Teen/YA Review: Num8ers

I devoured Num8ers by Rachel Ward this weekend.  This new teen/YA paranormal thriller was one of those books that completely captivated me  – I carried it around with me all weekend, reading a page here and there whenever I had a spare moment.  I’m not a huge fan of the recent flood of paranormal teen romances involving vampires, werewolves, and angels, but I love this kind of paranormal book, where a character has some sort of unusual power or insight.  It reminded me somewhat of Wake and Fade, which I also loved.

Fifteen-year old Jem has had a rough life.  Her mother died of a drug overdose when she was six, and since then, she’s been shuttled from one foster home to the next.  She’s developed something of a tough-girl exterior along the way.  But Jem is different from other disadvantaged teens on the streets of London because she has a unique power: when she looks into someone’s eyes, she sees their date of death.

Everyone’s got one, but I think I’m the only one who sees them.  Well, I don’t exactly “see” them, like something hanging in the air; they kind of appear in my head.  I feel them, somewhere behind my eyes.  But they’re real.  I don’t care if you don’t believe me – suit yourself, I know they’re real.  And I know what they mean.  The light went on the day my mum went.

I’d always seen the numbers, for as long as I could remember.  I thought everyone did.  Walking down the street, if my eyes met someone else’s, there it would be, their number.  I used to tell my mum people’s numbers as she pushed me along in my buggy.  I thought she’d be pleased.  She’d think I was clever.  Yeah, right.

Jem is struggling with school, trying to get by and avoiding people’s eyes as much as possible, when Spider comes into her life.  She knows him vaguely from school and, as usual, doesn’t want to get to know him better, but he’s very persistent.  Soon they become friends, two outsiders who feel a connection to each other, although Jem is very disturbed to see that his number is coming up soon.

Playing hooky from school one day with Spider, Jem foresees a terrible tragedy in downtown London and runs away in fear.  That sets off a chain of events over which she and Spider have no control.  It’s them against the world, as time is running out.

I found this fast-paced thriller to be so compelling that I had trouble sleeping after staying up too late reading it!  It’s a unique concept that is carried out well, with lots of London street slang in the dialogue, well-drawn characters that you come to care about, loads of suspense, and even a touch of romance.

325 pages, Chicken House (Scholastic)

It's Monday 5/3! What Are You Reading?

How can it possibly be May already?  (and do I say that at the start of every month?)  It hit 90 degrees here this weekend and feels like August already - yuck!  Good thing we had good books to read:

• I finished Anything But Typical by Nora Raleigh Baskin and really enjoyed the story written from the perspective of a 12-year old autistic boy.  Review to come this week.
• I also read a grown-up book, Sea Trails: Poems and 1977 Passage Notes by Pris Campbell, a slim volume of poems, prose, and pictures about the author's sailing trip down the east coast.  Pris has the same immune system disorder that I have, and I was really impressed with her new book.  I'll review it at Book By Book.
• The book that's been keeping me up at night this weekend is a new teen thriller, Num8ers by Rachel Ward.  I've been carrying this compelling and unique suspense novel everywhere with me this weekend!
• Jamie, 15, continues with his personal quest to re-read the entire set of Deltora Quest series by Emily Rodda, an old favorite of his.  There are 14 books in all in these middle-grade fantasy series, and I think he has only two left to go!
• Craig, 12, is enjoying A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle very much, but he's frustrated that he can only read a little at a time.  This is a book he's reading for his Literature Circle in English class, and he's not supposed to read ahead of his group.  I love to hear him complaining that he wants to read more!
• In between his assigned sections of A Wrinkle in Time, Craig is also reading The Wright 3 by Blue Balliett.  He loves mysteries but says it's a little slow to start.
• I finished the audio book Northward to the Moon by Polly Horvath, the sequel to My One Hundred Adventures.  I thoroughly enjoyed both of these sweet middle-grade audios and will review them here soon.

I posted a review of Kate DiCamillo's tender and beautiful novel, The Tiger Rising, this week.  Even though I'm on leave from my other book blog, Book By Book, I posted a review there this week of a funny new road trip novel, Roastbeef's Promise.

What are you and your family reading this week?

(What are you reading Mondays is hosted by Book Journey).

Middle-Grade Review: The Tiger Rising

As I mentioned last week in my review of The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, I love Kate DiCamillo’s writing; her prose is beautifully written and her characters wonderfully real.  The Tiger Rising, a slim novel we just finished reading aloud, is no exception.

The Tiger Rising opens with twelve-year old Rob waiting for his school bus and thinking about his recent discovery:

Finding the tiger had been luck, he knew that.  He had been out in the woods behind the Kentucky Star Motel, way out in the woods, not really looking for anything, just wandering, hoping that maybe he would get lost or get eaten by a bear and not have to go to school ever again.  That’s when he saw the old Beauchamp gas station building, all boarded up and tumbling down; next to it, there was a cage, and inside the cage, unbelievably, there was a tiger – a real-life, very large tiger pacing back and forth.  He was orange and gold and so bright, it was like staring at the sun itself, angry and trapped in a cage.

