American Born Chinese- Gene Luen Yang

Too many people view graphic novels as a genre, rather than a format. Too often, they are associated with super heroes, or more recently, Japanese manga characters. Only recently have we seen the medium start to receive the critical respect it so richly deserves.

American Born Chinese, by Gene Luen Yang, is one such example of an illuminating and often heart-breaking story told in a manner once described by Will Eisner as "sequential art."

ABC begins as three separate parallel narratives that eventually intertwine themselves into one cohesive strand by the stories end. One is relatively realistic, the other is very fantastical, and the third is satirical, often gut-wrenchingly so.

The main story describes the life of Jin Wang, the "American Born Chinese" boy of the title. He lives in Sn Francisco, and despite the fact that he was born there, is treated as foreign and different by his classmates. When another student from Taiwan, Wei-Chen Sun, joins his fourth grade class he initially does not want to be associated with someone so "FOB" (Fresh Off the Boat). However, they bond over their mutual love of transforming robots and end up becoming best friends with each other. Their friendship grows throughout the story which follows the boys from elementary to high schools.

Jin really wants to fit in with his other classmates, while Wei-Chen remains a tie to his Chinese heritage. This remains a powerful theme throughout ABC: How can an individual exist in between such separate and distinct worlds? Is it possible to exist in one world while at the same time remaining true to or honoring another?

Over time, Jin comes to resent his Chinese heritage, until he remembers the words an old shopkeeper told him when he was a boy, "It is easy to become anything you wish, so long as you are willing to forfeit your soul." In this case what Jin wants is to be American, which in this book means Caucasian, white. Jin has never been treated as an American despite the fact that his citizenship is just as valid as that of his classmates.

Yang has wonderful and thought-provoking things to say about what it means to truly be "American" in the 21st century. It is sometimes very easy to forget that barring American Indians, America is a nation of immigrants, and it is our diversity and our core values of acceptance and tolerance that make us such a great nation. We don't often see these American ideals trumpeted in this day and age of jingoistic, and xenophobic "patriotic" fervor.

The second narrative tells the story of the Monkey King, ruler of the Flower Fruit Mountain, and master of all 12 disciplines of Kung Fu (including the particularly awesome "Hair into Clones" where one can turn strands of hair into clones of oneself). When he is denied entrance to a dinner party in Heaven because he is a monkey, he sets about changing his ways. He begins to wear shoes, he changes his size, and forces his subjects to do the same. In other words, her rejects his heritage in order to try and gain acceptance from another group. Sound familiar? Good, I don't think the parallels between the Monkey King's story and Jin's are a coincidence.

The final narrative takes the form of a television sitcom complete with laughter and applause tracks. It tells the story of Danny, an All-American boy who must deal with the social horrors of the frequent visits by his cousin Chin-Kee. Chin-Kee is a horrifying amalgamation of just about every negative Chinese stereotype you can think of: he has slanted eyes, buck teeth, he switches his "r" and "l" sounds, he eats cats and dogs, he wears a coolie hat, and, unsurprisingly, he is a master of Kung Fu. However, he is enthusiastic and kind, only wanting to have fun with his cousin and experience American society. Danny, of course, is mortified. Chin-Kee's actions guarantee that he will remain a pariah in the harsh social landscape of high school. The struggle between Danny's All-American hopes and dreams and Chin-Kee's stereotypical buffoonery mirror Jin's internal struggle in the realistic narrative. Chin-Kee serves as an example of not only how other students view Chinese culture, but how Jin himself views his culture when it is seen through the lens of American society.

I would do Yang a grave disservice to reveal how ably he weaves these stories together in the end, but I will echo the back of the book: "Three very different characters. One Simple Goal. To Fit In." American Born Chinese is a brave book that challenges the reader to acknowledge that racism exists, even in 21st century America, even in forms that you might not immediately recognize.

American Born Chinese was the first graphic novel to ever be nominated for a National Book Award, and it won the American Library Association's Printz Award for excellence in young Adult Literature.

Check out Gene Yang's website here: http://www.humblecomics.com/

I especially like the Monkey King section, who he describes as "Sun Wukong, the Monkey King, is probably the most beloved fictional character in the Eastern world. He's like the Asian Mickey Mouse, only without the squeaky voice and corporate sponsorship."

The Way We Work- David Macaulay

I've been blogging here for a while now, and although I'm making good progress, and starting to get outside contributions, I've focused almost exclusively on fiction. This review is part of my effort to rectify that situation.

When approaching informative nonfiction, there are few better places to begin than David Macaulay. He's been writing books for years, but he's probably best known for The Way Things Work, his amazingly accessible, readable, and beautifully illustrated guide to...the way things work. And by things he means anything from headphones, to a television, to the space shuttle, to a flush toilet.

