Little Brother- Corey Doctorow

OK, Before I go any further into this review, I need to make a few things clear. 1. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, but 2. it skews a bit older than my normal reading audience. It's appropriate for late middle schoolers/high schoolers. I firmly believe that it has important things to say (for every American, regardless of age), but there are some very high school aged shenanigans going on throughout the story.

And what a story it is. Set in San Francisco, it tells the story of Marcus Yallow and his tech-savvy, hackery friends. Marcus is your fairly typical high school student: bright, but bored in school, obsessed with girls, and more concerned with the net and computer games than his classwork or grades.

Little Brother takes place in a world recognizably our own, but different as well. Students at Marcus's school all have school issued laptops that have tight security restrictions and monitor key strokes and web histories. Cameras in classrooms were declared an unconstitutional invasion of privacy, but all students are monitored by gait recognition software that can recognize any individual by their specific style of walking. (Marcus and his friends have a rather ingenious way of spoiling these cameras which I won't reveal here.)

One day, Marcus and his friends are ditching school to participate in an online game called Harajuku Fun Madness. The game combines online scavenger hunts with realworld locations. While trying to find a clue, San Francisco is struck by a devastating terrorist attack. While trying to tack cover form the explosions, Marcus and his friends, in a classic case of wrong place at the wrong time, are arrested by homeland security troops in the immediate aftermath.

Without trial or official arrests, they are taken to a secret location and interrogated repeatedly and mercilessly. Marcus initially tries to be defiant, but eventually breaks and answers all their questions.

In the wake of the attacks, Homeland Security effectively takes over San Francisco. Citizens are monitored constantly and subjected to random and not so random stops and searches. Marcus begins to foment a resistance to these tactics by organizing people through the internet. He is immediately branded a terrorist and the rest of the book plays out as a game of cat and mouse with Homeland Security searching for Marcus, and Marcus coming to terms with the newfound responsibilities of leadership and resistance.

I loved Little Brother because of the questions it implicitly forces the reader to ask himself. Is dissent patriotic? Is safety more important than freedom? Is it our right or obligation to protest an unjust law of government action? Are the words of our founders as applicable today as they were in 1776?

Little Brother is an important book, and in the wake of NSA wire tapping scandals and prisoner abuses at Abu Gharib and Guantanamo Bay, it should be required reading for every free-thinking American.

I'll leave you with the following quote of The Declaration of Independence which appears throughout the book. Interpret it how you see fit...

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

But Did You Read it First?- Help!

Today, I have occasion to see the the movie version of Jeff Kinney's best-selling Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. I'm doing so because I'll be seeing it with some individuals whose company I value highly.

Unfortunately, in doing so, I am violating on of my cardinal rules involving literary adaptations: I have yet to read the source material. I know, I know, I've heard nothing but great things about the series, but there are only so many hours in a day, and my stack of to be read books hovers around three feet tall.

So, gentle reader(s), I put forth the following plea: who can review either the Diary of a Wimpy Kid book or movie (or both) for the site? If it falls to me, it will be weeks, if not months before a review is ready. In the meantime, audience interests might have moved on to the next big thing.

Odd and the Frost Giants- Neil Gaiman

Fresh of his Newbery Award winning performance in The Graveyard Book, Neil Gaiman returns with the delightful and slightly more suitable for my current reading audience Odd and the Frost Giants.

Playing to one of his many and considerable strengths, Gaiman sets this story within the world of Norse mythology. Odd is a young boy living in a Viking village in Norway. His father perished on a raiding expedition, and his mother (a captive from Scotland) has remarried Fat Elfred, the village oaf. To make matters worse, a tree fell on his leg when he was younger, crushing his bones, and leaving him with a debilitating limp. To Vikings, a boy who can not handle himself physically, does not have much worth at all.

One day, Odd decides to run away from home. (Given his home life, we can imagine how he might long for something different.) While walking in the woods, Odd encounters three very special animals: an eagle, a bear, and a fox. He comes to recognize that they are in fact Odin, Thor, and Loki, three of the mightiest gods from the Norse Pantheon.

They have been banished from Asgard, the city of the gods, by a particularly surly Frost Giant thanks to the arrogance of Loki. In being banished, they have lost their human forms and been trapped as considerably less powerful (although not powerless) animals. Their banishment has lead to an extra long and brutal winter in Midgard, the realm of humans.

It seems that only Odd can help the gods regain their rightful place, and end the horrible winter. Although physically impaired, Odd is cheerful, clever, and, perhaps most importantly of all, infuriating. Will he have what it takes to defeat the mightiest of all the Frost Giants? Will he succeed where the the steely will of Odin, the unfathomable might of Thor, and the devious machinations of Loki have all failed? What does he possibly have to offer that these gods do not?

Odd and the Frost Giants is a slim volume, coming in at just over 100 pages including wonderful illustrations by award-winning artist Brett Helquist, and it's over almost before it's begun. I guess Gaiman is abiding by the old show business maxim: always leave your audience wanting more. In his author biography, Gaiman says that there are more Odd stories he'd like to tell, and I for one would be happy to read them.

Neil Gaiman's most excellent website for young people:

Mr. Bobo's Remarkable Mouse Circus

When You Reach Me- Rebecca Stead

Sorry gentle reader(s). Once again, an unforgivably long period of time has passed between my reviews. Life, as they say, happens, but I now find myself with a bit of free time, and a stack of books three feet high that I'm going to try and get through. In addition to this post, look for a review of Neil Gaiman's latest coming soon as well.