Rob’s secret buoys him as he boards the school bus and endures yet another morning of teasing and bullying.  But something else is different today.  A new girl, Sistine, gets on the bus.  She’s not like anyone Rob has ever seen or heard before, and he feels an immediate sense of connection with her:

Nobody wore pink lacy dresses to school.  Nobody.  Even Rob knew that.  He held his breath as he watched the girl walk down the aisle of the bus.  Here was somebody even stranger than he was.  He was sure.

Rob’s life is very difficult right now.  His mother recently died, and he and his father are both lost without her and unable to comfort each other.  They’re living in a run-down motel where Rob’s father works as a maintenance man, and Rob has a terrible case of what is probably eczema that makes him an outcast at school.  But now things are different for Rob; he’s not alone anymore.  Now he has a secret tiger in the woods and a new friend.

Like many of DiCamillo’s award-winning novels (this one was a National Book Award Finalist), The Tiger Rising tells its simple yet poignant story with lyrical style that pulls you in so you feel like its characters are your friends.  All four of us loved this novel and couldn’t wait to find out what happened next.  As in real life, everything does not turn out perfectly, but there is hope and encouragement in its satisfying conclusion.  I highly recommend this tender little novel, either for kids to read on their own or as a read-aloud.

121 pages, Candlewick Press

 Accelerated Reader:  Level 4.0, 3 points.

It's Monday 4/26! What Are You Reading?

It was a dark and stormy Monday...

It is dark and stormy, but I'm feeling much better than I was the past two weeks and am ready for a new week!  Lots of great books read in our house last week:

• I read a grown-up novel, Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane, which was excellent.  After seeing the recent movie ads for Shutter Island, my husband mentioned that we had the book, so I decided to read it. I haven't read a suspense novel in awhile, so I really enjoyed this dark psychological thriller. Only problem was the chase dreams I had last night!
• I just started Anything But Typical, a new middle-grade/teen novel written from the perspective of a 12-year old autistic boy.  It's good so far and reminding me a bit of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime, a novel told in the voice of a young man who is autistic (also excellent).
• As he had planned, Jamie, 15, plowed through all 8 books of Deltora Quest by Emily Rodda in a rush of nostalgia for his old favorite series.  He's now moved onto Book 1, Cavern of the Fear, in the Deltora Shadowlands follow-up series.  if you have any middle-grade fantasy lovers in your family, Jamie says they should try the Deltora books.
• Craig, 12, finished another Hardy Boys book, The Clue of the Screeching Owl.  He especially enjoyed this one when he discovered that one of his favorite Hardy Boys' TV episodes was adapted from this book.
• I was thrilled to learn that Craig is now reading A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle for his English class literary circle.  I was an avid reader when I was a kid and had lots of favorite books, but this book - and its sequels - was my all-time,  #1 favorite!  I even played the role of Meg, the main character, in our class play based on the book.  He stayed up past bedtime last night and read all the way to page 60 (his assignment for the whole week), so I think he's enjoying it, too!  If you're a fan of A Wrinkle in Time, too, then you will enjoy When You Reach Me, a recent award-winner by Rebecca Stead that is based on part on A Wrinkle in Time.
• We finished The Tiger Rising by Kate DiCamillo last week.  Even though my boys are now 12 and 15, they still enjoy bedtime read-alouds.  Our whole family loved this wonderful little novel that we started on our recent vacation.  It inspired me to post a review last week of another amazing DiCamillo book, The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane.

 So, what books are you and your family reading this week?

P.S. I finally found time to post pictures of our recent spring break road trip to Louisiana.  if you're interested, you can check them out at our road trip blog (scroll down to the April 1, 2010 post to read the entries in order).

(What are you reading Mondays is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey)

Middle-Grade Review: The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane

This week, we've been reading A Tiger Rising by Kate DiCamillo with our sons and loving it, so I thought I'd post a review of another DiCamillo book we enjoyed on audio a few years ago.  She has such a talent for beautiful prose and warm, touching stories.

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo tells the story of Edward, an exquisite china rabbit who is treasured by 10-year old Abilene. Edward has a good life with Abilene, but he is self-absorbed and arrogant.  Then he gets lost and embarks on a journey that takes him from the bottom of the ocean to the top of a garbage heap and through many different owners, including a fisherman, a hobo, and a seriously ill child.  

Edward’s travels are more than just a fanciful tale. Through his adventures, he learns all about love, loss, and life.  The audio book narrator, Judith Ivey, reads DiCamillo’s beautiful language with considerable talent, bringing the diverse characters to life with a wide range of voices and taking listeners through laughter and sadness to the satisfying conclusion. On a road trip a few years ago, my husband and I and our two boys, then ages 9 and 12, were all captivated and touched by Edward’s miraculous journey.

Although we listened to the audio, I've heard that the illustrations in the book are as beautiful as the prose.

Listening Library/Random House Audio

The audio is appropriate for ages 8 and up.

 Listen to a clip:



AUDIO:     BOOK: 

Top 100 Children's Books

I just read this list of Top 100 Children's Books over at Eating YA Books (this list was originally compiled by Elizabeth Bird at Fuse #8 based on voting from readers and posted on the School Library Journal Blog).  I just had to play along - I love lists (as you probably know if you've read my Top Ten Lists here).  Last year, I posted a similar list of 100 teen/YA books.  I only read 22 of those, but I did better with the children's list - I've read 45 of these (those highlighted in bold).   It's an interesting list, with a nice mix of both older classics and newer titles.  I read  some as a child and some more recently with my own kids (many of them on audio).  How about you?  How many of these books have you read?