Now he returns with his eagerly anticipated The Way We Work, whereupon he turns his finely attuned artist's eye, and keen sense of humor to the human body. Just like with his previous work, TWWW tackles the human body in minute and exacting detail. Ever wonder how your lungs work? How about your colon? spinal cord? memories? how the brain and eye process images? Where poop comes from? How about babies? What's DNA? How do your vocal cords work? This book answers just about every human body question you can possibly ask, including a bunch you never thought to ask, or never really wanted to know the answer to.

Throughout, Macaulay explains these processes in relatively simple English (it might not be appropriate for the total layperson, but anyone with more than a passing knowledge of human anatomy and physiology should be fine) and with breathtaking illustrations. Let's face it, no one reads a Macaulay book for the text.

The art is mesmerizing, anatomically correct, yet far from clinical and detached. Macaulay's work is full of whimsy, whether it's shouted conversations between bacteria in feces or a man pulling aside his stomach to show the viewer the true location of his pancreas. The colors are warm and vivid, and even the most complicated biological processes (Tumor growth? Nerve impulses? Any of your senses? No problem.) are clearly depicted in easy to follow diagrams and sequences.

Check out the following depiction of blood circulating through the body:

Trust me, this ride is worth the wait.

Here's how your nasal cavity works...

After reading this, I'll never feel the same way about snot again.

Check out more of the art here (click on the interior slideshow), or better yet, just buy the darn thing here.

The Way We Work is another informational triumph on Macaulay's part. You could read and reread this book everyday for the rest of your life, and you would still discover something new each time. Highly recommended.

Also, if you're local, there's an exhibition of Macaulay's work at the RISD museum. Check it out before it's gone...

The Tiger Rising- Kate DiCamillo

Today's extra special guest blog comes courtesy of the awesomely- monikered Book Monster. Get ready for an in-depth look at a relatively unknown book from an extremely well known author...

-Sir Readsalot

I read The Tiger Rising, a Newberry Honor book, by Kate DiCamillo. In this book someone named Rob saw a tiger in a cage in the woods and Beauchamp owned him and asked Rob to feed the tiger. Then Sistene, one of Rob’s close friends talked Rob into using the keys to the tiger’s cage Beauchamp gave him to set the tiger free. I think Kate DiCamillo was good at showing Rob’s emotions. When describing Rob’s discovery she wrote, “He was so astounded at his discovery, so amazed, that he stood and stared.”
At times The Tiger Rising was hard to follow, for example when Beauchamp randomly decided to have Rob feed the tiger out of everybody and gave Rob the keys to the cage. I also think this book had interesting vocabulary, like when Kate DiCamillo wrote, “The fog was hugging the ground.” I did not like how The Tiger Rising ended with a problem. I was drawn to this book because I have read other books by Kate DiCamillo and liked them, though I do not like tigers. I recommend this book to people that like moving, as opposed to thrilling stories.

Tiger Rising was a National Book Award Finalist in 2001.

Kate Dicamillo's Website

H.I.V.E.- Mark Walden

I was ready to dislike H.I.V.E., the debut novel from former video game programmer Mark Walden, from the start. It seemed a little too emblematic of everything I dislike about children's literature today: formulaic and designed solely to generate revenue through inevitable sequels indistinguishable from the first. Take a little Artemis Fowl, add a dash of the Mysterious Benedict Society, marinate with the everything is not what it seems school setting from Harry Potter, and viola! you have yourself a best seller. Over the course of the story, I was won over slightly, but I still had some reservations.

H.I.V.E., the Higher Institute for Villainous Education, is a training academy for evil geniuses. It accepts only the best and the brightest, and of course only those with the most potential for mayhem and criminal enterprise. It is situated on a remote volcano compound at an undisclosed location somewhere in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

The novel centers around Otto Malpense (really? Malpense? Literally "Bad Thoughts.") an orphan from London. Otto's known he was exceptional from an early age, and now, at the tender age of 13, he runs the orphanage where he lives by slightly bribing/blackmailing the director. Otto immediately sets about improving the dilapidated nature of the orphanage, but it's not out of any sense of responsibility and obligation. It's mainly so he can continue to do/exploit/manipulate whatever or whoever he wants whenever he wants. In fact, it's my main beef with the book. Despite his actions later in the book, Otto remains largely unlikable (brilliant and charismatic yes, but still largely unlikable.) Nevertheless, it's easy to see what H.I.V.E. sees in him.

The story begins with Otto regaining consciousness on a helicopter en route to the school. With him is Wng Fanchu as somewhat stereotypical Asian martial arts expert. They quickly ascertain what has happened (they were shot with stun guns and essentially kidnapped) and shortly thereafter they arrive at the school. There they meet the school's director, the nefarious Dr. Nero.