I didn't get a chance to do a post on this year's American Library Association (most notably the Caldecott and Newbery Awards- for a complete list of this years winners and honorees go here.) but I wanted to make sure that this year's Newbery winner, When You Reach Me, by Rebecca Stead got its proper due in these hallowed yet electronic pages.

When You Reach Me is nothing short of an amazing and mesmerizing second novel from Rebecca Stead. She effortlessly blends at least three genres (realistic fiction, mystery, and science fiction, and throw in historical fiction to boot as the book is set in 1979.) and her characters and depiction of New York City never once seem forced or contrived.

In the story, Miranda is a regular, everyday sixth grader living in 1978-1979 New York City. Her mother is a paralegal who is training to appear on the game show The 20,000 Dollar Pyramid. Like many sixth graders, Miranda struggles with friendships, boys, money, her mother, school, bullies, and, oh yes, mysterious anonymous letters that know too much about her, and appear to be sent from the future.

It's thee letters that make When You Reach Me so great. The first reads:

I'm coming to save your friends life and my own.

I ask two favors.

First, you must write me a letter.

Miranda has no idea where the letter came from or who sent it. As more letters appear, it is clear that the author knows things about the future that no one should, and Mira becomes increasingly enmeshed in what appears to be prophecy. The juxtaposition of Mira's everyday sixth grade life and the mysteries of time travel shouldn't work at all, yet all aspects of the plot come together seamlessly and the resolution (like all truly great resolutions should) leaves the reader thinking, pondering, and mulling for days afterwards. Couple this with an extended running homage to Madeline L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time, and you have a book truly worthy of the Newbery's lofty pedigree. Highly recommended.

Rebecca Stead's Site

Wait, A Link Post?

Yes, I know I'm not big on posting links to other sites (at least separate from larger posts), but I'm bogged down in at least three different reviews right now, and wanted to put this info out there before I forgot. It's incredibly exciting news, but readers of my "But Did You Read It First?" posts will know that I remain cautiously optimistic at best.

Squeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OK, Squeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! implies a bit more excitement than just cautious optimism, but it's just so fun to type.

Cryptid Hunters- Roland Smith

Hola, intrepid reader(s), it's been waaay to long since I've dropped some literary knowledge on your tender brains, and for that, please accept my most humble and sincere apologies.

Sir Readalot's life has been a bit hectic over the last couple of months, but I feel like I'm getting back into the swing of things. I also have a sneaking suspicion that we will soon be visited by a whole new batch of special guest bloggers, so stay tuned for that...

For my triumphant return, I chose Cryptid Hunters, by Roland Smith. Those of you who know me in real life know my love of cryptozoology knows no bounds,

from the back cover:

"cryptozoology- noun. The study of animals such as the Sasquatch, the Yeti, the Loch Ness Monster, the Chupacabra and others, whose existence has not yet been proved scientifically. There are thought to be more than 200 cryptids in existence today.

so I would have read this book based on the title alone- but as it happens, I read Smith's Sasquatch several years ago, and found it to be well written and engaging.

Anyway, The Cryptid Hunters tells the story of Grace and Marty, two twin siblings who attend an exclusive boarding school in Switzerland while their parents travel around the world as documentary wildlife photographers. Marty is brave, athletic, nearly fearless, and a budding comic book artist. Grace is the smart one, but she's is hesitant, shy, and scared of nearly everything. She is also plagued by a recurring nightmare whose details she can never remember upon waking.

Early on in the book, news of a horrible helicopter crash reaches the twins, and they are sent to live with their Uncle Wolfe, a relative they have never met, or even known existed. He lives on a private island off the coast of Washington state. As it turns out, Wolfe is a Cryptozoologist, a scientist specializing in the study of previously undiscovered animals such as the Loch Ness Monster and Sasquatch. The twins arrive just as Wolfe recieves word (from the beautiful and only slightly cliched Anthropologist Dr. Laurel Lee) about a siting of Mokele-Mbembe [Mo-Kee-Lee-Em-Bem-Bee], a dinosaur-like cryptid that lives in the Congolese rain forest.

Both Dr. Wolfe and the twins have an unrevealed history with Mokele-Mbembe, and as the story unfolds, the reader is presented with more and more of the back story. Along the way, we also meet Dr. Noah Blackwood, Wolfe's nemesis, and the kind of evil, vastly powerful and wealthy villain that stories like this need. Blackwood runs a series of "Arks" around the world where he displays rare and endangered animal specimens. He is less than scrupulous when it comes to the laws protecting these animals, and has a series of poachers, mercenaries, and henchmen to procure them for him by any means necessary. He has less than pure intentions for the Mokele-Mbembe, and also has a hidden history with both Wolfe and the twins.

Soon enough, the twins are lost in the middle of the Congo while Wolfe and Lee rush to rescue them. Along the way, Grace and Marty must outwit poachers and hunters, survive the hazards of the rainforest, and find the nest of the Mokele-Mbembe before Blackwood and his minions can. Wolfe and Lee are rushing to rescue them, but until then, Grace and Marty must rely only on their instincts, and the help of a Bonobo named Bo, a raven named Vid, and a pocket poodle named P.D.

Will they reach the Mokele-Mbembe in time? What is the mysterious tie between the family and the Mokele-Mbembe? For the answer to these and other questions, you'll have to read The Cryptid Hunters to find out.

In Grace and Marty, Smith has created two likable, if not entirely original (just once, I'd like the girl to be the athletic one, and the boy to be the smart one. I'm sure there are plenty of sibling tandems like that in the world of children's literature, so please remind me of those pairings in the comments.) protagonists. I loved the subject matter and the pro-conservation message of the story's heroes, but I wanted a bit more from it overall. The sequel, Tentacles, is about the search for the giant squid, so of course I'll read it, but based on The Cryptid Hunters alone, I doubt I'd be seeking out additional entries to the series.

