Billy Coatbutton and the Wheel of Destiny by Michael James Ploof ★★★☆☆

A good, quick read for kids.

Fiction – Juvenile - Fantasy

48 pages

Age level: 9-13 Grade level: 4-8

Publication Date: 2012

The Sock Gnome Chronicles #1

Billy Coatbutton, a Sock Gnome, must pass his first test of mastery to become a hunter like his dad. With one spin of the Wheel of Destiny Billy is sent on the adventure of his life, challenging him in unexpected ways.

This book is written in the grand tradition of the Borrowers complete with its own mythology and cute adventure story. The narrator directly addresses the reader and the writing and vocabulary are both very appropriate for the age level. I love the overall message about doing right for its own sake and looking after the overall good and not just personal selfish ambition. Also this is a quick read and great for kids with short attention spans who might otherwise struggle to read longer books.

The Wide-Awake Princess by E.D. Baker ★★★★☆

Magic doesn’t always improve things!

Fiction – Juvenile/YA – Medieval Fantasy

261 pages

Age Level: 10 - 14 | Grade Level: 5 – 8

Publication Date: 2010 

Wide-Awake Princess #1  

When a curse is set in motion Annie, the younger sister of Sleeping Beauty, is the only one immune to the enchanted sleep placed on the castle.  Annie, with a little help from her friends, has to find her sister’s one true love to save the kingdom.

I found this story idea so fascinating and to me my delight I found its execution nicely handled.  The interweaving of fairy tales was well planned and the comfortable writing style a great asset to keeping it somewhat romantic, but not offputtingly so.  Ms. Baker sets the stage perfectly for the body of the story with a great prologue, and allows this fun story to mature at a comfortable rate.  I appreciated some Annie’s insights on how much magic messes up things and that it isn’t a crutch for her.

Ms. Baker does a great job both in world creation and character construction.  Annie is a delightfully real girl, with no artifice added either through the use of magic like others of her noble class in the book or by the author trying to create a character full of perfection.  The different places and kingdoms have enough of their own culture to contrast with what Annie is used to create the feeling that we are all experience new things together.  My only real complaint is that the nobility titles were not used correctly, which is rather minor and probably would only bother me, but unlikely to cause the intended audience any problems.

 

The Forests of Silence by Emily Rodda ★★★☆☆

A Solid Adventure

Fiction – Juvenile - High Fantasy

Age Level: 8 - 12 

131 pages

Publication Date: 2002

Deltora Quest #1

Literary Awards:  West Australian Young Readers' Book Award (WAYRBA) for Younger Readers (2002)

Only the jeweled Belt of Deltora can stop the plans of the dastardly Shadow Lord, but the gems were stolen long ago and hid around the land.  Who will have the courage to face overwhelming obstacles and make the belt whole once again?

While this book didn’t move me like Rowan of Rin it still was a fun adventure story and opens up the reader to the elaborate world of Deltora.  Ms. Rodda as always is a master world builder, with lovely visuals, interesting characters and a land full of wonder. 

Ms. Rodda’s writing effortless writing and quick pace kept my attention and wanting to know what happens next.  I like that the backstory started far enough back for the reader to really understand what was at stake and how easily woven it was into the first few pages.  The backstory also helps set a dramatic, pivotal point setting the stage for change and conquest.  Also, having the story on the shorter side will help it appeal to younger readers with shorter attention spans.

 Another great thing about this book is that it is a bit older so its’ series is finished along with a couple of others revolving around the same characters.

The Icebound Land by John Flanagan ★★★★☆

Well Done

Fiction – YA/Juvenile – Medieval

266 pages

Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up

Publication Date: June 26, 2007

Ranger's Apprentice #3

Halt and Horace follow after Will and Evanlyn to Skandia to set them free from their kidnappers.

This book was a major improvement and I only have good things to say.  The pacing was superb.  The excitement suspense and drama began right from the start.  The story was a bit unexpected and pleasantly surprising.  The writing never broke with the book reality.  I loved the dynamics of differing points of view of the same events and was impressed at how well done the two story lines were done.  All of the characters were fully realized and distinctive from other as well as the different cultures.

I just really enjoyed it and by the end I was clamoring for the next one and so grateful to have a local library with a decent children’s section.

