Retrieved from: the library
(078681859X)
It's magical YA book month for me! This is a clever, but relatively obvious, rip-off of Harry Potter, but darker, more like Phillip Pullman's books. The magicians are pretty nasty across the board, sort of a really snooty upper class poshies.
The chapters alternate between the young magician, Nathaniel, and the djinn he conjures, Bartimaeus. Nathaniel's chapters are quite distant Omniscient Narrator style. Bartimaeus' chapters are first person, with footnotes containing asides to the audience. Very funny footnotes, sometimes. And because they are first person, at one point, there is a clear break between Bart's version of the story and "what really happened." Not in a major, plot-changing way, just a shift in tone that tells the reader a lot about Bart's ego.
Good story, a bit contrived, and clearly a trilogy. It doesn't quite stand alone, and you're left hanging a bit in anticipation of the next book in the series. Which I will probably read, because I like Bart. And Nathaniel's future has some interesting prospects.
(I find it interesting that Nathaniel's name means "gift of the Lord." Hmm, that can't be accidental. On the other hand, Bartimaeus is a cognate of Bartholomaus, which means "farmer" and that's just weird. So much for deep analysis...)
Thursday, August 26, 2004
Inkheart, by Cornelia Funke
Retrieved from: the library
(0439531640)
Another young adult book, this is a story close to a librarian's (or any book lover's) heart: what if you could make the characters in books come to life just by reading the books out loud? All those wonderful adventure tales, etc. etc.
Truthfully, I never wanted to bring the adventures to life, but I would like to read Laura and Mary and Ma and Pa to life... except as Ms. Funke describes, they would be out of sorts and feel completely wrong in this era.
In this story, Mo reads three characters out of a book called Inkheart, but the trade-off is that his wife and two cats trade places with them. Fortunately, his three-year-old daughter remains with him.
Fast-forward nine years, and it becomes very apparent that these characters are Not Good Men. At least two of them are Evil Villains. And we are off on the wild adventures of Mo, Maggie (his daughter) and Elinor (his wife's aunt, an obsessive book-collector) as they try to rescue Inkheart, Italy and Teresa (wife, mother, niece). It's a rollicking, scary, fun book. Also very long: 534 pages in hardcover.
One of the best parts of the design of the book is the inclusion at the beginning of each chapter of quotes from famous children's books: The Wind in the Willows; The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe; Watership Down; Where the Wild Things Are (how odd, all these begin with 'W'....hmmm). These quotes give you not only a sense of where the story will be going in that chapter, but a sense for how the characters are feeling at that point in the story.
Great read, pretty fast. Similar to The Thief Lord, but more magical.
(0439531640)
Another young adult book, this is a story close to a librarian's (or any book lover's) heart: what if you could make the characters in books come to life just by reading the books out loud? All those wonderful adventure tales, etc. etc.
Truthfully, I never wanted to bring the adventures to life, but I would like to read Laura and Mary and Ma and Pa to life... except as Ms. Funke describes, they would be out of sorts and feel completely wrong in this era.
In this story, Mo reads three characters out of a book called Inkheart, but the trade-off is that his wife and two cats trade places with them. Fortunately, his three-year-old daughter remains with him.
Fast-forward nine years, and it becomes very apparent that these characters are Not Good Men. At least two of them are Evil Villains. And we are off on the wild adventures of Mo, Maggie (his daughter) and Elinor (his wife's aunt, an obsessive book-collector) as they try to rescue Inkheart, Italy and Teresa (wife, mother, niece). It's a rollicking, scary, fun book. Also very long: 534 pages in hardcover.
One of the best parts of the design of the book is the inclusion at the beginning of each chapter of quotes from famous children's books: The Wind in the Willows; The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe; Watership Down; Where the Wild Things Are (how odd, all these begin with 'W'....hmmm). These quotes give you not only a sense of where the story will be going in that chapter, but a sense for how the characters are feeling at that point in the story.
Great read, pretty fast. Similar to The Thief Lord, but more magical.
Hole in My Life, by Jack Gantos
Retrieved from: the library, via BER seminar
(0374399883)
I read this because the presenter at this seminar (whose name escapes me now) began his talk by reading the first chapter of this book. I guarantee, if you read that out loud to kids, you will have their attention.
Jack Gantos writes the "Joey Pigza" children's series. He is also a convicted felon. This book is about his time in prison, and the road that took him there. Bad choices, bad friends (or at least The Wrong Crowd), bad lawyer, bad bad bad. It's a parents' nightmare, too.