Catching Fire- Suzanne Collins

Suzanne Collins returns to the (electronic) pages of Anbaric Lights with Catching Fire, the sequel to her best seller The Hunger Games, and book two of an eventual trilogy. As I said in my previous review (see link above, I do so love tooting my own horn!), the subject matter and themes brought forth in this series are a little mature for my usual target audience. I recommend this series highly, but due to some of the content, I think it's mainly appropriate for middle schoolers and beyond.

In order to effectively review Catching Fire, I'll have to release some mild spoilers concerning The Hunger Games, so if you have not read book one of the series, then read on at your own peril...

Catching Fire returns the reader to the distopian future created by Collins in The Hunger Games. The United States is no more. Instead, the brutal government of the Capital (Pelem) rules oppressively and totally over 12 separate and distinct districts. Each district is responsible for one product: coal, fish, lumber, electronics, etc..., and each district is kept in total isolation from the other. "Peacekeepers," soldiers from the capital, make sure that the residents of each district stay in line.

75 years ago, an uprising by the districts was brutally crushed by the capital (including the total annihilation of District 13), and as a consequence the Hunger Games were created. In these games, once a year each district sends both a male and a female tribute to the games. The tributes are then forced to kill each other off until only one is left. These games are designed to subjugate and humiliate the Districts, and to remind them of their subservience to the capital.

For the first time ever, there were two champions in the events of The Hunger Games. Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark, both from District 12, were declared co-winners after manufacturing a tragic love story for themselves. Of course, this romance is only a fabrication for Katniss, Peeta is truly, deeply, and hopelessly in love with her. Since this lie spared their lives, they are forced to continue living it as they attempt to return to their former lives.

They find themselves celebrities on a whirlwind tour of the districts, but Katniss has intentionally become a symbol of revolution throughout the districts. As the games have always had only a single winner, any deviation is a slight to the power and influence of the capital.

Her Mockingjay (a kind of bird) pin has become the symbol for all of those who hope to end the oppression of the capital once and for all. Of course those in control, lead by the deliciously evil and malevolent President Snow will not go down easily. Uprisings are suppressed with violence, and the capital has sinister plans in store for not only Katniss and Peeta, but also for all former Hunger Games champions as the 75th anniversary of the games draws nearer.

Katniss and Peeta must work desperately to maintain the illusion of their love (Katniss is torn between Peeta and Gale, her friend from back in District 12) in order to protect their friends and family from the wrath of the government, but as the ministrations of the capital grow ever more ruthless, the sparks of revolution glow ever brighter and the reader finally gets the sense of where the title of the book comes from.

Will Katniss and Peeta be able to protect there loved ones? Will unrest blossom into full on revolution? What cruel tricks await the participants of the 75th annual Hunger Games? Gentle reader, you'll just have to read Catching Fire to find out.

Suzanne Collins Official Site

The Last Olynpian- Rick Riordan

With The Last Olympian, Rick Riordan completes his thrilling and exciting "Percy and the Olympians" saga. Over the course of four previous volumes, (The Lightning Thief, Sea of Monsters, The Titan's Curse, and the Battle of the Labyrinth) Riordan has introduced readers to a fully realized world that seamlessly incorporates Greek mythology with modern adolescence.

Percy Jackson, the son of Poseidon, is a "half-blood," an individual with one mortal and one immortal parent. Appropriately enough, since the age of 12, he has been trained in the ways of hero-ing at Camp Half Blood. His instructor is the legendary centaur Chiron, instructor to less a hero than the legendary Achilles of "The Iliad" and Trojan War fame. Together with his friend Annabeth (a daughter of Athena), and the Satyr Grover, Percy has worked to stop the return of Kronos, lord of the Titans, father of the Olympic Gods, and disembodied and imprisoned in Tartarus since the dawn of time.

In The Last Olympian, Percy must unravel one last prophecy (the mummified, disembodied spirit of the Oracle of Delphi reveals a prophecy to one half-blood in each volume of the series.) in order to confront Kronos who by now has obtained a physical form by possessing another half blood.

A half-blood of the eldest gods-

shall reach sixteen against all odds

And see the world in endless sleep

The hero's soul, cursed blade shall reap

A single choice shall end his days

Olympus to preserve or raze

Along the way to the final showdown with Kronos and his army of titans, traitor half-bloods, and monsters, Percy travels to the underworld, takes a dip in the river Styx (ask Achilles how well that one works out), practices his driving, his his first (sort of) kiss, visits his father's palace at the bottom of the ocean, learns the intricacies of the prophecy, and confronts his final destiny.

The battle of New York (Mt. Olympus is located on the 600th floor of the Empire State Building as it has migrated following the focal point of western civilization over the years) is well paced, exciting, and dangerous. The threats are very real, and there are casualties on both sides. Riordan knows how to raise the stakes for this last volume of the series. Statues come alive, time gets stopped, bridges and tunnels are destroyed, and both the East and Hudson rivers team up to defend the island of Manhattan.

Overall, I was sad to see Percy's adventures come to an end, although fans take heart, the book ends with a new prophecy, and his afterword, Riordan refers to the end of the current series, thus hinting that further advantures (if not of Percy, then at least set in the Camp Half Blood universe) might lie in store. I was very pleased with Riordan's interpretation of Greek mythology throughout the series, and if the cool-yet-considerably-shorter-than-me people that I hang out with on a regular basis are any indication, then the author has spurred interest in these gods, monsters, and heroes for an entire new generation.