As the perspectives shift we also meet Raven, a beautiful assassin who rocks twin katanas AND an invisibility suit, as well as Professor Pike, a mad scientist type, Colonel Francisco, the instructor of tactical maneuvers, and stealth/reconnaissance instructor who inhabits the body of a cat due to a botched experiment, and H.I.V.E. Mind, a melancholy and surprisingly pliable artificial intelligence who runs H.I.V.E.'s day to day protocols. The reader also briefly meets the mysterious Number One (who has a particularly keen interest in Otto) who even Dr. Nero fears. Otto and Wing also meet other students: Shelby an American cat burglar extraordinaire, Shelby a Scottish computer and technology expert, Nigel Darkdoom, a legacy student hoping to live up to his late father's formidable legacy, and Franz, the German son of a candy magnate/Criminal Mastermind. Franz reminds me of the hilariously rotund German exchange student Uter on The Simpsons.

The students are forced to attend classes like Villainy Studies, Tactical Education, Practical Technology, Biotechnology, and Stealth and Evasion. Otto, used to having his own way and doing whatever he likes whenever he likes, immediately decides to work on an escape plan. Once again, he wants to escape, not because he is philosophically opposed to a school designed to train him in evil, but because he resents its intrusion upon his autonomy. Soon he convinces some of the other students to go along with him.

The rest of the story follows the escape attempt and, believe it or not, a giant mutant carnivorous plant. The action scenes are plentiful, but overall H.I.V.E. serves only as a gateway to its sequel The Overlord Protocol. There is very little resolution in the initial story. Instead of a self-contained narrative, the reader is left hanging and unsatisfied. What is Number 1's interest in Otto? How is Dr. Nero connected to Wing? What will happen to the students of H.I.V.E.? If you really do care, you can read The Overlord Protocol to find out, but I don't think I'll be joining you there.

H.I.V.E. website

The Wanderer- Sharon Creech

Today's blog comes courtesy of Ephos Sapphire, to date the only person to leave the meaning of the name of this blog in comments. Batten down the hatches because the weather's about to get nasty...

-Sir Readsalot

The Wanderer, by Sharon Creech, is an intriguing book. It is a book about a girl named Sophie. She sails across the ocean with her cousins on their ship-The Wanderer-to her grandfather who she calls Bompie. She is an adventurous and tough girl who does everything to help her ship. They go through many storms, especially a very bad one where The Wanderer is thrashed around and everyone is severely hurt. She realizes she is an orphan after telling Bompie and her cousins about her life. You never know what really happens to her parents, but there is a brief hint about it.
This story is all about the hazards of riding a ship. It is a perfect story for children. This book is so interesting you can’t put it down! It’s adventure, and could absolutely happen!

Escape! The Story of the Great Houdini- Sid Fleischman

As a wee lad I remember our school librarian reading Sid Fleischman's The Whipping Boy aloud to us after it won the Newberry Medal. Unfortunately, Mr. Fleischman and I parted ways shortly thereafter, and I didn't read another of his many, many books until quite recently. Shame on me.

Escape is Fleischman's biography of Harry Houdini, who, if he wasn't the greatest magician of all time, was at least the person who worked tirelessly to make sure that he was remembered as the greatest magician of all time.

Fleischman starts at the beginning, when the great Harry Houdini was still just the humble Hungarian immigrant and Rabbi's son, Erich Weiss. From there, Fleischman chronicles every step of Houdini's journey: running away from home, failed attempts at legitimate labor, traveling circuses and vaudeville shows, to finally headlining and international superstardom.

Along the way we are shown the world of professional magic, a subject that Fleischman, a former professional magician himself, writes knowledgeably and passionately about. However, Fleischman remains frustratingly true to the magician's code and refuses to divulge any of the mysteries surrounding Houdini's tricks, even though he, as he constantly reminds the reader, not only knows the secrets, but has performed them on many an occasion.

Thus, the secrets of the disappearing elephant, walking through walls, the metamorphosis trunk, and all of those wonderful death-defying escapes remain just those: secrets. Fleischman never shies away from Houdini the showman and Houdini the egomaniac. Like all great biographies, Fleischman portrays his subject warts and all. Not only does he cover Houdini as the greatest showman of his (or perhaps any other) time, but he also recounts Houdini as restless, insecure and petty, doing everything possible (airbrushing other people out of a photograph of him and Teddy Roosevelt, and embellishing the stories surrounding his greatest escapes) to destroy the reputations of his competition and ensure that the spotlight shone on him alone. Houdini even wrote a book called The Unmasking, which trashed the memory of the great French magician Robert Houdin, the man responsible for inspiring Houdini to become a magician. Houdini was such a fan that he adopted his stage name because someone mistakenly told him that an "i" at the end of a name meant like that person. Therefore, Houdin"i" means Like Houdin. As Fleischman writes, "I think this. Each field has its great icon. Einstein in science. Picasso in art. Edison in invention. There wasn't room for two icons in magic. Robert Houdin had to go."

