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TriState Young Adult Book Review Committee Update

TriState Young Adult Book Review Committee

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Words from the past

We Had No Idea What Alexander Graham Bell Sounded Like. Until Now

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history-archaeology/We-Had-No-Idea-What-Alexander-Graham-Bell-Sounded-Like-Until-Now-204137471.html#.UXoTr0hPG4A.twitter

Baucom, Ian. Through the Skylight.

Baucom, Ian.  Through the Skylight.  Simon & Schuster/Atheneum  2013  390p  $16.99  978-1-4424-4482-9 elm/ms      Fantasy      E-BN       

In this story based on One Thousand and One Nights (which I reviewed in its uncorrected proof), Jared, Miranda and Shireen find magical items in an old shop in Venice.  As their father reads to them from an ancient copy of One Thousand and One Nights, the story actually comes alive to the children.  They meet Rashid, Maria and Francesca and help rescue the poor children of medieval Venice who were tricked into starting the Children’s Crusade.  With the help of a cat, a stone lion, a faun and a dragon that the children teach to talk, everyone is safely returned to their homes.
  

This title gives flesh to the concept of immersing oneself in a story and having it come alive as you read.  The author is adept at weaving the Arabian Nights story into the real lives of the characters and making the whole thing seem plausible.  The characters are well developed, with skills, faults and realistic interactions.  The action is well paced and the intertwining of medieval and modern times is especially satisfying.
 

Because I read the uncorrected proof, the artwork was missing or was indicated with quick sketches.  It will be very interesting to see the finished product.  The sketches that are included appear to enhance the text very well.
 

Grades 5-8 will quickly be drawn into this fantasy and will enjoy it immeasurably.       

Fantasy–Fiction, The Arabian Nights–Fiction              --Joan Theal

Bjorkman, Lauren. Miss Fortune Cookie.

Bjorkman, Lauren.  Miss Fortune Cookie.  Macmillan/Henry Holt     2012  279p  $16.99      978-0-8050-8951-6       hs      Realistic Fiction       VG

     

Erin and her best friends are seniors at an exclusive public school in San Francisco.  Mei and Linny are Chinese but Erin is not.  She was born in China to Caucasian parents and believes that she is “Chinese on the inside.”  The girls are all waiting to hear which colleges have accepted them, with drastically different attitudes.  Mei’s mother expects her only child to go to Harvard, but Mei is in love with a boy who will be attending Stanford and she wants to go there.  Linny expects to go to Berkeley with Erin, but Erin has also been accepted to Harvard.  Each girl must make the difficult decision that will best suit her future.  The personal decisions and angst are leavened by the presence of Miss Fortune Cookie, Erin’s anonymous alter ego, who dispenses advice and humor through her blog, based on the power of those little slips of paper.  The bond among the three girls and their families is a strong one and, no matter where life takes them, they will always be together in spirit.  The writing is thoughtful, yet not overladen with sentimentality, and will engage the reader with its candor, vitality, and humor.          

Chinese-Americans-Fiction                                   --Susan Ogintz

Eulberg, Elizabeth. Revenge of the Girl with the Great Personality.

Eulberg, Elizabeth.  Revenge of the Girl with the Great Personality.  Scholastic Press/Point    2013  261p  $17.99  978-0-545-47699-7  Conflict  VG-BN 

Sixteen-year-old Lexi is tired of playing second fiddle to her seven-year-old sister Mackenzie.  It seems their mother, who is a single parent, is trying to live her life through Mac’s participation in the beauty-contest circuit.        Lexi is smart, popular, and funny.  She is not having any fun spending all of her free time as wardrobe mistress to her bratty little sister.  It seems their mother only has eyes and concern for Mackenzie, and Lexi is tired of being unloved and considered ugly.  Her best friends Cam and Benny support her and try to get her to glam herself up a little for school.  The fun and games begin when she stops wearing just any old clothes and puts on some makeup.  Heads begin to turn at school as the new Lexi emerges.

The situation at home is going from bad to worse because Mother is spending all of their money (even money they don’t have) on dresses, false eyelashes and even false teeth for Mac’s costumes in the beauty contests.  At one point, Mother even takes money out of her bank account.

The ending of the story is very dramatic.  Readers will be horrified at Lexi’s actions while they are laughing at the pictures they conjure in their minds.

           

Conflict–Fiction, School–Fiction, Physical appearance–Fiction

                                                            --Linda McNeil

Greitens, Eric. The Warrior’s Heart.

