken Chicken Emergency

The Hoboken Chicken Emergency by Daniel Pinkwater
3.5 stars

Reason for reading: Daring Book Challenge

Description: "When Arthur Bobowicz is sent out to bring home the family's Thanksgiving turkey, he returns instead with Henrietta -- a 266 pound chicken with a mind of her own. Feathers fly when this colossal clucker descends upon Hoboken, New Jersey."

First sentence: "Nobody in Arthur Bobwicz's family really liked turkey."

My thoughts: Not much to say, really, it's a really short book, but it's funny and fun. Pinkwater is always a hoot. Or perhaps a cluck, in this case. The part about Anthony DePalma, fake chicken catcher, is hilarious, particularly his top-secret method of trapping poultry. It's also a really neat example of a multicultural story that isn't going out of its way to be one - there are simply lots of immigrant families living in Hoboken and that's the way it is.

The edition I read is is a 30th-anniversary one, with new illustrations and, I think, a few changes to the text, as there's a reference to e-mail, which certainly wasn't around in 1977. But other than that, the strangeness and the good lesson of the importance of kindness are intact. I remember enjoying Pinkwater when I was a middle-grader myself, so he's Pinkwater is a classic and always a great recommendation for reluctant readers or kids looking for a laugh.

Addition: I was searching my parents' basement for childhood books and I discovered I actually own a copy of this book, whoops! But I'm still counting it because, unlike other Pinkwaters I read as a kid, I didn't have any memory of it at all.

Review: Black Beauty

Black Beauty by Anna Sewell
2.5 stars

Reasons for reading: have always meant to; Daring Book Challenge

Description: "Set in Victorian London, the novel follows the shifting fortunes of a horse as he moves from owner to owner. Narrated by the noble Black Beauty himself, the tale offers an animal’s perspective of the world, and highlights the thoughtless, even cruel treatment animals endured during that period."

First line: "The first place I can well remember was a large pleasant meadow with a pond of clear water in it."

My thoughts: The 2.5 stars represents my interest level/enjoyment of the book, not the quality. I wasn't a horsey girl, which is why I hadn't read it as a child, and I'm not a horsey adult. I can see why it's a classic, although I have to say I don't know if it's aged particularly well. Maybe that's not fair, but I definitely found the references to things like the Crimean War and Victorian elections rather beyond my scope, and I'm (apparently) a grown-up. There's also a lot of instances of drunkenness in the book, which prudish 21st century me found rather shocking.

But the fact that it's narrated by Black Beauty himself definitely adds interest and charm, so I'm sure that horse-loving kids can look past the Victoriana. I also found it interesting to read about all of the different places Beauty lived and worked - I tend to think of horses having one owner their whole lives, but of course that's not often the case and I'm sure it definitely wasn't the case back then, when people needed horses for daily transportation and work. While the message of treating horses (and people, too) with kindness is an excellent one, I found it really heavy-handed - most of the chapters are just slight variations on this theme - how nice it is to have a nice master, how awful it is to have a bad master - over and over again. But apparently this was new thinking in the 19th century, so I guess it was needed. The info at the back of my copy says that the story had a real impact on people's attitudes towards their animals and made people re-think things like cruel reining techniques, so it definitely deserves kudos for that. And I did like that Beauty got a happy ending, after some hard living situations.

Verdict: Not really my bag of oats, but I'm glad to have finally read this classic.

Review: Emily of New Moon

Emily of New Moon by L.M. Montgomery
3 stars

Summary (adapted from Wikipedia): Emily Starr is sent to live at New Moon Farm on Prince Edward Island with her aunts Elizabeth (the stern one) and Laura (the sweet one) Murray and her "simple" Cousin Jimmy, who composes poetry. She makes friends with Ilse Burnley, Teddy Kent, and Perry Miller, the hired boy . . . Emily has a hard time getting along with Aunt Elizabeth, who doesn't understand her need to write. Ilse's father, Dr. Burnley, ignores Ilse most of the time because of a dreadful secret concerning Ilse's mother. Teddy's mother is jealous of her son's talents and friends, fearing that his love for them will eclipse his love for her . . . Perry's Aunt Tom once tries to make Emily promise to marry Perry when they grow up, threatening that unless Emily does so, she won't pay for Perry's schooling. Other unforgettable characters are Dean "Jarback" Priest, a quiet, mysterious cynic who wants something he fears is ever unattainable; and fiery Mr Carpenter, the crusty old schoolteacher who is Emily's mentor and honest critic when it comes to evaluating her stories and poems.