Of course the real bread and butter (and in this case even the title) of any Houdini biography is going to be the escapes. Breaking out of everything from ropes, to handcuffs, to chains, to jails, to Siberian Prison Vans, to the belly of a sea monster (!), to locked trunks thrown into rivers, Houdini escaped from them all. Not only did he escape, but he usually escaped in minutes to the delight and amazement of his audiences. Later, once he realized how to read and work an audience, it was said that he would escape in minutes as usual, but read the paper or play solitaire for 20 minutes or so as the tension and horror in his audience built. He would challenge audience members to present manacles, chains or ropes for him to escape from, and if no one was forthcoming, he would have one of his plants in the audience "volunteer" something for him to escape from.

Later in his life, there was one thing even the great Houdini could escape from: death. He had become obsessed with debunking spiritualists and mediums, those who preyed upon the grief and sadness of others by claiming to be able to talk to the ghosts of the departed. However, despite his skepticism, Houdini always held out hope that there would be someone who could legitimately communicate with the dead. These contrary impulses probably stemmed from the death of Houdini's beloved mother.

While traveling the country exposing these charlatans as the frauds they were, Houdini also had a standing offer of a monetary reward for anyone who could conclusively communicate with the dead. Upon his own death, Houdini had an agreement with his wife. Anyone claiming to have a communication from the beyond from him would include a code phrase that only hi wife would know. Houdini passed away on Halloween 1926, and I'll leave it to you to determine if he was ever able to escape from his final challenge, death.

All in all, Fleischman does an admirable job summing up this last obsession of Houdini's: "[...] otherwise intelligent people can be duped into believing anything, no matter how absurd." I know all of my readers are intelligent, so check out Escape! in order to look into the life of one of the twentieth century's most fascinating individuals.

The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles- Julie Andrews Edwards

Today's extra special guest blogger is Emerald Roogsberg! Get ready for some knowledge...

The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles, by Julie Andrews Edwards is an amazing book. It is about three kids, Ben, Tom, and Lindy Potter, who met a man and go on a quest. They want to find the last of an intelligent species, the whangdoodles. (The word whangdoodle, can be found in a really big dictionary). On their quest to Whangdoodleland, Prock, the Prime Minister, tries to stop them. They meet the Splintercat, who brings Lindy and keeps her captive, the Whiffle Bird who always warns the kids, and other wacky characters. The end is awesome and rewarding.

The quest, the training to go to Whangdoodle land, the trouble they get into, and the crazy creatures are so amazing that you won’t want to stop reading! This classic book is adventurous, fascinating, mysterious, and fun at the same time. The book is unusual, and it is unlike any other book you’ve ever read!

Shakespeare's Secret- Elise Broach

Today's review comes courtesy of extra special guest blogger Melody Howder! She is the first in what I hope to be a long series of extra special guest bloggers.


-Sir Readsalot


Shakespeare’s Secret is about a girl named Hero who moves to Maryland and doesn’t quite fit in. One day she meets a woman who tells her that the former owner of Hero’s houses wife died and left a diamond hidden somewhere inside. Hero goes crazy because she could be famous if she finds it. As she becomes friends with the woman, she meets a boy named Danny who insists that Hero solve the mystery with him. Soon Hero finds that the former owner of her houses wife’s ancestor may be the real William Shakespeare! Is he the real Shakespeare or is it just a myth? Read this book and you’ll find out!

Shakespeare’s Secret is a story that will blow your mind! It will take you on an adventure that you never have seen before. If you are a mystery fan this is the right book for you. This is a recommended book from the Massachusetts Children’s Book Award Master List.

The Illyrian Adventure- Lloyd Alexander

The work of Lloyd Alexander, particularly his Prydain Chronicles, contains some of the very earliest books I can remember being crazy about. I think he remains just as relevant today as he did when I was younger. Suffice to say, I consider myself to be a fan.

So, imagine my surprise when, while browsing the shelves at the glorious Myopic Books, I stumbled on to an Alexander book I'd never seen or heard of. Vesper Holly, a blazing torch grasped in her hand, stares wryly out out you as a city burns behind her? Did she set the fire? Is she running away from it? I couldn't tell, but I was suddenly overcome with the need to find out, for I (despite what you may have heard as sound advice to the contrary) do not hesitate to judge a book by its cover.

My curiosity piqued, I turned to the first page. I was hooked immediately, and I'm going to let Alexander do the talking for me. The following is the opening paragraph in its entirety:
Miss Vesper Holly has the digestive talents of a goat and the mind of a chess master. She is familiar with half a dozen different languages and can swear fluently in all of them. She understands the use of a slide rule but prefers doing calculations in her head. She does not hesitate to risk life and limb- mine as well as her own. No doubt she has other qualities yet undiscovered. I hope not.