Greitens, Eric.   The Warrior’s Heart.  Houghton Mifflin    2012  264p  $16.99  978-0-547-86852-3     hs/adult    Biography      VG-BN

Readers who enjoyed Greitens’ The Heart and the Fist will not be disappointed by the adaptation he has created from that book to appeal to teens in The Warrior’s Heart.  Part memoir and part second-person narrative, teenage readers will identify with Greitens and other characters in the book.  Though Greitens’ coming-of-age is uncommon, this is not a tale of boastful showboating  and egotistical self-promotion.

The Warrior’s Heart is the inspiring story of Eric Greitens, an average teenager who grows up over the course of the book as he searches for his true calling.  Eric travels the globe as he serves, volunteering among the poor or in refugee camps in China, Croatia, Bolivia, Bosnia, and Rwanda.  He comes to realize that people need protection as well as humanitarian service (which often arrives well after the fact).  So after becoming a Rhodes Scholar, Duke Scholar, and boxing champion, Greitens joins the Navy SEALs.  SEAL training is brutal and intense.  The descriptions of Hell Week are gripping.  Deployed to Afghanistan, Greitens receives a medical discharge soon after his arrival there.

Greitens wants his readers to think like global citizens.  Each chapter opens with a “Choose Your Own Adventure” scenario (”What do you do?”).  Readers  inspired by the author’s strength, courage, and compassion may be inspired by the section entitled “Your Mission” and may heed Greitens’ call to action, in which he challenges them to think about “a better way to walk in the world.”

Eric Greitens                                         --Hilary Welliver

Johnson, Hal. Immortal Lycanthropes.

Johnson, Hal.  Immortal Lycanthropes.  Houghton Mifflin/Clarion  2012  292p  $16.99 978-0-547-75196-2       Fantasy     VG-BN   

Under-sized thirteen-year-old Myron Horowitz is a boy with an unfortunate name and an even more unfortunate face, which was marred in an accident he cannot remember and which makes him a target for the local bully, but as it turns out, being bullied by larger children is the least of his worries.  After an incident at school, Myron is pursued by violent strangers, rescued by other strangers who tell him that he is an immortal lycanthrope, and then lost by his rescuers before they can determine what form he takes when he is not looking like a human.  With only the faintest clue about what he’s getting into, Myron begins a quest to discover who and what he is. His quest takes him from Pennsylvania to Canada, and all over the North American continent, in the company of others of his kind, some of whom are friendly, while others are hostile, and few are what they seem to be.  From these fellow immortals he learns more about their kind and some useful skills, including wilderness survival, grifting, and dealing with ancient secret societies like the Illuminati and the Rosicrucians.  The story is narrated by a fellow immortal lycanthrope whose other form is a binturong and who cannot resist inserting his own opinions, which he thinks are very clever.  The narrator’s style is reminiscent of Kipling, but his wit is much more vicious, and while both his style and his wit could easily become tiresome, author Hal Johnson has enough sense not to overuse them.  The narrative style will appeal a great deal to teenage readers, and probably make up for the fact that none of the characters is particularly likable, not even Myron.       

Shapeshifting–Fiction, Supernatural–Fiction, Disfigured persons-Fiction                                                       --Bethany Geleskie

Kinney, Jeff. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Third Wheel.

Kinney, Jeff.  Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Third Wheel. Amulet see Abrams, Harry  2012  216p      $13.95  978-1-4197-0584-7  elm/ms  Realistic Fiction  VG

0nce again the middle-school gods seem to be aligned against Greg Heffley.  As in all the previous novels, he manages to court havoc and end up without a date for the Valentine’s Day Dance.  When he miraculously finds a date at the last minute, readers know that he will find some way to make the entire situation into a disaster.  The humor will appeal to younger readers, both at the elementary and middle-school levels, especially in the scene where the senior-citizens group takes over the dance.  Kinney’s illustrations are always perfect for the text, and the entire package will appeal to even the most reluctant reader.  This novel is a must-have for elementary and middle-school libraries.

Humor–Fiction, Friendship–Fiction, Diaries-Fiction    --Pat Naismith

Meyer, Marissa. Scarlet.

Meyer, Marissa.  Scarlet. (Lunar Chronicles, Book 2)  Feiwel&Friends/

Macmillan Child Publishing Group  2013  452p  $17.99 978-0-31-64296-9     ms/hs  Science Fiction      VG-BN

In this book, Cinder (the cyborg mechanic from Book 1) and Scarlet find themselves facing tough obstacles and tough questions about why they are having the problems they are having.  They have both been put on the Lunar Queen Lavana’s “most wanted” list.