My thoughts: I'm still an Anne girl. I may read the other two Emily books someday, but my heart belongs first to Anne and then to Jane of Lantern Hill. I think part of the problem is that, while Emily is different in some ways from Anne, so much of her situation is much the same - bright, spirited orphan girl sent to live with a family that doesn't really want her. And it definitely has lots of that part of Montgomery's style that I like the least - pages of flowery descriptions and raptures over the beauty of a single tree.

And while I've heard Emily's writerliness is the reason some people prefer her to Anne and that it makes Emily more similar to Montgomery herself, it wasn't really for me. I guess at the time it was a curiosity to have a girl wanting to be a writer and maybe that gave it extra charm and interest, but while I admire Emily's spirit, having to read her poetry and her constant misspellings got a bit annoying. It also split the book up in an odd way for me - some of it is told by the narrator and some through Emily's letters to her deceased father.

Least favourite parts: The inklings that Emily has psychic powers - it seemed really jarring given the age and style of the story. Dean Priest - maybe I'm just too 21st century in my outlook, but it really seemed to me as though this 30-something man had some much-too-strong feelings for 12-year-old Emily.

Favourite part: There's definitely still Montgomery charm, though. I really enjoyed the chapter where Protestant-raised Emily visits a Catholic priest to try and get him to convince New Moon neighbour Lofty John not to cut down a grove of trees between the two properties. The priest is enchanted by Emily and is convinced she's a fairy, which was cute. He also helps her with advice on how to get the heroine of her epic poem out of a convent, which was a hoot.

Verdict: I definitely prefer Green Gables, but New Moon was worth a visit.

Review: Vampirates: Demons of the Ocean

Vampirates: Demons of the Ocean by Justin Somper
3 stars

Reasons for reading: thought it would be a good one to be able to tell the library kids about; last Vampire book and the last book for the Triple 8 Challenge

Description: "Twins, Connor and Grace, never dreamed that there was any truth to the Vampirate shanty their father sang to them before he died, but that was before the two were shipwrecked and separated from each other. For Connor, who is taken aboard a pirate ship, there's the chance to learn to swordfight, but for Grace, aboard a mysterious ship of vampire pirates, the danger is great. What will it take for them to find each other?"

My thoughts: This has definite kid appeal. I mean, two of the coolest things out there combined? What more could you want. I see there are now 4 books in this series, so I'm glad to have read the first one. I enjoyed the swashbuckling bits and thought the bond between Connor and Grace was great. The book had a slightly odd feel to it for me, I can't quite put my finger on it - probably because it was set in 2025, yet it had an 18th century feel to it. I liked that the pirate ship's crew was made up of both men and women.

You can really tell this is the first book in a longer series, as it asks more questions than it answers. I don't know if I'm invested enough to read them all, but I'm glad to know what the series is about.

Review: The Willoughbys

The Willoughbys by Lois Lowry
3 stars

Reasons for reading: assigned it to our kids' book club at the library (without reading it first, oops!); Lois Lowry = children's lit queen; sounded funny

Description: Abandoned by their ill-humored parents to the care of an odious nanny, Tim, the twins, Barnaby A and Barnaby B, and their sister, Jane, attempt to fulfill their roles as good oldfashioned children. Following the models set in lauded tales from A Christmas Carol to Mary Poppins, the four Willoughbys hope to attain their proscribed happy ending too, or at least a satisfyingly maudlin one. However, it is an unquestionably ruthless act that sets in motion the transformations that lead to their salvation and to happy endings for not only the four children, but their nanny, an abandoned baby, a candy magnate, and his long-lost son too.

Heather J asks:
Would an almost-7-yr-old boy enjoy this as a read with mom book?

My first thought was, probably not. But then, I think that it depends on your son. If he's got an amazing vocabulary and has already enjoyed longer stories - classics, Roald Dahl, and/or Lemony Snicket, for example - he might. But I found it to be one of those books that's actually aimed more at adults. It is a funny book with kid appeal in that Snickety sort of way, but it's definitely a parody of old-fashioned children's stories like Heidi, The Bobbsey Twins (which I enjoyed - I sneered at the BT's when I was a kid), Anne of Green Gables and many others, including a few I'd never actually heard of, from the 19th century. There are tons of ten-dollar words and even the glossary at the end isn't overly helpful (though it is funny). We haven't had the meeting of my library's 10-13 book club yet, so I'n not sure what their reaction will be, but one girl did tell my assistant that it had too many big words. It was a quick read and I did enjoy it, but I was so conscious of the parody aspect that I found it hard to see as a children's book. But I think that the right, 9-12 year-old reader who gets the joke and who has maybe read a few of the books referenced will get a kick out of it. But I'd say that most almost-7's that I know would be too young.

Here's a post from someone else who found it rather adult-aimed.