Needless to say, that's all I needed to read.

The book is narrated by Vesper's uncle Brinton Garret, who she insists on calling Brinnie, and is set in 1876 . The story opens in Philadelphia as Brinnie and his wife travel to meet Vesper. Her father (an old friend and colleague of Brinnie's) has recently passed away, and he named Brinnie as Vesper's legal guardian in his room.

Soon thereafter, Vesper has strong-armed poor Brinnie into an expedition to the fictional country of Illyria (which may have some basis in fact upon a tiny bit of further research) where they will research one of her late father's last adventures, the existence of a mystical army from the bybgone days of Illyrian history.

Apparently Illyria (located on the Adriatic Sea, apparently near where Albania or Montenegro is today) has been torn by internal conflict between the rulingVentans and the native Illyrians who have been oppressed and discriminated against for centuries.

Vesper and Brinnie arrive just as tensions boil over. Despite the support of the kind and generous Ventan king Osman, they are plunged into political intrigues and revolutions and noone is sure who to trust. Danger lurks around every corner, and it is up to Vesper to try and heal the rift caused by centuries of infighting and mistrust.

Can even the mighty Vesper Holly pullt his off? Read and find out. If Indiana Jones was smarter, younger, and a girl, then he would be Vesper Holly. Personally, I can't wait to seek out her further adventures

The Graveyard Book- Neil Gaiman

I'm always a happy guy when a new piece of fiction from Neil Gaiman comes out, but I'm downright delighted when he publishes a new work aimed at young readers. He has written two picture books (with David McCean) Wolves in the Walls, and The Day I traded My Dad for Two Goldfish. He has also published a book of short stories M is for Magic, but he is probably best known for the deliciously creepy Coraline.

Now, just in time for Halloween, Gaiman has returned to the world of children's literature with The Graveyard Book. TGB tells the story of Bod (short for Nobody) Owens, a young boy who is raised by ghosts in a graveyard after his family meets a particularly gruesome end within the book's opening chapter. This initial scene is fairly intense and terrifying, but the book settles down after that. The fate of Bod's family is no less unsettling than what happened to Lilly and James Potter in the Harry Potter books.

Bod enters the care of the ghosts after escaping his parent's fate as a toddler. Here he enters into a particularly loving and unique childhood. Raised by four hundred year's worth of ghosts, Bod has the benefit of wisdom from several different ages of British gentility. The oldest resident of the yard is a former Roman Centurian who never made it home from Caesar's campaigns. The most recent (or youngest) ghosts are Victorian dandies, the graveyard having been filled to capacity one hundred years ago. In the intervening years the graveyard is protected as a nature preserve, and thus explains how Bod is able to grow up without interference from pesky Child Protective Services or other well-meaning, but poorly informed dogooders.

Gaiman deftly weaves a growing confrontation between Bod and the shadowy cabal (really, is there any other type of cabal worth worrying about?) responsible for the deaths of Bod's family. These men, known as the Jacks of All Trades (needless to say, their trades are hardly carpentry or coopering) are magic users who crave power through the control and domination of others.

Along the way, Bod meets werewolves (his teacher, who refers to herself as a Hound of God), ghouls (particularly terrifying), witches, and death her(!)self. He also learns the ways of the dead: he can see in the dark, fade into invisibility, walk within the dreams of others, haunt, and induce fear from vague uneasiness to outright terror.

Throughout, Gaiman keeps the readers guessing as to the reasons for the death of Bod's family, and maintains tension along the way the climactic confrontation between Bod and the Jacks of All Trades. In addition, Gaiman sprinkles the story with liberal doses of his dry British humor. For example, each new ghost the reader meets is introduced by the inscription on their headstone: Traveler, Put Down Thy Staff, Deeply Regretted by All Who Knew Him, or my personal favorite Who Did No Harm To No Man all the Dais of Her Life. Reader, Can You Say Lykewise?

All in all, TGB is the welcome return of a master storyteller to the world of children's fiction. Here's hoping that it won't be so long next time. P.S. Readers, when your older, check out Gaiman's work on the Sandman graphic novels. Epic storytelling plain and simple.

The Hunger Games- Suzanne Collins

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is a bit (massive understatement!) of a departure for people interested in her best selling Underland series (Gregor the Overlander et al...). Before I type another word, I have to state that THG is not a book intended for my usual target audience of upper elementary school readers. Unless you're in middle school or beyond, THG is NOT the book for you.

Collins has created a very bleak, distopian future in a barely recognizable North America. The United States and other sovereign nations have imploded upon themselves so long ago that they aren't even remembered. Indeed, citizens in the book have only the vaguest idea that there once existed a land known as "North America." Now, there is one capitol city known as Panem. The capitol is surrounded by 12 subservient client states known as districts.