My one dislike about this volume is the depiction of the Titan Prometheus. His story (stole fire to give to humans, and was punished by Zeuss for all eternity as a consequence) is one of my personal favorites, and I didn't appreciate him being portrayed as a slimy, smarmy wheeler-dealer wearing a tuxedo and sunglasses. Can't win them all, though...

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows- JK Rowling

Today's review comes courtesy of a returning favorite of Anbaric Lights', the incomparable Book Monster. She's tackled a subject bittersweet in my heart, the final volume of the Harry Potter series. Bitter because it ends the adventures of everyone's favorite teenaged wizard, and sweet because, MAN! What a finish!

When I first finished the Deathly Hallows, I found myself depressed and sad that I would have no more exposure to Harry's world. For those of you feeling likewise, I recommend the movie versions (almost all great, see my review of The Half-Blood Prince here) or the audiobooks narrated by Jim Dale.

Warning, plot spoilers are present in this review. Do not read on unless you have read the first six volumes of the series. Now, without further ado, take it away Bookmonster!

-SirReadsalot

Harry Potter Seven is not like all the other Harry Potter books because there are many more deaths and very little of the book takes place at Hogwarts because Harry, Ron, and Hermione must carry on with Dumbledore’s quest to destroy Voldemort’s horcruxes since he has died. Instead of Voldemort trying to take over, he already has gained power and Harry and his friends are trying to take it back. I do not like this book as much as the others in the Harry Potter series because Harry does not go to school and I really liked Hogwarts. I also found the many deaths made the book much more depressing than the others. This book will finally reveal if Snape’s intentions are good or bad. I think that wearing the horcrux, an object carrying part of someone’s soul, while searching for what would destroy it was a very unwise choice of Harry’s. It was clever of J.K. Rowling to create horcruxes because it made the book more than just Harry and his friends attempting to kill Voldemort. The deathly hallows, another great concept of J.K. Rowling’s, led Harry, Ron, and Hermione off track to find the objects that might let someone conquer death and gave them more to do than just hunt for horcruxes. If you like adventure, magic, and are willing to read long books, then this is a book for you. I am very intrigued that the movie is going to be in two parts and hope it will make them more detailed.

A note from Sir Readsalot: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 is scheduled to be released in November 0f 2010, with part 2 to follow in July of 2011.

JK Rowling Official Site

Coraline Redux- Harry Selsnick

Just a small one today. I've made no secret of my fawning admiration for the work of Neil Gaiman, and I've even reviewed the film adaptation of his book Coraline on this blog. I thought that today, on a slow news day, I'd do a quick update urging anyone who hasn't to see this film, and for those of you to have, to see this film again. It came out on DVD and Blue Ray on July 21st, and I just wanted to take this opportunity to urge as many people as possible to see this movie.

The DVD comes with four sets of 3D glasses so you, the home viewer, can take in all of the visual magic that Selsnick crams into his narrative. The film has has its scarier moments (the "Other Mother" is admitedly horrifying and evil), but overall the visuals and the story come across as stunning and adventurous, and Coraline is a hero that we can all relate to. If you didn't before, I highly recommend you take the opportunity to check Coraline out, and if you've seen the film, then, take it from someone who already has, it is definitely a worthy addition to the home library. Seriously, gentle reader, Coraline stands alone, not just as a great film adaptation of a great book, but as a great film.

But Did You Read It First?- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Welcome back to "But Did You Read It First?"- Anbaric Lights' quasi-regular (I might have to come up with another prefix that means even less often than quasi as there has been only one previous entry in the series, a review of Coraline from last February) column dealing with film adaptations of children's literature.

Wow, the entire preceding paragraph was one (admittedly parenthetically-enhanced) sentence. The fact that I occasionally get paid to teach tiny people to write boggles the mind. But that is neither her nor there. I'm already two paragraphs into the review and I haven't even mentioned the film yet. I really need to work on my meandering and often disorienting introductions to these reviews...

Before we go any farther, there are some assumptions. I assume that you are familiar with the Harryverse (Harry Potter Universe). I will not go into detail about describing the characters, and mild spoilers from previous entries in the series may be revealed. If you are not familiar with the events leading up to The Half Blood Prince (the sixth book and movie of the series), then you may not want to read any further.

Still with me? Good, let's have at it!

Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint all return as Harry, Hermione, and Ron respectively. The rest of the cast is also back to in roles of varying sizes. The only new major addition to the series is Jim Broadbent as Professor Slughorn, the sixth Defense Against the Dark Arts professor the students have had in six years. David Yates (director of the previous installment, The Order of the Phoenix, and the forthcoming two movie adaptation of Book 7, The Deathly Hallows) returns as director.

The story should be relatively familiar with anyone still reading this post at this point. Harry has returned to Hogwarts for another year. Voldemort is back and Harry and Dumbledore are using the pensieve to investigate his childhood and career at Hogwarts. They realize that he has accomplished extraordinarily dark magic, through acts of murder he has divided and stored his soul in an object called a horcrux. Thus, even if the body is destroyed (as Vodermort's was the night he tried to kill Harry as a baby), the soul lives on and one is never really dead. The Half Blood Prince and The Deathly Hallows both focus on the attempts of Harry and his allies to locate and destroy these horcruxes. There are seven in all, and it is revealed that Tom Riddle's diary from The Chamber of Secrets was a horcrux. Dumbledore also destroyed one (a ring that once belonged to Voldemort's grandfather), but injured his hand severely in the attempt.

Throughout the film, Harry is using a potions textbook that belongs to "The Half-Blood Prince," and as a result of the wisdom therein, he is rising to the top of his potions class. He even learns a septum severus spell that has unintended and deadly consequences in one scene in the film.