Rowan and the Keeper of the Crystal by Emily Rodda ★★★★☆

Another Winner

Fiction – Juvenile – High Fantasy

208 pages

Grade Level: 3 and up  Age Range: 8 and up

Publication Date:  1996

Rowan of Rin #3

Rowan and his mother are called to choose the new Keeper of the Crystal by the Maris folk, but when Rowan’s mother is poisoned only he can find the culprit and pick the new Keeper before the Zebak invasion.

Again I was blown away by how well done these books are.  Ms. Rodda is a rare talent, she describes these places like someone who has actually lived there and not just a place made up in her mind.  In this book the story telling style changes a bit from the first two, but I don’t feel that it detracts in any way.  Also the story type is a bit different too.  We again get to see Rowan grow, but also rely on the lessons he learned from his earlier challenges.  This story is about cunning and there is no guide or protector this time.  Rowan must become a leader and not just a follower and his new challenge is to discern the minds of others. Also another cool thing is that we get to visit the Coast and the Maris people with Rowan for the first time. 

Fablehaven by Brandon Mull ★★★☆☆

A refreshing take on fantasy.

Fiction – Juvenile/YA – Urban Fantasy

351 pages

Age Level: 9 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up

Publication Date:  2006 

Fablehaven #1

During a rare visit to their grandparents Kendra and Seth learn that the strange estate, Fablehaven, their grandparents’ manage is more than an old house and carefully tended grounds.  Fablehaven is actually one of the last refuges for magical creatures in the world.  When the carefully laid out laws of Fablehaven are broken and an old evil is released only Kendra can save the day if she has courage.

 

The beginning kind of threw me and I would have to say the grittiness of the story does make me question whether the intended reading ages were appropriate.  So as a parent think on your child’s maturity before letting them read it. Though, I really appreciate the loving care Mr. Mull put into creating this book world.  He used beautiful imagery and such a variety of creatures and mythology that it seems like it could really exist. The pacing was great and I just loved watching Kendra and Seth discover the keys and solve the mystery of Fablehaven (definitely a Secret Garden kind of thrill).  I would say this is a fairly gender neutral book, great for anyone interested in fantasy and adventure.  As an adult I liked the newness of the world and Mr. Mull’s fresh take, it never felt stale or over used.  While I wasn’t exactly blown away by the writing or the book as a whole, I liked it enough that I read the rest of the series in quick succession and am considering adding it to my Chosen Ones List.  Also as a side note a teacher friend of mine says it was great to read out loud to her class.

The Burning Bridge by John Flanagan ★★★☆☆

Fiction – YA/Juvenile – Medieval

262 pages

Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up

Publication Date:  2005

Ranger's Apprentice #2

Literary Awards:  Children's Book Council of Australia Award, International Success of the Year Award (2007)

Will and Horace are sent on a special mission to their kingdom’s neighboring allies, Celtica, to request help in their fight against Morgarath, but when they arrive the towns are abandoned and frightening new information about Morgarath’s troop movements forces them to rethink their plans.  With the safety of their kingdom hanging in the balance Will and Horace must find a way to thwart Morgarath’s plan.

The orchestration of this novel is leaps and bounds beyond the first.  It has the quality that I had expected in the first and is pretty much an improvement in every way.  The story is more sophisticated and better laid out making the alternating points of view more appropriate. The risk factor is upped and better suited for making this an adventure story.  With a quicker pace and more action it held tightly onto my attention leaving in suspense of what was going to happen next.  The battles were complex and interesting and the ending was exciting and unexpected.  Again I enjoyed the lack of magic and found it unexpectedly refreshing.   Occasionally the writing did trip me up and pushed me out of the story world and I was a little surprised he didn’t draw out the Morgarath storyline, but in comparison to everything else these were minor distractions.  

Nikki Powergloves- A Hero is Born by David Estes ★★★☆☆

Even heroes make mistakes.

Fiction – Juvenile – Urban Fantasy

170 pages

Ages 7-10

Publication Date:  2012 

Nikki Powergloves #1

Nine-year-old Nikki Nickerson’s boring summer turns into the adventure of a lifetime when she is given gloves of power.  With her trusty dog, Mr. Miyagi, and best friend Spencer, she has to figure out to become a superhero in order to stop her very own villain, Jimmy.