Sometime in the not too distant past, the districts rebelled against Penam which ruled over them like a feudal lord. Originally, there were 13 districts, but the last was wiped out by the capitol during the failed uprising. Life in the Districts became miserable. Families scrape together subsistence-level farming and hunting while the citizens of Penam live lives of incomprehensible luxury for the citizens of the Districts. In order to further punish the 12 remaining districts, the Hunger Games were established.

The premise of the games is brutally simple. Each year during a ceremony called "The Reaping," one boy and one girl ages 12-18 are chosen from each district. Each eligible child has one name in the lottery for each birthday they have between 12 and 18. (Here, Collins borrows heavily from Shirley Jackson's classic story "The Lottery," but hey if you're going to borrow, borrow from the best.) Once chosen you are removed to the capitol where you will participate in the games in a specially prepared arena. Once in the arena, contestants are given weapons and supplies, and the only rule is that competitors kill each other until only one remains. According to the book, Collins is focusing this book (and its subsequent sequels) on "the effects of war and violence on those coming of age." The violence is brutal, intense, but not gratuitous. The games are broadcast live in every district, and everyone is forced to watch them, just another reminder of Panem's dominance over the defeated Districts.

In an interview with scholastic Collins said, "It's hard to choose one element that inspired The Hunger Games," says Suzanne. "Probably the first seeds were planted when, as an eight-year-old with a mythology obsession, I read the story of Theseus. The myth told how in punishment for past deeds, Athens periodically had to send seven youths and seven maidens to Crete where they were thrown in the Labyrinth and devoured by the monstrous Minotaur. Even as a third grader, I could appreciate the ruthlessness of this message. ‘Mess with us and we'll do something worse than kill you. We'll kill your children.'

The story centers around Katniss Everdeen from the bleak, coal-producing District 12. Through a heartbreaking series of circumstances (I won't spoil it, but it's well done, if not a mite predictable), Katniss ends up volunteering herself for the games. Within a day, she and her fellow District 12 contestant Peeta are being whipped off to the capitol in preparation for the competition.

During these scenes Collins has fun skewering the pampered and ridiculous life of the citizens of Panem, especially when contrasted with the hardscrabble existence of people in the Districts. Presented with abundant food for the first time in their lives, Katniss and Peeta eat to the point of illness. Katniss revels in the luxury, but never forgets a promise she mad to win the games and return home. (It has to do with the circumstances that found her volunteering for the games in the first place.)

The final portion of the book focuses the games themselves. As one would expect, there are some very gruesome scenes here. Collins maintains suspense throughout, an admirable feat, given that we are almost certain of the ultimate outcome as far as who the winner will be. (If you're not sure about what I'm talking about, then I'm not telling...)

Overall, Collins has created a disturbing yet plausible future. These distopian visions are some of my favorite types of stories, and although it comes close at times, it doesn't quite add up to my all-time favorite in the genre, Richard Bachman's The Long Walk. THG is the first book in a proposed trilogy, but I could not find any information on any forthcoming volumes. Recommended, but only for readers middle school and up.

Clementine- Sara Pennypacker

Clementine- by Sara Pennypacker. Pictures by Marla Frazee.

I'm a bit of a scifi/fantasy head, so on this blog I'm really making an effort to expand my genre horizons. Clementine is not necessarily a book I would have chosen to read if I were not trying to expose as many people to as diverse a range of children's literature as humanly possible.

Clementine actually appeals to me in a very nostalgic way. Some of the earliest books I remember LOVING were the works of Beverly Cleary. From the adventures of Ralph S. Mouse to Henry Huggins' puppy, to Otis Spotford finally getting his comeuppance, Cleary's works filled me with laughter and imagination, and were clearly responsible for the bibliophile I grew into. I'm sure I am not the only reviewer to make the comparison between Pennypacker's Clementine and Cleary's most enduring creation, Ramona Quimby.

Both heroines are young, irrepressible, and march to the beat of their own drummers. Both see more than their fair share (or exactly their fair share, depending on your point of view) of trouble thanks to their refusal to do things the way others want them to. Both authors wonderfully create characters whose idiosyncratic world views makes the reader root for these square pegs inhabiting a world full of round holes. In Clementine, Pennypacker has created a 21st century heroine beloved by readers who find Ramona a bit dated. (The first Ramona book, Ramona and Beezus, was first published in 1955.)

Clementine is having a horrible week. No matter what she tries to do, it ends up getting her in trouble. Clementine's adventures show that one good deed is truly worth one thousand good intentions. No matter how she tries to correct her mistakes (cutting off her friend's hair, then cutting off her own hair to make up for it), she keeps getting deeper in trouble.

