Usually a Newberry Medal winner is very good, but this book was terrific. Neil Gaiman has this incredible way of creating these dark worlds that are somehow still silly, humorous, and playful. Having read a number of his other books, I believe this to be one of his best.
Nobody Owens (also known as Bod) lives in a Graveyard where he escaped as an infant after his parents were murdered by a man called Jack. His guardian is neither living nor dead and lives in the in-between; plus he sleeps in a tomb and has been given the freedom of the graveyard by all the ghosts that call the cemetery home. Bod doesn't attend a convectional school because Jack may still be after him. Instead, the ghosts in the graveyard teach him different histories and subjects, giving him an unusual perspective on life. Unfortunately, this has meant a sad and lonely life for Bod, and he yearns for some human companionship.
That's when Bod decides he wants to go to school and all sorts of wild adventures befall him. Jack knows Bod must be in the area somewhere- he can sense it. He knows he is close to finding Bod, the infant who got away, and will not rest until he finds him.
All I have left to say about this book is that it is magical, unusual, imaginative and exciting. I loved it!
Friday, August 27, 2010
Saturday, August 21, 2010
The Red Pyramid: By Rick Riordan
As a big fan of the Percy Jackson series, I couldn't help but reach for this book in the book store. Rick Riordan is amazing at weaving old history within a modern day setting. His knowledge of Greek legend in the Percy Jackson series, and in this case, Egyptian folklore, is quite impressive.
The Red Pyramid is about Carter Kane, a boy who travels the world (for six years)moving from this place to the next with his father, Julius Kane (an Egyptologist). Carter's sister Sadie on the other hand lives with her grandparents and has what Carter wishes he had- a permanent home, friends, and a life that doesn't involve a suitcase. Unfortunately for the siblings, the six years spent apart has left them with nothing at all in common.
The pair are finally brought back together on Christmas Eve when there Dad drags them to The British Museum, claiming that he can fix everything that has kept their family apart- though Carter and Sadie have no idea what he's talking about. As they look on, their Dad summons a dark figure and then disappears. Very quickly, Carter and Sadie find out that the Ancient Egyptian Gods really do exist and that their family has a very long, and tangled history with something called the House of Life. In order to save their Dad, Carter and Sadie have to go to dangerous lengths to find out more about these Egyptian gods and confront the worst of them, Set, who tries to stop them at every turn.
From start to finish, this is an exciting book. I love how the lines of fact and fiction cease to exist in Riordan's novels. He mixes everything so well that you forget to check what is fact and fiction and just sit back and enjoy the story. In my opinion, The Kane Chronicles are even better than the Percy Jackson series, which are quite good as well. I really liked both Carter and Sadie as characters. Their differences, but shared love for one another really strengthen the novel and make you want to keep on reading. I am eagerly awaiting the next instalment!
The Red Pyramid is about Carter Kane, a boy who travels the world (for six years)moving from this place to the next with his father, Julius Kane (an Egyptologist). Carter's sister Sadie on the other hand lives with her grandparents and has what Carter wishes he had- a permanent home, friends, and a life that doesn't involve a suitcase. Unfortunately for the siblings, the six years spent apart has left them with nothing at all in common.
The pair are finally brought back together on Christmas Eve when there Dad drags them to The British Museum, claiming that he can fix everything that has kept their family apart- though Carter and Sadie have no idea what he's talking about. As they look on, their Dad summons a dark figure and then disappears. Very quickly, Carter and Sadie find out that the Ancient Egyptian Gods really do exist and that their family has a very long, and tangled history with something called the House of Life. In order to save their Dad, Carter and Sadie have to go to dangerous lengths to find out more about these Egyptian gods and confront the worst of them, Set, who tries to stop them at every turn.
From start to finish, this is an exciting book. I love how the lines of fact and fiction cease to exist in Riordan's novels. He mixes everything so well that you forget to check what is fact and fiction and just sit back and enjoy the story. In my opinion, The Kane Chronicles are even better than the Percy Jackson series, which are quite good as well. I really liked both Carter and Sadie as characters. Their differences, but shared love for one another really strengthen the novel and make you want to keep on reading. I am eagerly awaiting the next instalment!
Monday, August 16, 2010
The Secret Order of the Gumm Street Girls: By Elise Primavera
This is a must read for any one who loves The Wizard of Oz. The Secret Order of the Gumm Street girls is a story about four girls- none of whom like one another. Franny, Ivy, Pru and Cat are as different as four girls can be. All four girls live on Gumm Street and attend school at Sherbert Academy. Sherbert Acadamy was founded by Hieronymonymus Gumm and is divided into four groups of students named after Hieronymonymus Gumm's favorite sandwiches: Liverwurst, Egg-Salad, Tuna-on-Rye and Bacon Lettuce and Tomato.