100. The Egypt Game — Snyder (1967)
99. The Indian in the Cupboard — Banks (1980)
98. Children of Green Knowe — Boston (1954)
97. The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane — DiCamillo (2006)
96. The Witches — Dahl (1983)
95. Pippi Longstocking — Lindgren (1950)
94. Swallows and Amazons — Ransome (1930)
93. Caddie Woodlawn — Brink (1935)
92. Ella Enchanted — Levine (1997)
91. Sideways Stories from Wayside School — Sachar (1978)
90. Sarah, Plain and Tall — MacLachlan (1985)
89. Ramona and Her Father — Cleary (1977)
88. The High King — Alexander (1968)
87. The View from Saturday — Konigsburg (1996)
86. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets — Rowling (1999)
85. On the Banks of Plum Creek — Wilder (1937)
84. The Little White Horse — Goudge (1946)
83. The Thief — Turner (1997)
82. The Book of Three — Alexander (1964)
81. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon — Lin (2009)**
80. The Graveyard Book — Gaiman (2008)
79. All-of-a-Kind-Family — Taylor (1951)**
78. Johnny Tremain — Forbes (1943)
77. The City of Ember — DuPrau (2003)
76. Out of the Dust — Hesse (1997)
75. Love That Dog — Creech (2001)
74. The Borrowers — Norton (1953)
73. My Side of the Mountain — George (1959)
72. My Father’s Dragon — Gannett (1948)
71. The Bad Beginning — Snicket (1999)**
70. Betsy-Tacy — Lovelae (1940)
69. The Mysterious Benedict Society — Stewart ( 2007)
68. Walk Two Moons — Creech (1994)
67. Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher — Coville (1991)
66. Henry Huggins — Cleary (1950)
65. Ballet Shoes — Stratfeild (1936)
64. A Long Way from Chicago — Peck (1998)
63. Gone-Away Lake — Enright (1957)
62. The Secret of the Old Clock — Keene (1959)
61. Stargirl — Spinelli (2000)
60. The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle — Avi (1990)
59. Inkheart — Funke (2003)
58. The Wolves of Willoughby Chase — Aiken (1962)
57. Ramona Quimby, Age 8 — Cleary (1981)
56. Number the Stars — Lowry (1989)
55. The Great Gilly Hopkins — Paterson (1978)
54. The BFG — Dahl (1982)
53. Wind in the Willows — Grahame (1908)
52. The Invention of Hugo Cabret — Selznick (2007)
51. The Saturdays — Enright (1941)
50. Island of the Blue Dolphins — O’Dell (1960)
49. Frindle — Clements (1996)
48. The Penderwicks — Birdsall (2005)
47. Bud, Not Buddy — Curtis (1999)
46. Where the Red Fern Grows — Rawls (1961)
45. The Golden Compass — Pullman (1995)
44. Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing — Blume (1972)
43. Ramona the Pest — Cleary (1968)
42. Little House on the Prairie — Wilder (1935)**
41. The Witch of Blackbird Pond — Speare (1958)
40. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz — Baum (1900)
39. When You Reach Me — Stead (2009)
38. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix — Rowling (2003)
37. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry — Taylor (1976)
36. Are You there, God? It’s Me, Margaret — Blume (1970)
35. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire — Rowling (2000)
34. The Watsons Go to Birmingham — Curtis (1995)
33. James and the Giant Peach — Dahl (1961)
32. Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH — O’Brian (1971)
31. Half Magic — Eager (1954)
30. Winnie-the-Pooh — Milne (1926)**
29. The Dark Is Rising — Cooper (1973)
28. A Little Princess — Burnett (1905)**
27. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland / Through the Looking-Glass — Carroll (1865/72)
26. Hatchet — Paulsen (1989)
25. Little Women — Alcott (1868/9)
24. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Rowling (2007)
23. Little House in the Big Woods — Wilder (1932)
22. The Tale of Despereaux — DiCamillo (2003)
21. The Lightening Thief — Riordan (2005)
20. Tuck Everlasting — Babbitt (1975)
19. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory — Dahl (1964)
18. Matilda — Dahl (1988)
17. Maniac Magee — Spinelli (1990)
16. Harriet the Spy — Fitzhugh (1964)
15. Because of Winn-Dixie — DiCamillo (2000)
14. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban — Rowling (1999)
13. Bridge to Terabithia — Paterson (1977)
12. The Hobbit — Tolkien (1938)**
11. The Westing Game — Raskin (1978)
10. The Phantom Tollbooth — Juster (1961)
9. Anne of Green Gables — Montgomery (1908)
8. The Secret Garden — Burnett (1911)
7. The Giver — Lowry (1993)
6. Holes — Sachar (1998)
5. From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler — Koningsburg (1967)
4. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe — Lewis (1950)
3. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s/Philsopher’s Stone — Rowling (1997)**
2. A Wrinkle in Time — L’Engle (1962)
1. Charlotte’s Web — White (1952)**

Besides these 45 that I've read or listened to, I've seen the movies for a few more and recognize several titles my kids have read that I haven't.  In fact, I think I'll print this list for them to look at, too!