Ron and Hermione become involved in a love triangle with Lavender Brown, and it's refreshing to see that despite the gloom and doom of Voldemort's return, that the characters are still teenagers dealing with the same things that teenagers everywhere, magical or otherwise, deal with. Harry gets a romance of his own when his relationship with Ginny blossoms into something more than just friendship.

Draco Malfoy has been tasked by Voldemort with a deadly serious task. He is shown throughout the movie becoming increasingly drawn and desperate as he tries to maneuver his plan into place. Tom Felton, who hasn't had much to do with Draco in the previous films other than to sneer and serve as an obvious foil to Harry, does a solid job depicting Draco as a boy who may have bit off just a bit more than he can chew.

Throughout the tension and danger that Harry and his friends must deal with (Deatheater attacks! Fenrir Greyback! Curses, Hexes, and poisons!) is nicely balanced with humor (love potions, a eulogy for Aragog, Slughorn's habit of "collecting" promising students), and Yates and company set the stage for the final confrontation with Voldermort in The Deathly Hallows.

SERIOUS SPOILERS TO FOLLOW
DO NOT READ ON UNLESS YOU HAVE EITHER
SEEN THE FILM OR READ THE BOOK

My one main complaint is the film's climax. The battle at Hogwarts depicted in the book is violent, chaotic, and terrifying. Snape's apparent betrayal and murder of Dumbledore hits like a punch in the gut. This scene in the movie occurs as almost an afterthought, and as much as I love Alan Rickman's portrayal of Snape, he seemed to be far to obvious in his role in Dumbledore's death. I know Yates had to cut some of the book down in order to make it movie length (it still runs a good 2.5 hours!), but I do feel that these last scenes were where I felt the missing material most. I hope The Deathly Hallows begins with Dumbledore's Funeral, because that scene is beautiful and heartbreaking, and deserves to be shown.

All in all, it was yet another solid and dependable HP adaptation, and I am very excited to see the conclusion. Part I will be released in 2010, and Part II in 2011.

What did you think of the movie gentle reader(s)?

The 39 Clues Book 2: One False Note- Gordon Korman

I found the first 39 Clues book, The Maze of Bones, to be a pleasant surprise by the end of its opening chapters, and decided to pursue the series further with book 2, One False Note. This book, written by Gordon Korman, picks up immediately after Rick Riordan's Maze of Bones left off. (Apparently each volume of this series will be penned by a different author.)

Dan and Amy Cahill, grandchildren of the recently deceased Grace Cahill, are embroiled in a worldwide scavenger hunt for the "39 Clues." They are competing against other members of the enormous extended Cahill clan, a family that has included some of the most powerful people throughout history. The ultimate prize is not stated, but it is intimated that it includes wealth and power beyond imagining, the power to shape and change the entire world. Suffice to say, all of the competitors are incredibly motivated, cunning, and ruthless. Intrigue, alliances, and double crosses abound.

Mild Maze of Bones plot spoilers are contained in the subsequent paragraph.

Book 1 highlights their relationship with Benjamin Franklin and has Dan and Amy traveling from Boston, to Franklin's old stomping grounds in Philadelphia, to Paris, where Franklin was treated like an 18th century rock star by the adoring French. By the end of Book 1, Dan and Amy have found the first clue and are headed off to Vienna, Austria to investigate the life of yet another one of their famous, distant cousins, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

One False Note opens with Dan, Amy, their au pair (never call her a babysitter within the range of Dan's hearing) Nellie Gomez, and their finicky cat Saladin are on the train from Paris to Vienna. They are trying to stay ahead of their many competitors: The psychotic, quasimilitary family the Holts, former KGB spy Irina Spasky, Natalie and Ian Kabra, rich, brilliant and deadly, Jonah Wizard, teenage hiphop star, actor, and all around megacelebrity, and Allistair Oh, who is down on his luck after making a fortune inventing the microwave burrito.

The Cahills, arrive in Vienna (after a harrowing runin with the Holts on the train) only to find Jonah Wizard, under the auspices of an European press junket for his new TV show, Who Wants to Be a Gangsta?, a step ahead of them. After a thrilling heist in Vienna, they are soon on their way to Salzburg, Mozart's childhood home. Soon after that they are on their way to Venice, one of the stops on Mozart's 1770 European tour.

In Venice they stumble upon the stronghold of the Janus Branch of the Cahills. Notable Janus Cahills throughout history in addition to Mozart have included Walt Disney, Beethoven, Mark Twain, Elvis, Charlie Chaplin, Dr. Seuss, and Snoop Dog. They are the branch of artists, musicians, authors, and other creative people. Jonah Wizard, actor and musician, is a Janus, and it is revealed that his mother is a very high ranking official within their organization. Book 1 introduced us to the Lucian stronghold in Paris. They were the great political and military leaders throughout history. Presumably, later volumes will introduce us to the two other Cahill branches: Tomas, and Eskartina. When you register at the website, you can take a short quiz and determine what branch you belong to. I'm an Eskartina.

After fleeing the Janus compound (suffice to say their infiltration of it does not go unnoticed or appreciated) with vital information from Mozart's sister's diary, Dan and Amy lead a merry boat chase through the canals of Venice before trying to find the next clue. Somehow, they escape the Janus', only to run afoul of Ian and Natalie Kabras. Will Dan and Amy be able to outsmart the two of them in order to find the second clue? I'm sure you have a pretty good idea about the answer, but you'll need to read on to find the answer.