Cinder joins forces with a fellow inmate (Thorne) in order to escape from prison.  They manage to escape Earth with Thorne’s spaceship and the help of Iko (a computer chip stolen by Cinder from her favorite house robot).  While in orbit Cinder becomes aware of some of her unusual abilities and learns to use them to avoid detection by Earth.

Scarlet Benoit is delivering produce from her grandmother’s farm.  She is wondering why her grandmother is missing and where she is.  The police won’t help, but a street fighter named Wolf is enlisted.  They go off to Pars to find the grandmother, and a romance begins during the trip.  However, it seems that Wolf has a different agenda.  Scarlet’s search for her grandmother is plagued with conflicts, disappointments, and casualties.

The story reaches an action-packed finish that will bring the characters together and answer some questions in the reader’s mind.  The remaining answers leave room for another book in the Lunar Chronicles series.  Readers will be looking forward to the next installment.        

Science Fiction                                         --Linda McNeil

Newman, Barbara Johansen. Glamorous Glasses.

Newman, Barbara Johansen.  Glamorous Glasses.  Boyd's Mills Press  2012   $16.95  978-1-59078-873-3   elem  Realistic Fiction     VG-Bne

     

As soon as the reader sets eyes on the cover art for Glamorous Glasses it is clear that this story is going to be a celebration of eyeglasses.  A glimpse at the endpapers, crammed with pictures of many styles of eyewear, confirms it, and then the reader is engaged in a humorous tale of two cousins, Bobbie and Joanie.  Bobbie is as eager to wear glasses as Joanie is not. 

Glamorous Glasses will resonate with Fancy Nancy fans.  Young fashionistas will identify with Bobby, who loves the fabulous range of frames displayed at the eyeglass store and wants a pair of her own.  Other readers may identify with Joanie, who has a different reaction.  Glasses make her feel different and look different from the other kids. 

When Bobby offers to wear Joanie’s prescription glasses, both girls discover challenges in a trip to the candy store.  All ends well, and readers will enjoy the humorous story and upbeat message that wearing glasses can be desirable, even “cool.”

The colorful illustrations and humorous text make this a good storytime choice.  Even boys will see the funny side of Bobby’s quest for glasses (even though she has 20/20 vision).  Children apprehensive about getting glasses will find this story reassuring. 

Observant readers will enjoy the author photo (five pairs of glasses, including a pair on her pet dog!), dedication (which lets them know the book was prompted by a childhood experience), and the delight of locating the many, many pairs of glasses scattered throughout the colorful illustrations.

Eyeglasses-Fiction, Vision-Fiction, Cousins-Fiction             --Hilary Welliver

Ochiltree, Dianne. Molly, By Golly!

Ochiltree, Dianne.  Molly, By Golly!      Boyd's Mills/Calkins Creek    2012  unp  $16.95  978-1-59078-721-2      elem  History       E-BNe    

This picture book tells the story of Molly Williams, the first female firefighter in America.  The African American cook donned firefighting gear when many of the other volunteers were sick with influenza and helped save the Van Horn family.  This book is a delight on so many levels, and intertwines both African American and women’s history.  The story reads well, both aloud and on the page.  The historical information is fascinating.  Readers will learn how difficult it was to put out a fire in New York City at the turn of the 19th century.  The warm watercolor illustrations, especially those of Molly herself, are lush and give a wonderful flavor to the story.  Appended at the end of the narrative are the author’s note about the research, and the answers to four frequently asked questions.  The bibliographical information provides supplemental information for both children and adults and includes places to visit in addition to books and websites.  It is an engaging and informative book, and a delight to share for both Black History Month and Women’s History Month.       

Women’s History, Black History                              --Pat Naismith

Patent, Dorothy Hinshaw. The Horse and the Plains Indians.