There are so many favorites of mine on this list.  I just finished The Phantom Tollbooth yesterday!

How many have you read?

It's Monday 4/19! What Are You Reading?

Whew, what a week here!  I have to first apologize - I didn't have any time at all to visit blogs last week.  Besides the usual after-vacation back-up of things to do, my week was packed full with soccer practices, school stuff, my mom's visit, and dentists appointments (in fact, I'm sitting in the dentist's waiting room again right now!).  Also, as soon as we arrived back in Delaware, my allergies hit hard, causing a severe flare-up of my immune system disorder, so I spent much of the week (in between all that running around) resting.

Fortunately, things seem to be slowly returning to normal.  I finally found a combination of meds that keep my allergies managed well enough that I don't feel completely wiped out all the time (just partially wiped out).  We finished unpacking and vacation laundry this weekend.  And I even posted our Louisiana vacation pictures online at our Road Trip Blog - take a look if you're interested (scroll down to April 1, 2010 to read/view the posts in order).  Today, I need to tackle those remaining 300 unread e-mails...

So, enough of all that - what you really want to hear about is our reading week, right?

• Since I was feeling so crummy, I chose a light read for my next book, The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster.  Believe it or not, I have never read this classic before, and Craig was working on it in English class, so I finally picked it up.  It's wonderful; I love all the clever wordplay!  And it was just perfect for my semi-functioning brain last week.
• Jamie, 15, read one book after another last week as usual!   He started with a fairly recent release, The Wizard of Rondo by Emily Rodda.  This is the sequel to The Key of Rondo which he enjoyed last year.
• Jamie finished that book and said to me, "That was great!  I had forgotten what a great writer Emily Rodda is.  I'm going to re-read the Deltora Quest series" (a middle-grade series by Emily Rodda that he loved when he was Craig's age).  So, last night at bedtime, I asked him, "Are you really going to re-read the entire series?"  He held up the book he was reading and said, "Yeah, there are thirteen, and I'm already on book 3!"  Classic Jamie - he loves to re-read old favorites (and hates to ever get rid of any books).  So, that should keep him busy for awhile...maybe a week or two!
• Craig, 12, is enjoying The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau, the first book in The Book of Ember series that Jamie and I both loved.

In addition, I posted reviews last week of  In Search of Watson, the third book in the Sherlock Holmes and the Baker Street Irregulars series and Incarceron, an amazing new teen fantasy that we listened to on audio during our trip.

What are you and your family reading this week?

(What are you reading Mondays is hosted by Book Journey).

Teen/YA Review: Incarceron

On our recent 2700-mile spring break road trip, we listened to a new teen novel, Incarceron by Catherine Fisher, and those miles just flew by!  Incarceron is the start of a new fantasy series that is attracting a lot of attention.  The reason?  Excellent writing and a unique story set in a fascinating world.

Many years before the start of the story, it was decided that gathering together all of the criminals, mentally ill, and other undesirables in society and locking them up in their own separate world would solve the world’s problems.  That world is Incarceron, and it is not a typical prison; it is an entire world of cells, cities, wilderness, and metal forests that is sealed off from the rest of the world.  Legend says that only one man has ever escaped.

Meanwhile, the rest of the world, Outside, exists in an enforced time-warp of an idealized old-fashioned time, despite the fact that advanced technology exists.

The story alternates between two main characters.  Finn, a seventeen-year old prisoner, is convinced that he once had a life Outside, despite the fact that everyone says he was born in Incarceron.  He wants to escape, but some people even doubt the existence of an outside world.  Then, he finds a strange crystal key that allows him to communicate with a girl named Claudia who is most definitely not in Incarceron.

Claudia is, in fact, the daughter of the Warden of Incarceron, and she desperately wants to escape her arranged marriage that is quickly approaching.  When she discovers the connection with Finn, she wants to help him.  But neither of them understands the real nature of Incarceron and what it will take to escape.

All of us – my husband and I and our two sons, ages 12 and 15 – loved this imaginative story.  It’s like nothing else we’ve ever read.  Fisher has created a wholly new world that is both similar and completely different than our own, described in a riveting way that slowly unfolds as the story develops.  It is a dark and violent story at times but with glimmers of hope. We really came to care for both Claudia and Finn and were rooting for them.  The book came to its own satisfying conclusion, while also setting the stage for a sequel…we can’t wait!

NOTE:  Book 2, Sapphique, is scheduled for release on December 28, 2010.

Listening Library

Listen to a sample clip here:


     

Middle-Grade Review: In Search of Watson

A few years ago, my son Jamie discovered our huge volume of Sherlock Holmes stories and read the complete works of Arthur Conan Doyle from cover to cover.  He even lugged the encyclopedic-sized book through airports during our holiday trip to visit grandparents!  So, when he heard about a new series based on the original Sherlock Holmes’ stories, he couldn’t wait to read it.  Jamie read the first Sherlock Holmes and the Baker Street Irregulars book, The Fall of the Amazing Zalindas, written by husband and wife team Tracy Mack and Michael Citrin and was hooked on the series right away, but it’s taken me a few years to give it a try.  I recently read the third book in the series, In Search of Watson, and found out what I’d been missing.