The only fault I find with this book is that I doubt that kids will understand how he got from prison to famous author. As an adult reader, you see the brain-change he goes through, but I think it's a little vague for kids. On the other hand, he doesn't whack them over the head with "I totally screwed up, so don't YOU dare!"
A horrifying but ultimately (like, the last chapter!) optimistic book. I'd recommend this to anyone who thinks teens today are the worst, and I'd recommend it to the 'worst' kids, too.
(0374399883)
I read this because the presenter at this seminar (whose name escapes me now) began his talk by reading the first chapter of this book. I guarantee, if you read that out loud to kids, you will have their attention.
Jack Gantos writes the "Joey Pigza" children's series. He is also a convicted felon. This book is about his time in prison, and the road that took him there. Bad choices, bad friends (or at least The Wrong Crowd), bad lawyer, bad bad bad. It's a parents' nightmare, too.
The only fault I find with this book is that I doubt that kids will understand how he got from prison to famous author. As an adult reader, you see the brain-change he goes through, but I think it's a little vague for kids. On the other hand, he doesn't whack them over the head with "I totally screwed up, so don't YOU dare!"
A horrifying but ultimately (like, the last chapter!) optimistic book. I'd recommend this to anyone who thinks teens today are the worst, and I'd recommend it to the 'worst' kids, too.
Tuesday, August 03, 2004
News
I've rearranged the column to the right. We brought home an awful lot of reading material from vacation that I would like to get through before I forget what I actually saw on vacation. Not sure if I'll do reports on everything ("The Tower of London" guidebook, "Wakefield Cathedral's History" etc.), but when I get to the actual books that I bought at the British Library (because I had to, y'know), I'll post about those. In any case, I probably won't be around here much for awhile...
Silvermeadow, by Barry Maitland
( 1559706147)
Great series that always reminds me of Elizabeth George's series. I just discovered Maitland a few months ago, and what a find!
This one takes place primarily in a mega-mall outside of London called "Silvermeadow." There are two real investigations going on at the mall: a missing teenage girl who turns up dead in a box compacter (ugh!), and a sighting of a notorious bank robber and murderer. The only part of the book that was just too facile was that of course both investigations are related; they have to be or the book just wouldn't work. And Kathy does a lot of talking herself into that fact, when the reader already knows, as soon as both stories are mentioned. Otherwise, the story progresses very appropriately, with good character development. We do get to see behind Brock and Kathy's face-saving walls into their personal lives this time.
Really, though, this is a book delving into mall culture, "lost" people (including teens), and what we may have lost in our culture by giving completely over to consumerism. Of course, there is the obligatory climax scene where the bad guys are confronted -- and I have to say that I was somewhat blindsided by who it turns out to be -- but again, it seemed natural and literate.
Great series that always reminds me of Elizabeth George's series. I just discovered Maitland a few months ago, and what a find!
This one takes place primarily in a mega-mall outside of London called "Silvermeadow." There are two real investigations going on at the mall: a missing teenage girl who turns up dead in a box compacter (ugh!), and a sighting of a notorious bank robber and murderer. The only part of the book that was just too facile was that of course both investigations are related; they have to be or the book just wouldn't work. And Kathy does a lot of talking herself into that fact, when the reader already knows, as soon as both stories are mentioned. Otherwise, the story progresses very appropriately, with good character development. We do get to see behind Brock and Kathy's face-saving walls into their personal lives this time.
Really, though, this is a book delving into mall culture, "lost" people (including teens), and what we may have lost in our culture by giving completely over to consumerism. Of course, there is the obligatory climax scene where the bad guys are confronted -- and I have to say that I was somewhat blindsided by who it turns out to be -- but again, it seemed natural and literate.
Long aside: I'm happy to now be on the side of "right" in this book, having lived in mall culture for the first 15 years of my life: every Saturday afternoon as early as I can remember until I went off to college--and possibly over summer vacations as well--Mom and I went to the library and the mall and bought something. What could we have been shopping for every week?! As an adult, I am apparently the only woman on Planet Earth who loathes shopping. At least the wandering about through store after store looking for just that perfect dress...or whatever. I'm more of a "boy" shopper: list in hand, I go directly to the store that sells what I need. I buy. I leave. If the first store doesn't have what I want, I go one (ONE!) other place, then give up: who needs it anyway? Wandering with my mom all those years through (at that point) the largest mall in the world cured me for the rest of my life.Anyway. I can't wait till the next Kathy & Brock book appears.