This is the kind of adventure all kids dream about (okay probably not all kids, but they should).  Mr. Estes breezy writing sets the stage for fun escapes with Nikki from page one.  Nikki is imaginative, teachable, and could be a real nine-year-old kid.  She makes mistakes while getting a handle on her powers which leads to consequences that affect others, but she does take responsibility for them and tries to fix them.  I see this as the big difference between her and the villain Jimmy.  Life lesson for everyone to learn no matter their age.  Though Mr. Estes doesn’t leave Jimmy as a flat character; he provides the reader some understanding of how Jimmy came to be.  Mr. Estes also shows that even our best intentions can be misconstrued by others.

I loved the chapter titles and think Mr. Miyagi is the best dog’s name ever!  I really like Spencer – everyone needs a best friend that fits them – and everything he added to Nikki’s journey.  Also, this book is completely age appropriate – something as a mother I cherish.

The Ruins of Gorlan by John Flanagan ★★★☆☆

A few quality issues

Fiction-YA/Juvenile-Medieval

Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up

249 pages

Publication Date: 2004 

Ranger's Apprentice #1

Literary awards: Rebecca Caudill Young Reader's Book Award Nominee (2008)

When 15-year-old Will is picked as a Ranger’s apprentice he is disappointed, but with the menace of the Lord of the Mountains of Rain and Night readying for battle he quickly learns that Rangers are the greatest protectors the kingdom can have.

The book world is very authentic, with great multi-dimensional characters and rich detail.  The writing was rhythmic and a have very few complaints other than at times it was a bit amateurish.  The book was easy to get through and kept me wanting to know what would happen next.  The prologue creates a great platform for the rest of the story to be set on.   The focus of this book swings back and forth between Ranger’s apprentice Will and Battle School apprentice Horace, two very different characters.

Okay, now the other side.  I may have been betrayed by my own expectations, but I anticipated a whole lot more suspense and excitement.  The story was fairly slow moving and not big into subtlety.  Also, I have to say Horace not showing up in the climax seemed really weird and I was disappointed not to see him.  My investment of him just didn’t give the payoff that was expected, particularly since he was such a focus in the book.

Now, while I might seem a bit negative I have to say I really do see the potential of this series and have purchased the next two in the series already.  I haven’t given up on it.

Freaks by Kieran Larwood ★★★☆☆

Even freaks have a role to play.

Fiction – Juvenile – Steampunk/Mystery

Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up

256 pages

Publication Date: March 1, 2013

When impoverish children in Victoria London, begin to go missing, supposedly taken by a monster in the river, Sheba, the Wolfgirl, and her fellow sideshow freaks use their unique gifts to track down the crooks.

Being a parent finally pays off (you know apart from it being so very glamorous)!  My daughter’s school has book fairs; a new venue where I can purchase – for the kids, of course– new books for a good price.  Growing-up I loved the book fair and all of the amazing possibilities it held.  Most of the time I fell back on the tried and true Babysitter’s Club or the like, but just seeing the possibilities of the worlds these books held took my breath away.  It opened my closed little world to the potential, even I might have.  And frankly they still inspire those feelings.

The title, Freaks, immediately caught my attention and with the back blurb being interesting and the price great I took a chance.  I am trying to explore more books in the juvenile age now that my kids are getting close to that age, so this was a great chance to make that happen.  Also, I read a lot of inappropriate books as a kid, so I want be very aware of the books my kids are reading. 

The fun infusion of steampunk for kids with a non-glamorous look at Victorian London was great.  Plus the fun extra sections at the back about the characters and author notes about Victorian London, gave it a little depth.  Mr. Larwood starts feeding out info at a very comfortable pace and creates an entertaining story.  I liked the main character, Sheba, from the beginning, but the book was a bit too in your face about her past.  As for the other characters while each was unique in background, temperament and interest, I found a lot of holes in Monkey Boy’s back story.  But for the age group this was intended for I doubt they will see any flaws.

13 Treasures by Michelle Harrison ★★★★☆

Awesome debut!

Fiction – Juvenile – Urban Fantasy/Mystery

Grades 5–8

368 pages

Publication Date:  2009

Literary Awards:  Waterstone's Children's Book Prize (2009)

Thirteen Treasures #1

Sent away to live at Elvesden Manor with her Grandmother  by her exasperated mother, Tanya knows even in the country she cannot escape the weird and scary stuff happening to her.  Tanya can see what should not be seen and the fairies do not take kindly to trespassers; they have their own way of dealing with intruders.  Is Tanya doomed to repeat history and disappear like a girl fifty years before under mysterious circumstances or can she finally solve the mystery that has haunted her family for generations.