The Baker Street Irregulars are a group of ragtag street urchins who help Mr. Holmes with his cases in 1890 London.  Pilar, a young Spanish girl who lives with her mother, helped the Irregulars on their last case and yearns to be one of them.  Here, she enters their hide-out home:

Pilar came to the wood slats that appeared to be a boarded-up window, gave the covert double-knock, and then pushed.  The boards were in fact a trapdoor which opened into the “Castle,” an abandoned carriage factory that was home to the Irregulars.  Pilar entered a cavernous room with a dirt floor and a catwalk framing its upper perimeter.  Two large wood doors that had been long sealed made up the far wall.  A formerly grand but now dilapidated coach that they’d recently named the “Grand Dame” sat on blocks in front of them.  In the center of the room a fire pit glowed.  Around it, most of the boys lounged.

Wiggins, the leader of the gang, stood by the fire in the midst of a tale, his hands flying and his copper eyes shining.  Pilar couldn’t help but notice how easily he became all the characters in his stories. 

“So Oz and me, we roped ‘im good.  I thought we were just goin’ to tie ‘im up, but Ozzie, he runs the rope into the gears and zip, that mad knife thrower was dragged across the ground and strung up like a Christmas goose in Coven’ Garden!”

Soon enough, the Irregulars are summoned to Sherlock Holmes as he begins the investigation of a murder at the British Museum Library.  He sends them off to follow up on various leads, as the mystery becomes more complex.  Things turn dangerous when Dr. Watson is kidnapped, and the Irregulars begin to suspect there may be a traitor in their midst.

It’s a fast-paced, intriguing mystery, filled with interesting characters. There’s even an extra section at the end of the novel called Facts and Practicals for the Aspiring Detective that includes bonus material related to the story – information on ciphers, the Tower of London, and the art of disguise in this one.  The series will appeal to young mystery lovers and may even lead them to read the original Sherlock Holmes stories.

195 pages, Scholastic

Accelerated Reader: Level 5.1, 4 points

It's Monday 4/12! What Are You Reading?

We just returned last night from a 10-day spring break trip.  We drove, with our pop-up camper, down to Louisiana and back.  We camped along the way and spent some time in Cajun country and New Orleans.  It was a wonderful trip but re-entry is so difficult!  I've decided to momentarily ignore the 400 e-mails, the unpacked suitcases, and the mountains of laundry (I estimate at least 11 loads!!) and instead take a break and tell you about all the great books we read while we were gone:

• Craig, 12, finished his latest Hardy Boys' book, The Bombay Boomerang, and started The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau, book 1 of a wonderful series that both Jamie and I loved (check out my review of the series).
• Jamie, 15, loves to read on our road trips.  He started with Sphere, a classic scientific thriller by Michael Crichton.  He recently enjoyed the movie version of another Crichton book, Timeline, so my husband and I suggested he try some of the author's other books.  He loved it!
• Jamie also read the third book in the Book of Ember series, The Prophet of Yonwood.  He'd read books 1 and 2 last summer and loved book 3 just as much.
• And Jamie started book 4 in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, The Battle of the Labyrinth, one of his Easter gifts.  He loves this series.
• I love to read road trip books while we're on a road trip, so I read Roastbeef's Promise by David Jerome, a funny book about a young man who fulfills his father's last wish by sprinkling his ashes in all 48 contiguous states.  I'm up to the part where he visits Louisiana, which I'm enjoying very much.  I'll post a review on Book By Book when I finish.
• At bedtime, I've been reading The Tiger Rising by Kate DiCamillo to the boys.  Even though they're older, they still enjoy a bedtime book, but we don't always have time at home anymore with homework, soccer, etc.  We're all really enjoying this wonderfully written novel.
• We love to listen to audio books on our road trips, and this one was no exception.  We listened to an awesome new teen fantasy novel (the start of a series), Incarceron by Catherine Fisher, about a strange world that is divided between Outside and a unique prison known as Incarceron.  I'll post a review of this excellent new novel later this week.
• We started listening to Book 3 of the Erec Rex series by Kaza Kingsley, The Search for Truth.  This is one of the boys' favorite audio series, about a young boy who discovers he is part of a magical world and must complete a series of quests to become king, and we're all enjoying this latest installment.

Finally, though I read it during the holiday season, I kept my copy of Gumbo Tales: Finding My Place at the New Orleans Table by Sara Roahen by my side for much of this trip, referring to Sara's favorite New Orleans restaurants and reading passages out loud to my family.  If you have any interest in New Orleans (or in good food!), you'll enjoy this wonderful memoir.  And if you want to know more about life in rural Louisiana, as well as in New Orleans, check out one of my favorite books of 2009, The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder by Rebecca Wells.  My mom just finished the audio that I lent her and kept calling me to talk about it (and cry over it)!

And now, I guess it's time to re-enter the real world of groceries, laundry, e-mail, work, and to-do lists.  Vacation can't last forever...can it??

What are you and your family reading this week?

(What are you reading Monday is hosted by Sheila at One Person's Journey Through a World of Books).

Middle-Grade Review: We the Children

My 12-year old son is a big fan of Andrew Clements, so we were excited to hear he had recently published the first book of a new mystery series, Benjamin Pratt & The Keepers of the School: We the Children.  My sons and I listened to it on audio during a trip last weekend to visit cousins.  We all enjoyed the suspenseful tale.

