House of the Star by Caitlin Brennan

Summary: The war between Ymbria and Caledon has been a problem throughout the worlds for generations, despite a treaty and numerous marriages between the royal houses of the two worlds. As a princess of Ymbria, Elen has been brought up hating all those of Caledon, her enemy. When her mother tells her she is to be sent to Earth, to the House of the Star, she is furious. As much as she would love to go to the House of the Star, a horse ranch in Arizona, she knows that the real purpose for sending her there is to set her up with a Caledonian prince; it’s what has always happened. Marriage is not her dream; if she goes to Earth, she wants to train to become a worldrider and travel the roads between the worlds as a messenger.


Elen tries to run away, but finds herself practically herded to Earth by a worldrunner, one of the mystical horses that can travel the faerie roads, one of the very beasts that Elen has always dreamed of riding. But how can she enjoy being at the ranch knowing that her dreams will not come true?

Her preconceptions are put to the test when she arrives and meets the other campers at the House of the Star. The camper from Caledon is not a boy, after all, but a young girl who is very much like Elen herself; a girl named Ria whose main dream is to become a worldrider, a girl who loves horses as much as Elen does. But old prejudices are hard to shake, and Elen finds herself at odds with her Caledonian roommate, believing that she has come to the House of the Star for some other underhanded purpose. When her instincts turn out to be somewhat true, Elen and her friends set out to save Ria and a small herd of worldrunners.

This is a fun story and will be a hit with any girls who are fans of fantasy and/or horses. There is very little down-time in the story, but the characters are still developed enough to escape being flat. I wouldn’t mind seeing further books about Elen and Ria and their journey to becoming worldriders.

Themes:
Overcoming prejudice
Friendship

Age Appropriateness:
Grades 5 & up

Areas of concern (content):
Foul Language: none
Nudity/Adult Content: none
Violence: mild

Dreamdark: Blackbringer by Laini Taylor

The first book by Laini Taylor, Dreamdark: Blackbringer, is an action-packed story that rejects many typical trappings of fairy lore to create a race of fairies that are strong and not at all girly. I really enjoyed reading Blackbringer and will be picking up the next book in the series!


Summary: Magpie Windwitch is a fairy like no other. First of all, her grandfather is the West Wind, and her best friends and travelling companions are crows. But what really makes Mag different is that she travels the world capturing escaped demons. While most fairies stick close to home, avoiding the outside world full of humans and other dangers, Magpie and her crow family chase danger.

When the greatest evil known escapes from its imprisonment, Magpie is the only one who can stop it – just like her hero, Bellatrix, Mag is fated to be a champion of the Djinn, the great beings whose dreams created the world and the creatures within it. But first, she must convince the Djinn king, The Magruwen, to awaken and take an interest in his creation once more.

Along the way, Magpie reconnects with old friends and discovers new allies. Her childhood friend, Poppy, is the first fairy in generations to be able to speak to plants. Talon, a fairy prince, is unable to fly due to his undersized wings, but he can craft items from magic; an ability that rivals that of the Djinn themselves! All three young fairies possess abilities that can help revive the lost magic within the fairy race – if the Blackbringer doesn’t destroy all of creation first!

This book is full of great battles, suspense, treachery, and even a touch of romance. The characters are likable and seemed very real to me as I was reading – even Magpie has her imperfections and doesn’t always do what she probably should, which makes her more interesting. The twists within the book, along with the mythical world developed within, make for great reading for anyone who likes adventure. I look forward to seeing these characters and their realm developed more as the series continues!

Themes:
Good vs. Evil
Overcoming limitations
Friendship

Age Appropriateness:
Grades 6 & up

Areas of concern (content):
Foul Language: none
Nudity/Adult Content: none
Violence: mild

Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer by John Grisham

I’m always curious when a well-known author of books for “grown-ups” jumps into the world of young adult and children’s literature. Some have made the move smoothly (Hiaasen is one who comes to mind immediately). John Grisham makes the move with Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer. Is it a success?


Summary: Theodore Boone is an unusual thirteen year-old. An only child raised by parents who are both lawyers, his dream is to be a trial lawyer, arguing cases in the courtroom in front of judge & jury. He knows everyone at the courthouse, from judges to secretaries to bailiffs. And when anyone at his school has a problem, it’s Theo they come to for advice, be it a looming foreclosure on the family home or an escaped dog that’s been captured by animal control.