I mentioned these girls do not like one another, maybe because they have so little in common. That is, until a mysterious pair of ruby slippers disappears and a woman called Cha-cha Stacco shows up in town. Cha-cha reminds the girls of the wicked witch from the Wizard of Oz, but how could she be? These four unlikely friends are thrown into a secret world where they have to work together to stop the evil Cha-cha from getting the Ruby Slippers and find their way back home before they are stuck there forever.
This book is so much fun! It made me laugh out loud several times. Primavera has the most incredible and unusual imagination. She adds her own drawings to the book (sometimes they creep over an entire page) which only adds to the fun when you are reading this. I could not put this book down, then I passed it on to my sister to read when I was finished. Honestly, I've never read anything like it. Its imaginative, funny, clever and a must read for little (and big) girls everywhere!
I mentioned these girls do not like one another, maybe because they have so little in common. That is, until a mysterious pair of ruby slippers disappears and a woman called Cha-cha Stacco shows up in town. Cha-cha reminds the girls of the wicked witch from the Wizard of Oz, but how could she be? These four unlikely friends are thrown into a secret world where they have to work together to stop the evil Cha-cha from getting the Ruby Slippers and find their way back home before they are stuck there forever.
This book is so much fun! It made me laugh out loud several times. Primavera has the most incredible and unusual imagination. She adds her own drawings to the book (sometimes they creep over an entire page) which only adds to the fun when you are reading this. I could not put this book down, then I passed it on to my sister to read when I was finished. Honestly, I've never read anything like it. Its imaginative, funny, clever and a must read for little (and big) girls everywhere!
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Leven Thumps and the Gateway to Foo: By Obert Skye
What a fantastic concept! Leven Thumps and the Gateway to Foo is a story about a boy, Leven Thumps, who has been transplanted in the human world from a place called Foo. Foo is a secret world that has always existed and gives humans the ability to dream and hope. In Foo, a specific being is given the task of watching over the hopes and dreams of certain humans on Earth. But Foo is in absolute chaos because Sabine, resident Foo bad guy, is trying to find a way to open the gateway from Foo to the human world forever. By opening the door, the residents of Foo could leave their world for good. The result? Humans would no longer be able to dream or hope. This is where Leven Thumps comes in.
Leven is the only one who can stop Sabine from finding the gateway to Foo. In order to do this, he'll need the help of 3 people who have been transplanted to Earth to guide him on his quest: Clover, a tiny creature from Foo, Winter, a girl with a special power and Geth, the heir to the Foo throne. Their job is to not only help Leven on his quest, but to convince him that he can do what is necessary to keep Foo from disappearing forever.
Again, this book was a fantastic concept but parts of it moved a little slow for me. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed it, but it didn't feel congruent. Action sequences moved fast and I was completely wrapped up in the story, but then, the book would slow down to an almost dead pace and I'd have to resist the urge to skip ahead. However, the last quarter of the book was excellent and very exciting.
I'm having trouble deciding if I'd like to read the rest of the books in the series. I may give book two, Leven Thumps and the Whispered Secret, a shot then decide if it's worth continuing. It may have been that I liked the concept so much that I then raised my expectations a bit too high and was disappointed. I'm just not sure. Yet, overall, I'd say this was a pretty good book.
Leven is the only one who can stop Sabine from finding the gateway to Foo. In order to do this, he'll need the help of 3 people who have been transplanted to Earth to guide him on his quest: Clover, a tiny creature from Foo, Winter, a girl with a special power and Geth, the heir to the Foo throne. Their job is to not only help Leven on his quest, but to convince him that he can do what is necessary to keep Foo from disappearing forever.
Again, this book was a fantastic concept but parts of it moved a little slow for me. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed it, but it didn't feel congruent. Action sequences moved fast and I was completely wrapped up in the story, but then, the book would slow down to an almost dead pace and I'd have to resist the urge to skip ahead. However, the last quarter of the book was excellent and very exciting.
I'm having trouble deciding if I'd like to read the rest of the books in the series. I may give book two, Leven Thumps and the Whispered Secret, a shot then decide if it's worth continuing. It may have been that I liked the concept so much that I then raised my expectations a bit too high and was disappointed. I'm just not sure. Yet, overall, I'd say this was a pretty good book.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone- by J.K. Rowling
I love these books. Period. I've read all of them at least 30 times, and this is not an exaggeration. In all honesty, the first time I read the books was after I dragged my sister Whittney unwillingly to see the very first HP movie when it came out. I was hooked during the first fifteen minutes of the film when poor Harry Potter drew a picture of a birthday cake in the dirt and blew out the candles. Call me a sucker for hard luck cases, but my heart went out to him. I love a story about the chosen one or a prophecy of any kind. Right after the movie, I raced over to the book store and bought the first three books in paperback and the fourth book, which had just come out, in hardback.
Anyone who has read the books will tell you that the books are far superior to the movies. The books (starting with the Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone) just get better and better. At first, I tried to write about this series as a whole, but I found it far to difficult. These novels are just to meaty for that kind-of shoddy treatment, so I'll break them down.