Benjamin Pratt lives in a seaside town and is trying to adjust to his parents’ recent separation.  He lives half the time with his mom and half the time on his dad’s sailboat, moored in the harbor.  He wasn’t too concerned with the town’s plan to bulldoze his historic old school to make room for an amusement park, until the old janitor at school entrusts him with a secret and tells him he needs to protect the school.

As Ben and his friend Jill investigate the development plans, they discover things that certain people don’t want discovered and find themselves in possible danger.  They work together to come up with a plan to save the school, with the help of some very old clues left by the school’s original builder, Captain Oakes, in 1783.  Meanwhile, Ben gets ready for his first solo sailing race.

We all liked the book very much.  It’s an original story, with plenty of mystery and suspense set in an historical context.  My sons love sailing, so they especially liked those parts.  My one disappointment was that it felt like it ended in the middle of the story.  I prefer series where each book can stand on its own.  I guess we’ll just have to wait for book 2 to come out (September 2010).

Simon & Schuster Audio

Read by Keith Nobbs

 

It's Monday 3/29! What Are You Reading?

Very busy here lately.  I spent last week working on a writing assignment (hardly any time at all for blog reading!), and this week, we'll all be rushing around getting ready for our spring break trip - we're driving down to Louisiana with our camper to visit Cajun country and New Orleans.  My husband and I used to live in New Orleans, so it's a very special place to us.  We took our sons there a couple of years ago, and they fell in love with it, too!

Jamie, my 15-year old son, had a bad flare-up of his chronic illness last week and spent 5 long days on the couch.  He watched a lot of movies but also read some good books:

• Jamie finished Sharp North, a chilling novel about a future in which wealthy people keep clones of themselves.  He says it was excellent, so I've added it to my own waiting-to-be-read stack (which is overflowing my bookcase!).
• Jamie also read The Seven Rays by Jessica Bendinger, a spooky teen novel about a girl who can suddenly see people's secrets, dreams, and pasts when she looks at them.  This one sounds good, too!
• Craig, 12, is reading another Hardy Boys book, The Bombay Boomerang - he loves these fast-paced mysteries, just like I loved Nancy Drew when I was his age!
• I finished Wherever Nina Lies by Lynn Weingarten.  I really liked this suspenseful teen thriller.  You can read my full review here.
• I also read an adult novel, I Was Amelia Earhart by Jane Mendelsohn, for my library book discussion.  It's a fictional story about what might have happened to Amelia Earhart when she disappeared.  It's a beautifully written, almost poetic, novel that would also be appropriate for older teens and young adults.
• I just started a middle-grade mystery, Sherlock Holmes and the Baker Street Irregulars: In Search of Watson by Tracy Mack and Michael Citrin.  Jamie has read other books in this series and recommended them; they're stories about a group of street urchins who helped Sherlock Holmes solve his mysteries.  I'm not sure I've ever read a Sherlock Holmes story myself, but Jamie is a big fan.  A couple of years ago, he read our huge Sherlock Holmes anthology (encyclopedia-sized!) from cover to cover.
• Finally, on a trip to visit cousins last week, the boys and I listened to a new audio book by Andrew Clements, Benjamin Pratt & The Keepers of the School: We the Children, a mystery about a couple of kids who want to save their historic school from being torn down to make room for an amusement park.  We all really liked it; our only disappointment was that, like so many new series now, it seemed to end right in the middle of the story!  I prefer series where each book can stand on its own.

So, lots of good books last week, and a very busy week coming up.

What are you and your family reading?

(What are you reading Mondays are hosted by One Person's Journey Through a World of Books).

Teen/YA Review: Wherever Nina Lies

Lynn Weingarten’s first novel, Wherever Nina Lies, is mystery, thriller, and romance all rolled into one. I really enjoyed this compelling, original story about a sixteen-year old girl on a mission to find her missing older sister.

It’s been two years since Ellie’s beautiful, creative sister Nina disappeared. Nina was a free spirit and seldom at home anymore, but this time, she didn’t return at all. Ellie and her mother have no idea what happened to her or where she is, but Ellie can’t forget her sister and “move on,” as people are always telling her to.

One afternoon, sifting through boxes of donated junk at the store where her best friend, Amanda, works, Ellie finally – after all this time – finds a clue:

A rectangular piece of cardboard with slightly rounded edges, a little smaller than an index card, has fallen out of the book and fluttered to the floor. I reach out and grab it. As soon as my skin touches it, my heart starts pounding, and I feel dizzy, like I’ve been spinning and just stopped. The room tilts. Everything around me looks wrong all of a sudden, and I think maybe I’m going to pass out. I sink to the floor; I’m vaguely aware of Amanda’s voice calling my name, but I can’t answer. She sounds far away and unfamiliar. Everything is unfamiliar, except for one thing. The piece of paper in my hand, covered in blue vines. I stare at them so hard they begin to swirl, like delicate navy thread snakes on a field of white. And in the center of these vines is a drawing of a girl: big round eyes, round face, round nose, crazy hair curling out in all directions, one dimple, a crooked smile. I know this drawing.