Patent, Dorothy Hinshaw.  The Horse and the Plains Indians.  Houghton Mifflin/Clarion     2012  98p   $17.99  978-0-547-12551-0  ms  Nonfiction  E-BN

America’s seminal vision of the Plains Indians always includes a horse.  However, before the Spanish came to this continent, there were none.  The horse became part of the great mystique of the Conquistadors and helped subdue the native tribes throughout Mexico and the Southwest.  When the Indians of the Plains tribes discovered how to catch and train wild horses, their lifestyles changed enormously. The book clearly explains how horses gave the Indians greatly increased hunting and raiding power and more freedom to expand their ranges.  When this new activity brought them into direct competition with white settlers, the Army forced them onto reservations and took away their horses.  Patent and Munoz have produced a wonderful book filled with lively, informative text and outstanding full-color and black-and-white photographs and period illustrations that demonstrate how strong the influence of the horse became in the lifestyles and cultures of the Plains Indians.  This beautiful book follows the path of the tribes into the present day and shows how important the horse still is in their daily lives.  The book begins with an author’s note that explains how improvements in the camera led to important photographic records of Plains culture, and it ends with a bibliography and an index.          

Indians of North America-Horses                       --Susan Ogintz

Sheinkin, Steve. Lincoln’s Grave Robbers.

Sheinkin, Steve.  Lincoln’s Grave Robbers.  Scholastic Press  2013  214p  $16.99  978-0-545-40572-0     elm/ms    Nonfiction  E-BN 

Benjamin Boyd was an expert counterfeiter.  The US government was always after him and his cohorts in crime.  Finally, after many arrests and releases, they had him behind bars.  However, his stay in prison was choking his cohorts’ counterfeit proceeds.  So, when their supplies were running dry, they hatched a plot to spring Benjamin from jail.
    

Big Jim and the Logan County Gang decided to snatch the body of Abraham Lincoln from his grave, hide it, and ransom it for $200,000 from the government.

It was up to Patrick Tyrell, secret service agent, to prevent this occurrence and capture the counterfeiters.  Capturing these men was not an easy feat, as they attempted grave robbing, eluded arrest, and caused Lincoln’s casket to be moved many times.  All in all, Agent Tyrell’s last report noted that the “busting up of the plot to steal Lincoln’s body had cost the U.S. government $393.32.”

The book is a great read for young readers, showing them that criminal activity does not really pay off. It also allows readers to see what life in the 1870’s was like.  Although it is a non-fiction book, it reads like a fiction thriller.
    

The book includes a detailed index, a glossary of phrases, and source notes. This will be useful in research.          

Abraham Lincoln, Grave robbing, Counterfeiting, Secret Service

                                                            --Linda McNeil

Silvey, Anita. Children’s Book-A-Day.

Silvey, Anita.  Children’s Book-A-Day.    Macmillan/Roaring Brook Press  2012  388p $19.99      978-1-59643-708-1       all ages  Reference   E-BN 

This monumental work can be used as a reference book, a basis for planning library or literature lessons, or just a fun resource to browse through.  There is one page devoted to each day of the year, with a listing of birthdays, anniversaries of famous events, and a specific book featured.  Most of the books mentioned are children’s books, but there are also some others.  Noteworthy information is shared about each book, some of it little known.  At the end of the book, there is a list of major children’s book awards, an index of the books and authors featured, an index of books by type and an index of books by age.  In addition, there is a list of major holidays and special months (like Black History Month) that will prove useful for planning lessons.  All in all, it is a fantastic book and one that will be well used by teachers, parents, kids and librarians alike.

Having said that, there is a GLARING double-typo on the entry for May 3.  It says “Reed Abigoys by Pete Seeger.”  Of course, it should be “Read Abiyoyo by Pete Seeger.”  More careful proof-reading is required.           

Children’s literature                                 --Carol Kennedy

Smith, Alexander Gordon. Execution: Escape From Furnace.

Smith, Alexander Gordon.  Execution: Escape From Furnace.  Macmillan/

Farrar Strauss  2012  312p  $16.99  978-0-374-36224-9  hs     Science Fiction  VG  

This fifth and final book in the Escape from Furnace series ramps up the action -- and the horror.  As with the other books in the series, the mayhem and cruelty are unrelenting.  The author has a deft hand for creating unbelievable horror.  Alex Sawyer has been turned into a monster, but, unlike some others of Furnace’s creations, he still has  some control over his mind.  He must kill Furnace to stop the mayhem, but will he lose his soul and his small thread of humanity in the process?  From the first book on, Alex and his friends have been sliding downhill.  Not for the faint of heart, but the series is extremely well-written and creates a visceral connection with its fans.  Humor is lacking, and the horror is vivid.  In some ways, it is surprising that the series has been so popular.  But this volume has something the others lacked, for all their popularity -  hope.  Readers will not be able to put this volume down.  The fifth book is on par with all the others, and is a fitting conclusion.

Prisons-Fiction, Horror, Science Fiction              --Pat Naismith