Theo’s quiet routine is disrupted by a big trial – the biggest in his town in decades. Mr. Duffy is accused of strangling his wife in their upscale home at a golf course. The prosecution’s evidence is iffy, there are no witnesses, and Duffy’s lawyer is good at what he does. Theo starts following the trial just to observe how such a big trial is handled, how the lawyers present their cases; things he will need for his future career. But the trial takes on a new aspect for Theo when a mystery witness comes to him for help. Can Theo protect the witness while also making sure a guilty man doesn’t get away with murder?

Review: My summary is much more exciting for me to read than the book itself was. It’s not that my summary is that amazing…the book simply failed to impress. Grisham tried to write in a way that included information about the legal system that was understandable to young readers; however there was still much that was either just boring (like Theo spouting statistics about the number of those accused of murder who actually plead guilty) or came across as somewhat condescending (like many of Theo’s explanations to peers throughout the story).

Theo's life is very good - unrealistically so.  His school is great, his classmates are smart ("It was a bright class in a strong public school" p. 25), his parents are understanding & civic minded (if a bit quirky), etc.  There are no bullies, no stressors - Theo only experiences trouble through the lives of others, like his friend April, whose parents are in the midst of a divorce.  It really seems a very picture-book sort of life, with parents who donate their time and money to the homeless and spend quality time with their son regularly. It makes it difficult to connect with Theo, but easy to be jealous of him.  It makes me wish that Grisham had written my childhood! (It would have been dull but comfortably happy).
What really bothered me when I finished the book however, was: (Spoilers Follow!)

1. The reader never really felt the pressure/danger to the “mystery witness.” Simply telling the reader that he was an illegal alien and was afraid of being deported was….boring. (Especially when so much more was eluded to within the story, but I’ll get to that next.) Yes, I know that is a very real fear for someone in that situation, but, as the reader, I didn’t feel that much concern for Bobby, the witness. He wasn’t really developed and it never felt to me like he was ever in any real danger. He was simply a plot device to get Theo involved in the case, not a person. But then, I didn’t get attached to any of the characters in the book, as it simply felt rushed to me.

2. There is a great villain introduced in the book who never gets to actually do anything villainous! Seriously, he’s introduced in a way that makes him seem shady, dangerous, and untrustworthy. He’s on the “wrong side” of the court case. But the worst thing he does is follow someone to see what they are up to. Very anticlimactic. Grisham should pick up some of Caroline B. Cooney’s or Gordon Korman’s books for young adults – they write comparable young adult books that truly build tension and make you care about the characters in a way that this book did not.

My final word: fine for a nice mindless read, but not what I expected from such a well-respected and touted author. I even looked to see if there is another book in the series coming out – maybe the story continues. And while there does seem to be another book coming out featuring Theo and his friends, it starts a whole new plotline, so no hope there for what this story needed – more development and more real action.

Themes:
Innocence/Guilt
Doing what is right


Age Appropriateness:
Grades 4 & up

Areas of concern (content):
Foul Language: none
Nudity/Adult Content: none
Violence: very mild

Johnny & The Dead by Terry Pratchett

I had forgotten just how much I love Terry Pratchett’s wit. His jokes and puns can slip past you if you aren’t paying attention – I’ve read some of his books multiple times and still find jokes I didn’t catch the first time. Johnny & The Dead is full of that same humor; sometimes in-your-face laugh out loud funny, sometimes wry chuckle five seconds later (oh, I got it!). But it’s fun.


Summary: Johnny & The Dead is the second book in the Johnny Maxwell trilogy. I caught it on sale online and, since I am a fan of Pratchett, I decided to pick it up. I will now be in search of the other two books, as this was delightful and fun! And, it stood well alone. I didn’t feel I was missing anything despite not having read the first book.

Johnny Maxwell is a British school boy who just happens to be able to see the dead. Really! And the dead are not happy – the cemetery has just been sold (for a mere five pence) and they are going to be moved to make way for “Modern Purpose-Designed Offices.” As one cemetery resident says, “Last Resting Place, it said. It didn’t say After Eighty Years You’ll Be Dug Up and Moved…” Thus begins Johnny’s career as an activist, which includes attending a town meeting and asking the questions that the developers don’t want asked.

In the meantime, the “post life citizens” of the cemetery have become intrigued with the “outside” and decide to venture outside the confines of its walls. What they discover is a world beyond the limits of anything they had ever dreamed of, living or otherwise.