Overall, I found the book to be sufficiently thrilling in its own right (the search for the second clue), but it did little to advance the overall mystery of the series. I guess if there is going to be a book for each clue, then the authors can afford to let the reader in on the bigger secrets veeeeeeery gradually, but it can be a bit frustrating. Who or what are the Madrigals? What's the deal with the Man in Black? Can Mr. McIntyre be trusted? All of these questions are raised in the book, but frustratingly little is revealed. I guess if you really want to know, you'll need to read book 3, The Sword Thief. Although I did not enjoy this book as much as The Maze of Bones, I guess I'm going to have to stick with the series. At least until they find the Eskartina stronghold. What do you think gentle reader(s)? Is the series worth pursuing? Can anyone be expected to commit to 39 books in a series? Let me know in your comments.

The Battle of the Labyrinth- Rick Riordan

The Battle of the Labyrinth is the fourth book in Rick Riordan's five volume "Percy and the Olympians" series. For those of you unfamiliar with the underlying premise: here's a quick recap: everything from Greek mythology is real. Gods, monsters, demons, and heroes exist both beyond and along the realms of mortal comprehension (Riordan describes them as being obscured by a magical mist). Among these mythological beings there exist "half-bloods," children born of one mortal and one immortal parent. Hercules (son of Zeus and a mortal mother is one famous example) and they are trained for various heroic quests at the appropriately-named "Camp Half Blood."

The series follows the adventures of Percy Jackson, the son of Poseidon and a mortal mother as he struggles to learn his place in the worlds of the everyday and the mythological. Over time, Mount Olympus has followed the center of western civilization and currently resides on the 600th floor of the Empire State Building. In fact, one of the most enjoyable things about the series is seeing how Riordan is able to update various mythological elements for the modern world, and how he is able to explain their presence.

As it turns out, Kronos (leader of the Titans, the original group of Greek gods and father to Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades. Zeus eventually lead an uprising against his father and the other Titans, and cast him forever into the pit of Tartarus.) is reforming and hoping to wage war on the Olympian gods. He is pure evil and driven by his urge for revenge. The mythological world is fast being divided among the two (Titan and Olympian) camps. Percy and his fellow campers (Annabeth, a daughter of Athena, Grover, a satyr, among others) must go an varying quests in order to foil Kronos's plans.

Book 4, The Battle of the Labyrinth, involves Kronos' plot to invade Camp Half Blood by circumventing the magical defenses by sneaking in through the mythical labyrinth of Crete. That's right, that maze, created by Deadelus, home of the Minotaur, still exists and has been evolving and growing in the centuries since its inception centuries ago. It is filled with monsters, dead ends, traps, riddles, and other obstacles designed to kill, bewilder, or entrap all who enter it. There are entrances and exits all over the world, including one within the borders of Camp Half Blood.

The forces of Kronos are lead by Luke Castellan, a half-blood son of Hermes, who has betrayed the Olympians (he hates his father) for the Titan's cause. Percy, Annabeth, Grover and his half-brother Tyson, (a kindly, clever cyclops) must enter the Labyrinth themselves in order to find the workshop of Daedalus. They must reach him before Luke and his forces do, or else the route through the labyrinth and the key to the invasion of Camp Half Blood will be revealed.

Along the way they must deal with Kampe, a monster from the first Titan-Olympian war, the forges of Hephaestus (located beneath Mt. Saint Helens), Janus (the two faced god of doorways, beginnings and endings), the fields of Geryon, the disappearance of Pan, hellhounds, and a burgeoning love triangle in between Percy, Annabeth, and a mortal girl named Rachel who is capable of seeing through the mists and is instrumental to the successful navigation of the labyrinth.

The eventual battle itself is somewhat anticlimactic, once it finally occurs, but that is a minor quibble in this thrilling volume of one of my favorite ongoing series.

Book 5, The Last Olympian, is out now and concludes Percy's saga. I might have to break my paperbacks-only rule and pick up a copy to see how the story ends. Will Kronos finally triumph? If he is defeated (and let's face it, he probably will be), then what will be the cost? Who will survive the final confrontation between the Titans and the Olympians.

"Percy and the Olympians" official site.

Congratulations Anbaric Lights!

July 11th will mark the one year anniversary of Anbaric Light's inaugural post, a review of Book 1 of John Flanagan's "Ranger's Apprentice" series, The Ruins of Gorlan. In the months since, we've reviewed 26 different books, 17 by me, and 9 by special guest bloggers.

What began as a grad school project has taken on a life of its own thanks to a small, yet dedicated cadre of faithful readers, commentors, and bloggers. In the months to come I would love to expand the scope of Anbaric Lights, and hopefully attract submissions from a broader circle of readers and writers.

Here are some fun books on my to-be-read shelf that I hope to have reviews for in the coming weeks:

Hope to have a Sea of Monsters (Book 2) review up soon, but I love me some "Percy and the Olympians."

From the author of American Born Chinese.

Book 2, See my review of The Maze of Bones (Book 1) here.

Note to the intrepid reader: I like to wait for the paperbacks, so I'm usually one volume behind in popular series, or a year behind the release of popular titles. If I am reviewing a current hardcover, then it almost certainly came from the library, or was purchased with a gift card.

Thanks to everyone who has visited the site, commented, or submitted blogs over the last year! Keep reading and let's do what we can to continue to spread the word about awesome children's literature!

-Sir Readsalot

P.S.- Let's also try to broaden our scope to include nonfiction, other mediums (especially the graphic novel), and genres beyond adventure, mystery, and fantasy.

The Battle for Skandia- John Flanagan

I know, I know, I started this blog railing against the plague of series books ravaging children's literature in the wake of Harry Potter's success, but if you'll remember I described the "Ranger's Apprentice" series as "a pleasant exception to this dismaying trend." I am enjoying this series immensely, and after reading and thoroughly liking The Burning Bridge (Book 2), and The Icebound Land (Book 3), I turn my attention now to Book 4, The Battle for Skandia.