This book was decidedly darker and more ominous than the typical juvenile book, but I really like the depth it added.  This story uses the older, more visceral form of fairies and their interactions with human, not the Disneyfied version.  The original Grimm fairy tales come to mind.  Something that helped fend off some of the darkness was even though you see the fairies powers over humans, the book never gives the sense that humans are completely powerless.  The writing is clean and the action starts quickly and sweeps you up in it.  This is one of those stories I found so absorbing that I had a hard time tearing myself away from it to deal with actual real life things.  The mythology is effortlessly woven through out with book references, stories and discovery; well-formed plot and great backstories with a variety of character types.  And frankly who doesn’t love the Secret Garden type of story where the main character is sent into a new world of discovery. 

For Ms. Harrison’s debut it is pretty awesome.

Dealing with Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede ★★★★☆

A princess who can rescue herself and her friends.

Fiction – Juvenile – High Fantasy

Age Range: 10 and up Grade Level: 4 - 8

212 pages

Publication Date: 1990

Enchanted Forest Chronicles #1

Literary Awards: Rebecca Caudill Young Reader's Book Award Nominee (1993)

Princess Cimorene isn’t your typical fairytale princess despite her family’s attempts to make her one.  Nor does she want to be.  Cimorene wants freedom to choose her own path, so when her parents arrange for her to marry she decides to it’s time to run away.  Told to head to the Enchanted Forest by a frog Cimorene begin the adventure of her life.  And the ending is anything, but typical, just like Cimorene.

So it is fairly obvious that while this book takes place in a typical fairytale book world, Cimorene, as a nonconformist, couldn’t have a typical story.  This story has no rescue, no knight, no happily-ever-after, because Cimorene actually volunteers to be a dragon’s princess.  Cimorene as a heroine is strong, independent and most importantly bored with normal princess life, and she has the gumption and courage to take chances.  Now the thing I really valued about her is even though she wanted to choose a different path from the norm she gives others to follow the normal one without scorn.  She gives them the freedom to be who they are.  Also it was nice to see that her princess upbringing did help her out in her new role.  So her upbringing did have value even if she didn’t like it at the time.

Charming, whimsical and fun this book is nice light read, with interesting characters set in a familiar world that keeps turning custom on its ear.  This is a book I can confidently that all ages will enjoy

The Grimm Legacy by Polly Shulman ★★★☆☆

I always knew libraries were magical!

Fiction – Juvenile – Urban Fantasy/Mystery

Age Range: 10 and up  Grade Level: 5 and up

325 pages

Publication Date:  2010

The Grimm Legacy #1

Literary Awards:  Mythopoeic Fantasy Award Nominee for Children’s Literature (2011), Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award Nominee (2012), Texas Lone Star List (2011), YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults (2011)

I was so ridiculously excited about this premise when I found it available at my local library (I now own it thanks to a book fair) that it place jumped to the front of my books to read.  I freely admit, I was completely captivated with the idea of the repository my mind kept wandering as I imagined the possibilities making it hard to pay attention my usual intensity.  It was like a dream come true.  Organizing and sorting interesting objects with amazing stories attached.  How great would this place be?

 I wished it would have been available when I was child, because it would have been an instant favorite and I wouldn’t have noticed the flaws as much.  But sadly as an adult some things did stand out to me.

The first couple of chapters felt rushed, more like someone was blurting out the backstory than setting the scene, but by chapter three the pacing became more comfortable. The cast of characters were just the right side of bland, but this is not really a character based story like I usually enjoy.  Elizabeth’s rushed backstory gave her a bit of dimension, but they were all far from fleshed out.  The mystery was somewhat subpar, with a few glaring story holes.  Also I kind of felt like was jumping in during the middle of the story instead of the beginning.  This isn’t a quality story like Harry Potter or   Maniac Magee, but taken for what it is, a fun little mystery story with a mild romantic element set in an amazing place, it’s nice.  Keeping your expectations minimal in regard to the characters will greatly help in reading with novel. 

The next book is about a whole new cast of main characters and the science fiction wind of the library, which I plan on reading.  It will be pretty awesome I just know it!