Noel, Alyson. Whisper.

Noel, Alyson.     Whisper.    Macmillan/Square Fish   215p  $7.99

978-0-312-64156-6       ms          Good        Supernatural     

Riley Bloom, a soul catcher who, by the way, is dead, is sent to catch the soul of a Roman gladiator named the Pillar of Doom.  Along the way she meets a young girl who works at cross purposes to Riley, for her own reasons.  As a result, Riley could get caught in the other girl's world.    

Riley Bloom is written in a manner that will capture the interest of middle-school girls with an interest in the supernatural.  The dialogue reads as smoothly as a dialogue between friends.  The image of a young girl pitting herself against a big, burly gladiator as well as a scheming young woman will pull readers into the story, even though much of it is told on a superficial level.  The book is an easy read that would probably lend itself to female reluctant readers.  The Immortals & Radiance series presents a world that middle-school girls with an interest in supernatural tales will find interesting.  The series presents itself as a set of titles for female, reluctant readers.                        --Lynn Fisher

A Wrinkle In Time (50th Anniversary Edition)

L’Engle, Madeleine      A Wrinkle In Time (50th Anniversary Edition)  Macmillan/Square Fish     2012  236p  $9.99 978-0-374-38616-0   E      ms/hs   Fantasy    

The classic A Wrinkle in Time tells the timeless and exciting story of Meg Murry and her fantastical voyage through a Tesseract, to find her missing father. Accompanied by her brother and a few friends, she travels to Camazotz to face the evil Leader IT.

This timeless treasure from 1962 is still filled with adventure and suspense that continue to entertain and engage readers of all ages.  It is a story that includes aspects of friendship, physics, theology, and the eternal conflict between good and evil while delighting the reader with unearthly characters and fantastical lands.
The 50th Anniversary Edition has been redesigned and begins with "The L’Engle Cast of Characters" chart, which graphically shows the characters in all of Madeline L’Engle’s books, starting with the Murry-O’Keefe’s or the Austins.  This special edition also includes a lively introduction by Katherine Paterson and ends with an afterword written by Madeline L’Engle’s granddaughter, which also contains photographs.  Additionally, the book concludes with "Questions for the Author" and the author’s Newbery Medal of Honor acceptance speech.

E     Virginia McGarvey       Time travel, Fantasy, Adventure

 

Noel, Alyson. Shimmer (Riley Bloom series).

Noel, Alyson.      Shimmer (Riley Bloom series).  

Square Fish/FSG/Macmillan     2011  196p  7.99  978-0-312-64825-1 

ms/hs      Supernatural            VG-BN

In a thought-provoking book of the Riley Bloom series, Noel writes a new challenge

for Riley, a protagonist who aides others in passing on once they have died. 

Riley meets the tortured Rebecca, a slave owner’s daughter who perished in a

slave uprising & must help her put her brutal death aside to move to the

afterlife.        

Riley’s job is to cross creatures over once they’ve died.  In

this endeavor, her young age of 12 is a liability.   Her inexperience is not her

concern, and thanks to her willful, passionate, youthful nature, she often jumps

headfirst into situations that seem insurmountable.  While on vacation, and with

her guide Bodhi to counsel her and her dog Buttercup for moral support, she runs

head on into a new challenge, that of crossing over a young white girl who was

burned to death in a slave uprising before the Civil War.  Despite reliving past

nightmares evoked by Rebecca’s ability to “push” those she meets into the

painful memories of their real lives, Riley does not walk away from her

responsibility as one who helps lingering souls move on.  Alyson Noel’s vivid

descriptions of life after death combine with an interesting plot of reverse

discrimination to make this book come alive for her teenage readers.  Perhaps

the best scenes do not revolve around Rebecca’s tortured post-existence, but

rather, with the introduction of Prince Kanta.  It is the prince who shows Riley

the way to achieve success with the tortured, bitter Rebecca.  It is the prince

who is lingering to save the souls of his fellow slaves who have not put their

own horrendous past to rest.  Riley’s education about slavery and the atrocities

committed by slave owners puts this book into the realm of historical

fiction/supernatural, a combination that moves the reader forward through a

journey that is educationally unique.  

Riley’s path to self-awareness is a theme

that will resonate with Noel’s fans and keep them reading.  The book is a stand

alone that just might make new readers go back to discover some of the other

adventures of Riley, Buttercup and Bodhi.             Squaresky, Martha

Jansson, Tove. Moominsummer Madness

Jansson, Tove Moominsummer Madness
Square Fish/FSG/Macmillan 2010 175p 6.99
978-0-312-60891-0 elem Fantasy VG
One of the best Moominland fantasies. A great flood sends the anthropomorphic Moomins out on a boat that is in reality a theater complete with props, costumes, and “properties”. Humor, excitement and adventure will delight students in grades 3-5.
Just before the summer solstice, a volcano starts spewing ash and a great flood forces the creatures of Moominland to set sail taking many of their furnishings with them. Once their boat settles in to ride the waves, the inhabitants are given all sorts of clues that the boat is in reality a theater released from its foundation. Humor is interspersed with the travails of living in a spooky theater. They realize they are not alone and finally confront the “theater mouse” who explains what a theater is and how the scenery and curtains work. Moominpappa is encouraged to write a play and present it to others who are adrift in the floodwaters. The play resembles a Shakespearean tragedy - appropriate for the Midsummer Eve presentation. As always in Moominland, everyone gets what they need to be happy and hazards are overcome with compassionate force. This adventure will appeal to today’s children who will not even realize the story was written over 50 years ago. The author’s strong Swedish ties are evident in the celebrations of the summer solstice. After a disastrous dress rehearsal and equally rocky start of the play, the Moomins and their friends start acting out a real life adventure leaving the script far behind. The play is well received. As waters start to recede, the Moomins are able to return to their beloved home. All’s well that ends well. Grades 3-5. One of the best adventures of the creatures of Moominland. Rollicking good fun interspersed with the tragedy of losing one’s home and being adrift in a most unique boat. A reissue of Jansson’s work originally written in the 1940s-1960s. Grades 3-5. McNicol,Lois