Ellie would recognize her sister’s drawing anywhere because she’s been drawing constantly on all sorts of surfaces ever since Ellie can remember. This particular drawing holds clues that lead Ellie off on a crazy, cross-country road trip with a gorgeous guy she barely knows because he’s the only person in her life who seems to understand and believe in her.

Ellie’s journey takes her to new and strange places, as she follows clues to her sister’s whereabouts. Along the way, she falls in love. This mystery contains more twists and turns than a mountain road, though, and Ellie doesn’t know where this trip will lead her. There's nothing I like better than a road trip book! Filled with plenty of suspense and surprises, as well as Nina’s unique drawings, this well-written novel kept me reading late into the night.

(recommended for older teens and young adults; contains some sexual situations, though nothing graphic)

316 pages, Point (an imprint of Scholastic)

It's Monday 3/22! What Are You Reading?

Very busy week here but beautiful weather! It's finally officially spring - hurray!

None of us had a lot of reading time, but we're all reading some good books:

• Jamie, 15, is reading Sharp North by Patrick Cave, a new teen thriller set in a future Great Britain where mysterious murders occur and the wealthy keep illegal clones of themselves, just in case. He says it's an awesome book!
• Jamie finished The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows for his British Literature class at school and enjoyed it very much. I'm next!
• Craig, 12, finished Hunting for Hidden Gold by Franklin W. Dixon, a Hardy Boys book and moved onto another one, The Bombay Boomerang. He also loves to watch our DVDs of the old Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew TV show from the 70's, especially on sick days. I enjoy them, too - I used to have a picture of Parker Stevenson hanging in my locker!
• My husband, Ken, finished Icecore, a new teen thriller by Matt Whyman that both Jamie and I loved. You can read my review here.
• I'm reading Wherever Nina Lies by Lynn Weingarten, an excellent teen book that combines mystery, suspense, and romance. I'm about half done and loving it so far!
• I finished My One Hundred Adventures by Polly Horvath on audio and am now listening to its sequel, Northward to the Moon. They're both excellent.

I posted a review of Murder at Midnight by Avi last week.

Now, for an embarrassing admission. I've been wondering why I never get any comments on this blog...and just now discovered I get lots of them but wasn't being notified! Seriously, I had no idea anyone was leaving comments which is why I never reply to any or visit your blogs. My other blogs are set up with e-mail notification and comment approval. As soon as I post this, I'm going to change my settings so that I'll actually see your comments from now on - sorry! Boy, do I feel stupid...

Anyway, what is your family reading this week? I really do want to know and will even read your comments this time!

(What are you reading Mondays is hosted by One Person's Journey Through a World of Books).

Vote for Your Favorite Books!

Voting is now open for the 2010 Children's Choice Book Awards!

Just use this link to vote for your favorite books - choose age categories K-2, 3-4, 5-6, and teens and cast your vote for your favorite book, favorite author, and favorite illustrator.

Middle-Grade/Teen Review: Murder at Midnight

Believe it or not, I had never read an Avi book until last week when I picked up his latest, Murder at Midnight. Ever since my son read Crispin by Avi years ago, he has been telling me what a good author he is. Murder at Midnight was a quick, suspenseful read that I enjoyed very much.

It is 1490 in a small town in Italy, and a young boy named Fabrizio is adjusting to his new job working for Mangus the Magician:

During the past year, his parents – ragpickers – had died, leaving him a homeless ten-year-old. Only by relying on his wits and friends did Fabrizio survive the streets of Pergamontio. But a month ago, the City Corporation, which had the responsibility for orphans, bound him over to Mangus the Magician.

It was the magician’s wife, Mistress Sophia, who made the arrangements. It was she who insisted that her elderly husband needed a personal servant. She herself proved kind, and Fabrizio was thrilled not to be begging on the streets for a daub of cold, clotted pasta for his dinner. Now he had good food in his belly, a roof over his head, a bed for his back, and even a few coins for his pocket. Besides, not only did Master Mangus have a house with two older servants, there was his amazing magic.

Mangus is an illusionist, though to Fabrizio, his magic seems real. Both of them find themselves under suspicion and at the center of a plot to overthrow the king. Fabrizio wants to save his new master and prove his worth to him, but he doesn’t know who to believe or who to trust. Faced with possible death for himself and Mangus, it’s up to Fabrizio to figure out who’s behind the sinister plot.

As I said, this was my first Avi book, but it’s easy to see why his books are so popular. This one was filled with wonderful details of the historical period, realistic dialogue, and a fast-paced mystery plot. I’m looking forward to reading its sequel, Midnight Magic.

254 pages, Scholastic

It's Monday 3/15! What Are You Reading?

Today is the Ides of March! I'm not sure exactly what that means, but to me it means that spring is finally on its way, after a long, difficult winter! We had a weekend full of rain, but the weather is supposed to be beautiful the rest of this week.

