Michaelis, Antonia. The Storyteller.

Michaelis, Antonia.  The Storyteller.        Amulet see Abrams, 2011.     402p.   $18.95.  ISBN 978-1-4197-0047-7     Grade 11 to adult        Conflict            E-BN  

A murder mystery embedded within a fairy tale is told by Abel, a high-school drug dealer, to his six-year-old sister, and it also intrigues Anna, a classmate of his.  As Anna falls in love with Abel, she must decide if he could also be a murderer.  From the first page, the reader knows this is going to be a stunning read that will be hard to put down.  An amazingly simple vocabulary that evokes crisp mental pictures of locale and emotion pulls the reader into a mesmerizing fairy tale.  The first scene in the story details a truly horrific event that is only fully comprehended in the last forty pages of the book, when Anna comes to realize that Abel is hiding a secret life.  He is the sole caregiver for his six-year-old sister, Micha.  As love starts to blossom between the two high-school students from opposite sides of the tracks, Anna becomes immersed in the cautionary fairy tale that Abel creates to entertain Micha.  With horror and yet fascination, Anna recognizes the characters in the ongoing fairy tale as having real-life counterparts.  When people in the community meet untimely deaths, the corollary is there in the fairy tale.  The wrap-up in the last pages of the book will leave the reader feeling gut-punched.  This is a book that defies classification -- it is a thrilling murder mystery, a compassionate love story, and a magical fairy tale.  It is a book for mature readers and best suited for upper high-school and adult readers.

Genre: Love Story                                                                                                      Lois McNicol

Michael, Jan. City Boy.

Michael, Jan. City Boy.
Clarion see Houghton Mifflin 2009 186p 16.00 978-0-547223-10-0 ms

Sam loses his parents to AIDS in this novel about acceptance which is set in Malawi. When Sam’s aunt brings him home, he must learn to accept new surroundings, new family members, and a new life, without his parents. The reader is reminded of Sylvia Plath’s, The Bell Jar, in Jan Michael’s, City Boy, due to the theme. In both novels, children must accept the death of a loved one. There are pain, confusion and fear in both novels as well. That is where the similarity disappears. Author, Jan Michael, has chosen Africa as the setting, a poor but proud family in the supportive role and a plot that is compelling. City dweller, Sam, is taken in by his aunt after his parents die of AIDS. His only mementos are a photograph of his parents and his blue sneakers. Both symbolize the life which he must leave as well as his new life. The “Disease”, as AIDS is called, has left Aunt Mercy single, with a family of 4 to support. She has dedicated her life to the children, even refusing to marry the carpenter because she knows that to do so might spread the “Disease” yet again. Instead, she welcomes Sam, teaches him the value of sharing, the importance of family, and the necessity of looking forward after tragedy. She loves him and patiently waits for him to accept his new surroundings. Throughout the book, we feel Sam’s pain, the pain of loss. The descriptions of Malawi are beautiful. The theme is universal. The vocabulary is rich and authentic. As a cultural study, City Boy presents a unique story in a unique setting that leaves the reader a good deal more knowledgeable about the challenges of rural African life. There is one punctuation error. On page 84, second paragraph, there should be a period after “she would shut up the dog first.” Squaresky, Martha

Tiger Moon

Michaelis, Antonia Tiger Moon
Amulet see Abrams, Harry 2008 448p 18.95 978-0-8109-9481-2 hs

This is a tale worthy of the great Scheherazade. This book, set in early twentieth century India and steeped in the colorful world of Indian history and mythology, tells the story of Safia, a doomed young woman who must be saved from certain death. It catches the interest and engages the imagination of its readers, leading them into a lushly described world that is both real and imaginary. This is a tale worthy of the great Scheherazade. This book, set in early twentieth century India and steeped in the colorful world of Indian history and mythology, tells the story of Safia, a doomed young woman who must be saved from certain death. It catches the interest and engages the imagination of its readers, leading them into a lushly described world that is both real and imaginary. Safia, a young Hindu woman has been sold into marriage to Ahmed, a wealthy Muslim merchant by her impoverished father. Dragged off to the merchant's distant home, Safia becomes his eighth wife. Only the illness of Ahmed delays their wedding night and Safia's certain death because she is no longer a virgin. Befriended by the palace eunuch Lalit, she begins to tell him an account of the poor thief Farhad who had been commanded by the great God Vishnu to save a princess from marriage to a demon lord. Accompanied by a magical white tiger, Farhad steals a precious bloodstone to bribe the demon lord's chief servant and rescue the princess. As the adventure progresses, Farhad is reborn into a higher incarnation of Vishnu and steps up the ladder of life. Safia's story entrances her listener. He begins to look for a way to emulate Farhad and find a means to save her from her preordained fate.
Lushly written, this engaging fantasy is not a simple retelling of a fairy tale but a sprightly written and exciting adventure in which nothing truly is as it seems. It combines the conflict between destiny and free choice; and it offers suspenseful action in a well-paced plot and with engaging characters. The story is rich and interesting, the locations are beautifully rendered, and the characters are very three-dimensional. They come from different places in society and have different points of view but seamlessly join together to help each other. The author mixes adventure, a magical background, and a little romance into this very well-done book.
S.Ogintz