Mini review: The Secret of the Mansion

The Secret of the Mansion (Trixie Belden, book 1) by Julie Campbell
2.5 stars

Reason for reading: Girl detective story for the Daring Book Challenge

Description: "Trixie’s summer is going to be sooo boring with her two older brothers away at camp. But then a millionaire’s daughter moves into the next-door mansion, an old miser hides a fortune in his decrepit house, and a runaway kid starts hiding out in Sleepyside!"

My thoughts: I've always wondered about Trixie Belden. I hadn't read any of the books as a kid, I wasn't really into the girl detective thing. But when Dewey's Weekly Geeks asked us to recall fave childhood books, tons of people chose Trixie. So when it came up on the Daring Books list, I thought I'd give it a go.

It was a fine book, full of spunk, friendship and adventures. It's just not really my thing, hence the 2.5 stars. I'm not sorry I read it, though, I think it's good for me to know about such an enduring children's classic. I actually thought it would be a lot more dated than it was, but it wasn't too bad, apart from things like having to call the operator to place a phone call and a few other references. I didn't dislike it, I just didn't have a really strong "wow!" reaction about it. But I can see why people would have it on their childhood faves list. And I'd put it in the hands of a kid at the library today, especially if their parents were looking for good clean reads. I guess I'm just not much of a girl detective girl.

Review: The Tail of Emily Windsnap

The Tail of Emily Windsnap by Liz Kessler
2.5 stars

Jennie asked: From what I know, The Tail of Emily Windsnap is about being a mermaid. However, I've only read the back of the book. What else is the book about? Are you interested in reading the sequel? It's also a children's book. Would you recommend it to adult readers?

It's basically about a mermaid. :-) It's also about interspecies breeding and wrongful imprisonment, how's that for a children's story?!

Here's how School Library Journal sums the book up: "Seventh-grader Emily Windsnap has never learned to swim, in spite of the fact that she and her mother live on a houseboat. When she finally takes a swimming class at school, her legs turn into a fishtail. She tries to hide her strange affliction, but something draws her to the sparkling surf. Soon, she is secretly gliding through the water as a mermaid. Below the waves, she meets Shona, also 12, who takes her to mermaid school and leads her on several adventures. When Emily learns the intriguing history of the Shiprock community and of illegal marriages between humans and merpeople, she begins to look for her merman father. Danger, humor, confrontation, and even a trial before Neptune all play a part in her search. Eventually, she finds her dad and comes to understand the truth about her oddly controlling neighbor, Mr. Beeston; her mother's dislike of water; and her parents' love affair. All ends well when the family is reunited and swims away to live a new life on a secret merfolk island."

I wouldn't not recommend it to adult readers, but it's definitely a younger kids' book with not a lot to it. It's not a bad story, but there's not a whole lot of character development and I rather found the way the mer-people had been controlling her mother for 12 years pretty creepy. I won't be reading the sequel. I read this one because I had to do a booktalk on it (and I do love mermaids) and I don't regret it, but I don't really care what happens to the Windsnap family.

But I'd recommend it to 7-10 year-old girls and their parents, it's a fun little story and I'd say it's certainly better than reading the latest Hannah Montana paperback or whatever type of fairies Daisy Meadows is up to now.

Review: Magyk

Magyk (Septimus Heap, book 1) by Angie Sage
3 stars

Reasons for reading: it's popular with kids at the library; I have to do a booktalk on it

Book description: Septimus Heap, the seventh son of a seventh son, disappears the night he is born, pronounced dead by the midwife. That same night, the baby's father, Silas Heap, comes across an abandoned child in the snow - a newborn girl with violet eyes. The Heaps take her into their home, name her Jenna, and raise her as their own. But who is this mysterious baby girl and what really happened to their beloved son Septimus?

My thoughts: I'm not much of a fantasy girl, but this one was pretty entertaining. One cool thing was that, despite being the title character, Septimus' identity isn't revealed until the end of the book. His identity is pretty obvious (at least it was to grown-up me), but I thought it added some interest. But there's lots of adventure, magic, and humour. I enjoyed the fun details, like Bert the cat who's been transformed into a duck (so she meows instead of quacks) and the Sheild Bugs - magically transformed insects who pop out of their jars armed with tiny swords and fight to the death. It's a pretty hefty book and there are a lot of characters in the book, which dawned on me when I read the "What happened to?" section at the end and couldn't remember who half of them were.

One irksome thing - putting any word that had anything to do with Magyk in bold italics.

I don't think I'll be reading the rest of the series, but I'd definitely recommend it to kids.

Review: Maniac Magee

Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli

Summary (from Amazon): Maniac Magee is a folk story about a boy, a very excitable boy. One that can outrun dogs, hit a home run off the best pitcher in the neighborhood, tie a knot no one can undo. "Kid's gotta be a maniac," is what the folks in Two Mills say. It's also the story of how this boy, Jeffrey Lionel "Maniac" Magee, confronts racism in a small town, tries to find a home where there is none and attempts to soothe tensions between rival factions on the tough side of town.