Meanwhile, we've been enjoying some wonderful books at our house:

• Jamie, 15, is reading Sharp North by Patrick Cave, a new teen thriller set in a future Great Britain where mysterious murders occur and the wealthy keep illegal clones of themselves, just in case...
• He's also reading The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows for his British Literature class at school - I can't wait to get my hands on that one when he's finished!
• Craig, 12, finished Nick of Time by Ted Bell, which he said was his favorite book ever! He's started Hunting for Hidden Gold by Franklin W. Dixon, a Hardy Boys book - the equivalent of comfort food for Craig!
• I just finished Murder at Midnight by Avi, a suspenseful mystery set in Italy during the Renaissance. Believe it or not, this was the first Avi book I've ever read, though Jamie's been telling me what a good writer he is for years.
• My husband, Ken, is reading Icecore, a new teen thriller by Matt Whyman that both Jamie and I loved. You can read my review here.
• We finished listening to the audio of a classic, From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg. We all really enjoyed it and have decided we need to visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC!
• I've been listening to the audio of My One Hundred Adventures by Polly Horvath, a wonderful middle-grade novel about a 12-year old girl looking for adventure.

What are you and your family reading?

(What are you reading Mondays is hosted by One Person's Journey Through a World of Books)

Teen/YA Review: Icecore

Publisher’s Weekly said, “If Robert Ludlum ever wrote a book for teens, it would probably be a lot like Whyman’s action-packed techno-thriller.” I don’t normally quote other reviews, but this statement just seems perfect for Icecore, a new teen thriller by Matt Whyman. My 15-year old son recently read this exciting suspense novel and recommended it, and now I understand why.

Seventeen-year old British computer hacker Carl Hobbes is shocked when American agents pick him up on his way home from school and take him into custody. Sure, he hacked his way into Fort Knox – which is supposed to be impenetrable – but it was just for fun, to see if he could do it. No one got hurt from his prank, right? But the American government doesn’t think it was funny at all, especially as gold bars from Fort Knox start ending up in the hands of terrorists all over the world.

At the police station, Carl’s assigned lawyer tells him about his offer:

“It’s from the American authorities,” she began, as if this made it something I couldn’t refuse. I’m not sure what I expected to hear. When Ms. Greene finished, I asked her to repeat it so I could be sure I hadn’t missed some kind of catch.

According to her, I had actually been invited by the Americans to fly out and answer some friendly questions. This wasn’t an order, she stressed. It was a request for me to come voluntarily. Once they understood exactly how I had managed to hack into such a high-security financial institution, they would put me on a plane home again. I wouldn’t be arrested or earn any criminal conviction. Not a caution or even a fine. As part of this package, my father would be forbidden to talk to the press, as would I on my return. In fact, they proposed that the whole thing would be kept completely off the record.

It sounds like a good idea, but Carl soon realizes he’s gotten into more than he bargained for, as he is transported secretly to a military prison deep in the Arctic among world-famous terrorists and his questioning takes some surprising turns.

This is an action-packed thriller, with plenty of unexpected plot twists to keep you glued to the page. I grew to like Carl and couldn’t wait to find out what would happen to him. My son and I are both looking forward to the upcoming sequel, Goldstrike.

307 pages, Atheneum Books for Young Readers (Simon & Schuster)

Kids' Book Awards

There was some interesting news this week about two different book awards for kids' books.

The Children's Book Council announced its finalists for the Children's Choice Book Awards, in categories from kindergarten through teen. One of my favorites made the teen list: Catching Fire, the sequel to The Hunger Games - easily my favorite teen/YA books from last year (I read both in 2009). Their author, Suzanne Collins, was also nominated for Author of the Year. Check out the full lists at the CBC website, and vote for your favorites starting on March 15.

The UK's Booktrust announced its winners of the coveted Blue Peter Book Awards. The winner for Best Book I Couldn't Put Down as well as Blue Peter Book of the Year was Frozen in Time by Ali Sparkes, an exciting adventure of two cryogenically frozen kids from 1950 who are brought back to life in 2009. Sounds like a great plot, doesn't it? Frozen in Time will be available in the US on May 25, 2010. I can't wait!

Teen/YA Review: Camilla

I jumped at the chance to review Camilla by Madeleine L’Engle because she was one of my favorite authors when I was a kid and teen. Camilla, though, is a very different kind of novel than her better-known sci-fi series that starts with A Wrinkle in Time. L’Engle’s writing talents still shine through in this classic coming-of-age story that I listened to in audio.

Camilla Dickinson is 15 years old, lives in New York City and has lived a happy life so far with her parents, with little strife or suffering. All of a sudden, though, things start to go wrong, and it seems to her that her life is crumbling around her. She doesn’t know where to turn until she meets Frank, her best friend’s brother. The two immediately become lost in conversation, and Camilla feels like she has met her soul mate.

Camilla and Frank spend long hours roaming through the streets of New York and talking about every subject they can think of, from war to religion to philosophy. Frank introduces Camilla to new people – some of them far different than anyone she has encountered before in her sheltered life – and, despite the heartbreak she feels at the divisions forming in her family, Camilla feels alive and in love for the first time in her life.

Although this novel was originally published in 1951, its themes are still relevant today. There are minor hints of its age – especially the prices for a meal in NYC! – but the things that Camilla experiences are similar to what teens today experience: the crushing disappointment at finding out your parents aren’t as perfect as you thought they were, the pull between being a child and growing up, and the universal feelings of a first love. Camilla is a wonderful narrator, full of youthful exuberance about her city and her new love, as she works through the challenges of growing up.

272 pages, Square Fish (reissue)

Listen to a sample at Audible.com