I won't go into too much detail concerning her misadventures, but I will say that Clementine is full of laugh out loud moments, one of the highest compliments I can pay any book. For example, consider the following exchange concerning why Clementine helps her elderly neighbor with grocery shopping:
"But if she asks me I have to say yes because A) she is four hundred years old and I am polite, and B) I need the money because I am saving up to buy a gorilla and I bet they cost L-O-T-S, lots."
A gorilla? How awesome is that. I mean, personally, I would save up to but an orangutan, but I think we can all relate to the desire to have some sort of great ape as a friend and companion. My orangutan would be named Roger, and he would wear a tuxedo.

Also, here's Clementine on naming her kittens:
"Since I have discovered that the most exquisite words in the world are on labels you will find in the bathroom, I carried the kittens into the bathroom and looked around until I found them beautiful names."
Fluoride and Laxative off to live with strangers, while Mascara goes to live with her neighbor Margaret. Later in the book she receives a new kitten whom she promptly names Moisturizer. If you don't know why Laxative is a hilarious name for a kitten, ask your parents.

Long story short, If you've ever gotten in trouble for doing something that is clearly awesome (but the adults in your life just can't understand the awesomeness of your actions), then Clementine is the book for you. If you liked Clementine, then there are two sequels as well, The Talented Clementine, and Clementine's Letter.

Once Upon a Time in the North- Philip Pullman

Once Upon a Time in the North- Philip Pullman

Astute readers will infer from the title of this blog that I am at least passingly familiar with the world of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials. (The first person to correctly identify the reference in the comments wins a prize.) Passingly familiar is, however, a massive understatement. HDM is the series that revitalized my love of children's literature as an adult. It proved to me that the stories could be morally complex and ambiguous, while at the same time remaining true to notions of bravery, heroism, and sacrifice for the greater good. It also proved that stories for children could contain powerful ideas that maybe aren't so easily digested. These books made you THINK! I still remember finishing The Subtle Knife around 9:30 at night, and rushing out to my local bookstore to purchase The Amber Spyglass before it closed. Despite the disappointing (to me at least) movie, I remain a fan.

OUATITN is the second slim volume Pullman has written describing the exploits of characters from the original trilogy following Lyra's Oxford. OUATITN details the exploits of a young Lee Scoresby and his initial encounters with an extraordinary panzerbjorn named Iorek Byrnison. Apparently, before Pullman is finished, there will be a third mini-story featuring the adventures of Will. Perhaps Pullman will then turn his attentions to the long-rumored follow up trilogy to HDM.

The story begins with Lee and his beloved hare deamon Hester in dire straits as his newly-acquired balloon is losing altitude near the arctic island of Novy Odense. Lee makes quite an impression on the local populace (after a barely controlled crash landing.) Being the iconoclastic, fair-minded individual that he is, it doesn't take Lee long to run afoul of the local powers that be.

It seems Novy Odense, despite the best efforts of local government, is controlled by the machinations of the Larsen Manganese mining company. More interested in turning a profit than conducting fair business, the company is currently preventing a captain from loading his rightful cargo and departing the Port before paying extra taxes and fees. The captain cannot afford those prices, and risks losing his entire cargo and livelihood. Anyone who remembers Lee's selfless sacrifice from HDM knows that Lee Scoresby will not abide in the strong lording over the weak.

Lee and Iorek Byrnison team up to help the captain free his cargo. Along the way they run into a crooked mayoral candidate, a terrifyingly merciless gunfighter, and other assorted ne'erdowells. Will their efforts be enough? Can even the might of a panzerbjorn stand against the awesomeness of an early tank prototype? I won't give away the answer, but if you know anything about Iorek, then you can probably guess....

The story is brief, less than 100 pages, but the pace is brisk, and the reader is left wanting more. The volume is beautifully crafted, illustrated with engravings from John Lawrence. It is also interspersed with ephemera from the HDM such as pages from The Elements of Aerial Navigation, a how-to ballooning manual Lee uses, the rules for the board game Peril of the Pole (the actual game itself is also included in the book), and a newspaper article describing incidents from the book from a different perspective from that of the main characters. There are even hints at Lyra's future scattered toward the back, so make sure you read everything!

Overall, I highly recommend it, although there are some scary scenes in the book where violence is frankly discussed. Also, being British, Pullman is more casual toward some of the milder swear words that we are unused to in our American fiction for children. None are used gratuitously, and all fit in with the nature of the characters. In particular, I'm referring to the B word, the D word, the H word, and the A word. If you enjoyed the original HDM trilogy, then you'll love Once UPon a Time in the North.

The Mysterious Benedict Society

The Mysterious Benedict Society- Trenton Lee Stewart

As literature written expressly for children enters its second century of existence, we find that many characters, themes, and plots begin to repeat themselves, and it takes a special author or idea to create something truly unique. In The Mysterious Benedict Society Trenton Lee Stewart proves himself to be just such an author.