To recap: The Rangers are a light calvary/ scouting force crucial to the security of the Kingdom of Arulen. They are analogous to our Special Forces today, highly trained in both conventional and unconventional warfare, master tacticians, lightly armed, and incredibly mobile. The series follows the adventures of Will, and his apprenticeship under Master Ranger Halt.

SOME SPOILERS FOLLOW. IF YOU HAVE NOT READ ANY OF THE SERIES AND DO NOT WANT THE PLOTS OF THE FIRST THREE BOOKS REVEALED, THEN YOU SHOULD STOP READING NOW.

In books 1 and 2, they work together to foil the plots of renegade warlord Morgarath. Book 3 details what happens to Will and his friend Evanlyn when they are kidnapped by the northern Skandians (clearly analogs for our Vikings, right down to the apocryphal horned helmets) and the efforts of Halt and Will's friend Horace (an apprentice knight) to rescue them.

The Battle For Skandia opens with the rescue of Will and Evanlyn by Halt and Horace. However, the former have already escaped from slavery (see the events of The Icebound Land), and the latter liberate them, not from the Skandians, but from the Temujai.

Skandia, it seems, is in the process of being invaded by a race of people from "the eastern steppes" known as the Temujai. They are lead by a "Shan" and are dedicated to one thing only: conquest. They are formidable warriors, excellent horsemen, and deadly archers. Halt has had a history with them in their younger days, and even he is afraid of their military might. Given his depiction as a fearless and peerless tactician, the reader really gets a sense of menace from Halt's attitudes toward the Temujai. They are clearly inspired by Mongol hordes from history.

In fact, this is one of my favorite things about the series, it indulges in my history nerd what if fantasies. As I've mentioned, the Skandians are clearly Vikings, the Temujai are Mongols, the Arulens (Halt, Will, Horace and Evanlyn) are European knights, although Flanagan clearly betrays his commonwealth biases with Arulen (an island kingdom) being England while Gallica (France) and Tuetlandt (Germany) being described as comically inept.

Arulen and surrounding environs. Look closely: See anything else that looks familiar?

In The Battle for Skandia we have an excellent Vikings vs. Mongols battle with a little bit of the English longbow thrown in for good measure. The Skandians and the escaped Arulens must put their differences aside in a classic "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" scenario. Flannagan has created a relentless and implacable foe for Will and his comrades to face in this thrilling volume.

I'm looking forward to their continued adventures, and if you feel like you can't wait, all titles through Volume 8 have them have been published already in Flanagan's native Australia. You can try to search for them here.

Ranger's Apprentice Website

The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey- Trenton Lee Stewart

The Mysterious Benedict Society was one of my inaugural posts on this site, so it comes as no surprise that I would be eager to review its sequel, The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey.

The Perilous Journey picks up about a year after the first book ends. All the members of the society are enjoying considerably better circumstances (Reynie has been adopted by Mrs. Permual and her mother, Constance has been adopted by Mr. Benedict himself, Sticky has been happily reunited with his parents, and Kate is living on a farm outside of Stonetown with her secret agent father, Milligan.), but they haven't seen each other in nearly a year, and are, despite the traumas of their initial adventure together, bored.

A reunion is planned at Kate and Milligan's farm, and Mr. Benedict has arranged a world wide, all expenses paid scavenger hunt as a reward for the society and all of their hard work.

He and his imaginatively nicknamed assistant, Number Two, will travel ahead of the society, leaving the next clue for the kids at varying exotic European locales. Unfortunately, Benedict's nefarious and scheming twin brother, Leodopthra Curtain, rears his ugly head and kidnaps Benedict and Number Two. Now, instead of a luxurious European tour full of fun and challenging clues, the Society is faced with matters of life and death. They must solve each clue in order to find and rescue their beloved benefactor.

What follows is a thrilling, labyrinthine journey from Stonetown, to Lisbon, to Holland, to a mysterious, uncharted island in the North Sea. One very interesting theme that interweaves the entire story has to do with human nature. Are people basically good or basically evil? Mr. Benedict's efforts to get Reynie to trust people and see the good within them reminds me a lot of Dumbledore's espousing of the power of love in the Harry Potter books.

What is Curtain up to? Why has he kidnapped his brother? Will the Society be able to save him in time? Read on to find out.

There will be a third book, The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoner's Dilemma, due to be published in October 2009. Look for details and other fun facts and information, puzzles and codes at the Curiosity Chronicle, the official website for these books. Very well done and worth your browsing time.

The Talented Clementine- Sarah Pennypacker

Byline- June 18th, 2009

It will be a race between this and The Mysterious Bendedict Society and the Perilous Journey to see which will be the first sequel I review here at Anbaric Lights. I'm currently in the middle of both of them right now, but seeing as MN let me borrow this book MONTHS ago, I feel that I owe it to her to finally finish it and get it back to her.

As you may remember, I reviewed Clementine her a while back, and found that I loved it. Clementine is more than a worthy successor to Beverly Cleary's Ramona (beloved by me as a wee lad) and the book Clementine was consistently laugh out loud funny, a trait all to rare in books these days.

In The Talented Clementine, Clementine returns to confront the daunting prospect of a "Talentpalooza" talent show at her school. Not only does she not think she has any "good" talents (seeing things from fresh angles, making her brother laugh, pruning, ivy, thinking of things-lime jello- to put on toast, and being empathetic, just to name a few, don't count), but her arch nemesis and upstairs neighbor, Margaret has talents (accordion, clarinet, baton twirling, acting, horseback riding, singing, tap dancing, etc...) to spare. Margaret agrees to teach Clementine one of her many talents, and the sequence where Margaret tries to teach Clementine to tap, and the lengths Clementine goes to to create tap shoes of her own might be the funniest chapter I've ever read.