My thoughts: This was my final book for the Newbery Challenge. I've always meant to read it - it's one of those fairly rare books that's an award-winner and also actually popular with kids. I can see why, it's a great story and one that would appeal to both boys and girls (especially boys, which is always welcome!). It had a lot packed into its short length - humour, fun, sadness, joy... Maniac is one of the most interesting kids' book characters I've come across in quite a while - smart, athletic, funny, resourceful, rather naive and very kind.

The only thing I didn't quite get is when it was supposed to be set - like Shiloh (which also confused me on the time front), it was published in the early nineties and appears to be set in that time, but the small-townness and the racism seems to belong to the 60's or 70's.

Review: The Neverending Story

The Neverending Story by Michael Ende

Summary: "Bastian embarks on a wild adventure when he enters the magical world of Fantastica, a doomed land filled with dragons, giants, and monsters, and risks his life to save Fantastica by going on a very dangerous quest."

My thoughts: Oh gosh, this is one I should be careful with, because I know it's a beloved classic. But honestly, the title really summed it up for me - quite often I felt like it was literally never going to end and I really wanted it to. I'm just not a fantasy girl, that was the main problem. I did enjoy some of the descriptions of the places in Fantastica - the many-coloured desert and the silver city, for example. And, rather like Inhkheart, I liked the idea of it - who hasn't wanted to be transported into a favourite book, especially when life isn't treating you very well? But it just kept going on and on with another place and weird character and another and another. Telling the whole story up until Bastian entered it and then starting over again was bizarre to me - I'm sure there was lots of deep meaning I didn't get, but the "Fantastica has always existed/nothing existed until you wished it" thing didn't really make sense to me. And I found Bastian very irritating, although I was happy that he got a good ending (and not just because it was the end :-) ).

It's funny, because I adore The Phantom Tollbooth, which I've just realized is quite similar - rather annoying boy enters a story and meets all kinds of weird characters and goes on a quest. I don't know, I guess it has a lot more humour (I found very little in this one) and it's shorter. Part of my problem with The Neverending Story could also be because it's translated - I seem to sometimes have trouble with translated works (I didn't really like The Little Prince, either, as you may recall).

Oh well, I'm still glad I read it, I've been meaning to for years, to add to my children's librarian repertoire.

Review: Shiloh

Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

Summary: 11-year-old Marty Preston lives in the West Virginia hills with his parents and 2 sisters. He's pretty content to roam the hills along or hang out with his couple of friends. But one day a scared Beagle puppy follows him home and he sure looks scared. When Shiloh (as Marty's named him) keeps appearing, Marty decides not to let him go back to his owner, mean Judd Travers. Marty is sure he mistreats his hunting dogs and that's why Shiloh ran away. Marty hides the dog, but can't stand lying to his parents. When Shiloh is badly injured and word gets out that the Prestons have him, Marty gathers up his courage to keep Shiloh but discovers it's sometimes hard to separate right from wrong.

My thoughts: I spent the first third of the book sure I'd read it before and I'm still not sure whether I had or not. But it could be I just know about it because it's now a classic or that it's such an archetypal boy-and-his-dog story. I'm not a big dog-story person, but I can certainly see why it's so well-loved, as a dog is often at the top of a kid's list of desires. And it is a good kids' story, I can see why it won the Newbery.

The one thing that bugged me was that I felt (rather like Inkheart) that it should have been set in the past. The book was written in 1991, but the rural setting and dialect, in addition to the fact that there's no money to be had to keep a dog (even though Mr. Preston is a postman - hello, government employee! - and they seem to have a fair bit of land), really made it feel like it should have been set during the 30's or 40's. Now, maybe it's an accurate contemporary West Virginia dialect and I know nothing about the hardships of small, rural counties, but I found it quite jarring to read that the Prestons had a TV (yet couldn't afford a phone?) and Marty's friend David had a computer.

I was impressed that the book really showed that right and wrong can be shades of grey. Often in kids' books there's the one very clear right thing to do. But while Marty knows that saving Shiloh is right, he also has to deal with lying and with the fact that he's stolen another man's property. Plus in order to save Shiloh once and for all, he has to stand by while another animal is hurt. I thought the final words really summed it all up, "...I'm thinking how nothing is as simple as you guess - not right or wrong, not Judd Travers, not even me or this dog I got here. But the good part is I saved Shiloh and opened my eyes some. Now that ain't bad for eleven." I'd say it's not bad for people 2, 3, or 4 times 11, Marty! :-)