One of the things I like most about Rowling is how she describes her characters. There isn't a simple description of he looks like this, or she wears that, instead she uses clever ways to integrate the characters personality and intertwine that with how they look so the reader gets a very clear image of the type of person that character is on the inside and out. I read somewhere that she does a complete history for each character, and in my opinion, it shows.
The first of her novels, Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone begins with Harry Potter delivered to his Aunt and Uncle, the Dursley's, when he is just an infant after an attempt was made on his life by Lord Voldmort, Harry's once and future nemesis. Lord Voldemort is the magical worlds equivalent to any number of tyrants that have existed throughout history.
Harry comes to Hogwarts at age eleven where he is introduced for the first time to the wizarding world. As readers, we watch as Harry struggles to learn magic, find a place for himself in this strange new world, and pass his classes without getting into to much trouble. In the course of the school year, Harry and his friends Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger discover someone is trying to steal the Sorcerer's Stone (a magical item that produces the elixir of life and makes the drinker of the elixir immortal). With the help of his friends Ron and Hermione, Harry manages to keep Lord Voldemort from returning to power.
This book is full of imagination and excitement. I would recommend it to any one of any age who likes a good fantasy novel. It is well thought out, well organized, and frankly, fun to read.
Anyone who has read the books will tell you that the books are far superior to the movies. The books (starting with the Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone) just get better and better. At first, I tried to write about this series as a whole, but I found it far to difficult. These novels are just to meaty for that kind-of shoddy treatment, so I'll break them down.
One of the things I like most about Rowling is how she describes her characters. There isn't a simple description of he looks like this, or she wears that, instead she uses clever ways to integrate the characters personality and intertwine that with how they look so the reader gets a very clear image of the type of person that character is on the inside and out. I read somewhere that she does a complete history for each character, and in my opinion, it shows.
The first of her novels, Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone begins with Harry Potter delivered to his Aunt and Uncle, the Dursley's, when he is just an infant after an attempt was made on his life by Lord Voldmort, Harry's once and future nemesis. Lord Voldemort is the magical worlds equivalent to any number of tyrants that have existed throughout history.
Harry comes to Hogwarts at age eleven where he is introduced for the first time to the wizarding world. As readers, we watch as Harry struggles to learn magic, find a place for himself in this strange new world, and pass his classes without getting into to much trouble. In the course of the school year, Harry and his friends Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger discover someone is trying to steal the Sorcerer's Stone (a magical item that produces the elixir of life and makes the drinker of the elixir immortal). With the help of his friends Ron and Hermione, Harry manages to keep Lord Voldemort from returning to power.
This book is full of imagination and excitement. I would recommend it to any one of any age who likes a good fantasy novel. It is well thought out, well organized, and frankly, fun to read.
Why I love Childern's books.
More than once, I've been described as child-like. Maybe it's the way I laugh, or carry myself. Or maybe it's because I secretly still like to play and act silly. Above all things, I think a great imagination is the very best thing a person can have. Imagination can take you anywhere, and you can do anything- as long as you can dream it up.
Which is what I do whenever I begin another book. I've always relied on my imagination to act as a refuge. That's not to say I try to avoid reality. All my life I've given myself five minutes here or there to imagine what things would be like if they happened differently. In the minutes I allowed myself, I learned what I wanted to do with my life: write children's books.
For years, I have been reading children's books because the truth is, in a children's book, it's alright to believe in magic and a fairy tale is something common place, even expected. To me, the ultimate fun is in throwing yourself into a world someone else has created, or in my case, one I've dreamt up. What makes writing or reading a books so great is that even though the author has made this world their own, we all put our own spin on it. In each of our minds, the make believe world is just a little bit different and so is how we view the characters.
Isn't that a wonderful thought? That every time we pick up a book, we bring something of ourselves with us? Amazing. Which brings me to my decision on what to blog about. There is nothing I love more than to read- and most of my favorite books come from the children's book section- so here are my toughts on them.
Which is what I do whenever I begin another book. I've always relied on my imagination to act as a refuge. That's not to say I try to avoid reality. All my life I've given myself five minutes here or there to imagine what things would be like if they happened differently. In the minutes I allowed myself, I learned what I wanted to do with my life: write children's books.
For years, I have been reading children's books because the truth is, in a children's book, it's alright to believe in magic and a fairy tale is something common place, even expected. To me, the ultimate fun is in throwing yourself into a world someone else has created, or in my case, one I've dreamt up. What makes writing or reading a books so great is that even though the author has made this world their own, we all put our own spin on it. In each of our minds, the make believe world is just a little bit different and so is how we view the characters.
Isn't that a wonderful thought? That every time we pick up a book, we bring something of ourselves with us? Amazing. Which brings me to my decision on what to blog about. There is nothing I love more than to read- and most of my favorite books come from the children's book section- so here are my toughts on them.
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