However, one of the previously listed not "good" talents ends up inspiring Clementine to create the Talentpalooza Act to end all Talentpalooza acts. To describe it in any greater detail here would be doing you, the potential reader, a great disservice, but trust me when I write that you will not want to miss what Clementine gets up to at the climax of The Talented Clementine. If you liked the first volume, then you'll love the sequel. Highly recommended.

The Penderwicks on Gardam Street-Jeanne Birdsall

Today's extra special guest blogger is a another returning hero, Ephos Sapphire. They have decided to focus on the sequel to Jeanne Birdsall's delightful tale of summer vacation and adventure, The Penderwicks. Read on to decide if the followup is worth your time...

-Sir Readsalot

The Penderwicks on Gardam Street is a thrilling must-have for everyone. However, you should read the first book: The Penderwicks before you start its follow-up. The plotline is about a hysterically funny family named the Penderwicks who have just gotten back from a family vacation to Arundel in the Berkshires. The four girls are Rosalind, Skye, Jane, and Batty. Rosalind, or Rosy, is a sweet 13 year old who took over for her mother. Skye is a soccer-loving tomboy who hates babies and cats. Jane is a creative writer who is fixated on her book series: Sabrina Starr. Fourth and finally comes Batty (Elizabeth) who is funny and cute. Four and 1/3 years before the book begins, right after the fourth sister, Batty, is born, their mother gets very ill. The doctors are sure she won’t live long. The day before she dies, she writes a letter to her husband. It’s about dating. She feels that he may get lonely. When giving the letter to her sister, Mother tells her to deliver it to him when she feels the time is right. When Batty is almost five, the sister, or Aunt Claire, gives the letter to the father, Martin. While eavesdropping on their father, the four girls hear about the dating. In order to discourage a potential step-mother, they plan terrible dates for their father. These only make him come home mad and muttering Latin swears. Their father seems to have a growing interest with the astrophysicist next door, Iantha. Will Skye outgrow her feelings and learn to like Iantha’s son and cat, Ben and Asimov? Will the sisters end up with a step-mother or will Martin stay single forever? Read this new, hilarious, and compelling book and you will be amazed at how wonderfully Jeanne Birsall spins her words.

Jeanne Birdsall's Website

Scat- Carl Hiaasen

Scat is Carl Hiaasen's third foray into children's fiction after the delightful Hoot, and the unread (at least by me) Flush. Ordinarily he writes adult crime fiction as well as a regular column for the Miami Herald. Very few writers can create a tangible sense of place the way Hiaasen describes the ins and outs, the oddballs, the beauty, and the corruption of his beloved south Florida, and Scat is no exception.

In Scat, Hiassen deftly weaves several seemingly disparate story lines into a compelling mystery that involves (among many other things) an endangered Florida Panther, a missing teacher, a certifiably insane substitute, the redemption of a juvenile delinquent, the Iraq war, crooked oil companies, and the environmental movement. Hiaasen deserves special props for his shout out to Edward Abbey's proto- Earth First! classic The Monkeywrench Gang. (Read it when you're older kiddies.)

Nick and Marta endure the daily tyranny of Bunny Starch's biology class, suffering through pop quizzes and being called on randomly. Mrs. Starch has the reputation of a witch, and it is rumored that her home contains any variety of venomous creatures, which she uses for her own nefarious ends.

Then, on a field trip to Black Vine Swamp, Mrs. Starch disappears during a forest fire. Despite this sudden departure, Nick and Marta continue to see her car around town, and are convinced that there is more to the situation than the "family emergency" that everyone uses to explain her sudden absence.

Throughout their investigations, they run afoul of the local pyromaniac (Duane, but he likes to be called "Smoke"), and a corrupt oil company. Soon their research begins to overlap with an extremely endangered Florida panther, an environmental activist, illegal oil drilling, roadside bombs in Iraq and the politics of an elite private school.

Despite these seemingly disconnected plot elements, Hiaasen does a masterful job of tying everything together. He paints a picture of grassroots environmental action, and never lets the reader forget how one person can make a difference when it comes to protecting the world around us. Highly recommended for mystery fans, lovers of the environment, or connoisseurs of original, offbeat and hilarious characters.

Carl Hiaasen

Stormbreaker- Anthony Horowitz

Today's extra special guest blog comes to us courtesy of Hot Water. He/she is reviewing the James Bond Junioresque adventures of Alex Rider in the popular series by Anthony Horowitz. Synchronize your watches and make sure you've got your pen laser securely hidden before reading on...

Sir Readsalot

Stormbreaker written by Anthony Horowitz is an exciting book. It is the beginning of a series called “Alex Rider.” Stormbreaker’s main character is a fourteen-year-old boy named Alex Rider.

In the story, Alex suddenly finds his Uncle, Ian Rider (who never liked the title Uncle), dead in a car accident. Alex doesn’t think that his Uncle dead in a “car accident” after he sees a gun hidden behind the jacket of the funeral car limo driver.

Alex’s curiosity over-takes his senses and before he knows it, Alex finds himself at the junkyard where his uncle’s car went after he died. Seeing bullets in the windshield confirms his suspicions.

Suddenly, after a series of events, Alex finds himself working for the M16, Britain’s intelligence agency. The M16 thinks the same as Alex and they send Alex on a dangerous mission to try to save the world. Read Stormbreaker to see what happens to Alex.