Monday, August 02, 2004
Blitzkat, by Robert Westall
(033039861X)
I started reading this with Sparky in May (I think), taking turns: he read a page, then I read a page. Now that I finished it--alone--I realize that in every way, it's way ahead of him. Westall is categorized as a YA author, but this book needs to be read by someone who knows an awful lot about the events around WWII in England. Probably not too many teens have that knowledge. I can see it being used as a literature component in a history class, though.
Anyway. The story follows Lord Gort, a cat whose owner has been sent over to the Continent in the early months of the war, before Dunkirk. The cat can sense her owner's location, and spends most of the book trying to find him. Along the way, she is cared for, and brings good fortune to, many people. "Good fortune" isn't really the right word, just that she's sort of a talisman for postivism instead of all the awfulness of war.
In spite of being a minor WWII buff, I don't know that much about the war years in England (beyond the Land Girls movement), so this was a surprisingly educational book. The cat spends some of her time in Coventry, and I won't spoil the effect she has on that city's tragedy, but it is moving.
I finished this just before going to England. At both York and Lincoln, chapels have been created to honor the veterans and servicemen killed in the RAF and USAAC bombing raids that began in that area. I was reminded over and over while in the U.K. of this book. And it was all just happy accident that I was reading it the day we left. I almost want to read it again now that we're home so that I can pay closer attention.
Good book.
I started reading this with Sparky in May (I think), taking turns: he read a page, then I read a page. Now that I finished it--alone--I realize that in every way, it's way ahead of him. Westall is categorized as a YA author, but this book needs to be read by someone who knows an awful lot about the events around WWII in England. Probably not too many teens have that knowledge. I can see it being used as a literature component in a history class, though.
Anyway. The story follows Lord Gort, a cat whose owner has been sent over to the Continent in the early months of the war, before Dunkirk. The cat can sense her owner's location, and spends most of the book trying to find him. Along the way, she is cared for, and brings good fortune to, many people. "Good fortune" isn't really the right word, just that she's sort of a talisman for postivism instead of all the awfulness of war.
In spite of being a minor WWII buff, I don't know that much about the war years in England (beyond the Land Girls movement), so this was a surprisingly educational book. The cat spends some of her time in Coventry, and I won't spoil the effect she has on that city's tragedy, but it is moving.
I finished this just before going to England. At both York and Lincoln, chapels have been created to honor the veterans and servicemen killed in the RAF and USAAC bombing raids that began in that area. I was reminded over and over while in the U.K. of this book. And it was all just happy accident that I was reading it the day we left. I almost want to read it again now that we're home so that I can pay closer attention.
Good book.
Deception Pass, by Earl Emerson
(0345400682)
This was on the donation cart last month, signed by the author like the last title I read by Emerson. I like the way he writes. I like the fact that he is apparently still a firefighter even though he's had a good run of novels now. Mostly, I like his characters. This is a Thomas Black story, chief of a small fire department in the northwest.
Honestly, I read this book nearly a month ago, and it's becoming difficult to remember the plot. Suffice to say that I liked it at the time, and remember not being able to put it down. Obviously, it's a mystery/p.i. thriller. Black is not-quite noir, and is pretty amusing in very unusual instances. This book did nothing to convince me that I should stop looking for Emerson's books. What I need to do is go back and fill in the ones I haven't read and try to get them in order.
My favorite memory of his books is one character saying that people who turn their windshield wipers on in less than a full-on downpour are wusses. I think of that every time I turn on the wipers. It's been probably 10 years since I read that book. sigh ;-)
This was on the donation cart last month, signed by the author like the last title I read by Emerson. I like the way he writes. I like the fact that he is apparently still a firefighter even though he's had a good run of novels now. Mostly, I like his characters. This is a Thomas Black story, chief of a small fire department in the northwest.
Honestly, I read this book nearly a month ago, and it's becoming difficult to remember the plot. Suffice to say that I liked it at the time, and remember not being able to put it down. Obviously, it's a mystery/p.i. thriller. Black is not-quite noir, and is pretty amusing in very unusual instances. This book did nothing to convince me that I should stop looking for Emerson's books. What I need to do is go back and fill in the ones I haven't read and try to get them in order.
My favorite memory of his books is one character saying that people who turn their windshield wipers on in less than a full-on downpour are wusses. I think of that every time I turn on the wipers. It's been probably 10 years since I read that book. sigh ;-)
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