Superficially the book is like many (good or bad) stories we've read before: mysterious calamity that adult authority figures are either too powerless to stop, or too clueless to even recognize, that can only be solved by a group of spunky, resilient, outcast, (in this case) orphans.

As TMBS opens, four children are responding to a strange advertisement in the newspaper. The ad asks simply, “ARE YOU A GIFTED CHILD LOOKING FOR SPECIAL OPPORTUNITIES?” Reynie Muldoon, the protagonist, finds it strange that the ad is directed to children and not their parents, but as he is an orphan with only his tutor, Ms. Perumal (who is teaching him Tamil by the way), for company, he decides to answer at her urging.

What follows is a series of increasingly bizarre and seemingly impossible tests. As Reynie passes each ones we are introduced to each of the other three children who will eventually form the Mysterious Benedict Society: George "Sticky" Washington, Kate Wetherall, and Constance Contraire. Each of the children are able to pass the tests in their own ways, Reynie by finding a pattern, Sticky by the sheer breadth of his knowledge, Kate through the resources (telescope, pocketknife, rope, flashlight etc...) she carries in a bucket looped to her belt, and Constance through sheer force of will and stubbornness.

After passing the final test, the children are introduced to Mister Benedict, a kindly old man unfortunately prone to bouts of narcoleptic slumber, who informs them that all of the trouble and unrest in the world (incidents are mentioned in the newspaper that Reynie is perusing when he first encounters the ad) are due to the actions of one Ledroptha Curtain and his Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened (L.I.V.E.). Using a machine called the Whisperer, Curtain is sending out subliminal messages that are creating the tension the world is experiencing. He plans to use this machine to (and what evil genius villain wouldn't wan tthis for him or herself?) take over the world.

The children must infiltrate L.I.V.E. and destroy the Whisperer before Curtain's plans reach their fruition. Throughout this sequence Stewart does a fantastic job of maintaining suspense and tension in the reader. Never once does he take the easy or cliched way out of a situation he has put one of his characters in. To reveal too much of the action here is to spoil the plot for the reader so I will reign in my more expository instincts...

Suffice to say, the mission is fraught with peril and very real dangers for the children, and only through the combined use of ALL of their gifts are they able to persevere. The Mysterious Benedict Society is highly recommended for all fans of the mstery and adventure genre, especially those who want some depth to their characters and some complexity to their stories. Also, check out the highly entertaining official website here.

Ranger's Apprentice: Ruins of Gorlann

For my inaugural post I'd like to address a phenomenon in children's literature that has emerged in the wake of the phenomenal publishing success surrounding the trials and tribulations of a certain young wizard: the dearth of inferior or downright derivative fantasy series that have sprung up in its wake like so many night crawlers wriggling helplessly on the sidewalk after a summer downpour. Publishing, like any other big business, loves proven winners. When Harry Potter sold through the roof, then the green light was given to dozens of lesser series (I'm looking at you Inheritance Trilogy, aka "The Lord of the Star Wars"), while at the same time pushing authors with legitimate vision and innovative ideas if their books did not have sequel potential.

The "Ranger's Apprentice" series by John Flanagan is a pleasant exception to this dismaying trend. Thus far, the first three volumes exist in paperback, and the fourth is still only available as a hardcover. Flanagan eventually intends to publish seven books in all. All seven are currently available in his native Australia. Visit the official website here.

Book One, The Ruins of Gorlan, tells the story of the orphan boy Will and other orphans in Redmont Fief, within the kingdom of Arulen. As they approach the "Choosing Day," they will be selected for the job that they will serve in for the rest of their lives. As can be expected from the title of the series, Will is selected for Ranger training. He had had his heart set on Battle School, but he soon learns to embrace his calling. Under the tutelage of the gruff and mysterious Halt, will begins to learn the way of the Ranger: unseen movement, tracking, archery, cartography, and horsemanship.

The Rangers serve as the eyes and ears of the kingdom of Arulen, especially when the evil Lord Morgarath, who had been banished from the kingdom after leading a failed rebellion fifteen years before. Oftentimes, the first books in a series are overburdened with exposition and origin stories, but The Ruins of Gorlan has plenty of action as well. Interspersed between Will's training chapters are the stories of several of the other orphans and their endeavors, as well as the schemes and machinations of Morgarath and his armies of Wargals (an Ork-like creature that resembles a cross between a gorilla and a bear), and the particularly horrifying creatures the Kalkara.

As the plot advances, the Kalkara are loosed on the kingdom, and it is up to Halt and Will to stop them before too much carnage is unleashed. The Ruins of Gorlan is highly recommended for fans of fantasy, and adventure series along the lines of Lloyd Alexander, Ursula K. Leguin, or C.S. Lewis.