This story was full of funny moments, many courtesy of Johnny’s friends Bigmac, Yo-less, and Wobbler, who stand by Johnny even when convinced that he has lost all grip on reality. The “post life citizens” are also a great cast of characters, including Solomon Einstein (Albert’s lesser-known cousin who was a taxidermist), Stanley “Wrong Way” Roundabout (who holds the record for own goals in the history of any sport due to his poor sense of direction), and Vincent Fletcher (who invented a form of telephone which he said was better than Bell’s).

The characters made me care, the jokes made me laugh, and the ending made me smile.

Themes:
Freedom (from unspoken expectations)
Courage
Friendship

Age Appropriateness:
Grades 6 & up

Areas of concern (content):
Foul Language: none
Nudity/Adult Content: none
Violence: very mild

Generation Dead by Daniel Waters

It took me months to read this book, and I first attributed that to it being boring. But on further thought (and after finally finishing it) I don’t think boredom was a factor. Read on and I’ll give you my ideas on why this book was a long-haul read for me and why that shouldn't stop you from picking it up.


Summary: Phoebe is your typical gothy high school girl – listening to bands whose names sound like the titles of Victorian-era gothic romance novels, dressing in all black, and hanging out with the undead. Okay, so maybe that last part isn’t SO typical. It’s a result of Phoebe living in a world where dead teens have started coming back and re-joining the world of the living, even if they aren’t exactly living, but the usual definition. These “differently-biotic” teens are a mystery, and the theories abound as to why they come back, and why only some kids come back. Some of them seem almost alive, walking and talking like any other teen; others seem more like Hollywood zombies, with jerky movements and halting speech patterns.

Navigating this brave new world with Phoebe are her two best friends. Margi is Phoebe’s goth other half, but is still reeling from the death (and subsequent return) of their friend Colette. Because of this, Margi is less comfortable with the “dead kids” and this causes friction in the relationship between Phoebe and Margi.

Adam is Phoebe’s next-door neighbor and other best friend. The two are a strange pair; he’s a football player, seeming a polar opposite to Phoebe. But the two are united by a shared childhood, Phoebe’s understanding of Adam’s home difficulties, and by the fact that each cares strongly for the other in a way that neither will admit.

Now throw Tommy into the mix. Tommy is a “differently biotic” student who decides to join the football team. This causes a variety of responses, and brings a firestorm of media attention on Oakvale High. Should a zombie be allowed to play with the living kids?

This attention brings in the Hunter Foundation, a group whose stated aim is to help the “differently biotic” become more accepted in society. They set up an elective/work co-op at the school to encourage a dialogue between the living and the dead. Phoebe, Margi, and Adam all join, as does Tommy. It is within the group meetings of this class that some of the most poignant (yes, I do mean that word!) moments of the book come about. But it also has moments that could be taken from any support-group meeting.

How will the group deal with each other, their own feelings, and the danger posed by those who are less than understanding? That is the question in this, the first book in a series.

Review: I think one of the things that initially turned me off this book was how predictable it was to me. The goth girl stock character seems to be the new “it girl” of YA lit. There is almost always a popular, handsome, and athletic boy who has a crush on her but doesn’t let her know until a pivotal moment in the book. Margi is the typical best friend who is also goth, and they have a disagreement that alienate them for a while in the story. It’s very formulaic in that way.

What made me keep reading? Well, at first it was the prompting from one of my students who was somewhat patiently waiting for me to finish reading. Then I started looking at the novel differently. It is a novel with an important theme: hate and the results of that hate. Throughout the novel, the characters deal with those who hate the “differently biotic” for the simple reason that there are there. There are attacks, both verbal and physical, on characters both living and dead. The dead characters are, overall, shown in a very sympathetic light. But just like in real life, there are characters on both sides of the issue that keep adding fuel to the fire of conflict.

After I finished reading, I couldn’t stop wondering about some of the issues from the novel. How would people react in a situation like this? Would we find ourselves in the middle of the next Civil Rights movement? Would there be people out there who would make it their goal to send all these reanimated dead back to their graves? Even the issue of citizenship is addressed – are you still a citizen once your death certificate has been filed? Do you have any rights? These are the type of unanswerable questions that make a book stick in my mind, and thanks to this, I will be buying the rest of the series, just to see how the author addresses these issues.

I suppose, when it comes right down to it, this is a book I will be recommending to my students because, despite the formulaic elements of the plot, it will make them think! If they find themselves wondering about even a fraction of the questions I was left with, it will be a win. I’m all for a book that will have them wondering long after the last page has been read.

Themes:
Hate/Racism (is it racism – is being dead a race?)
Individuality
Standing by personal convictions

Age Appropriateness:
Grades 7 & up

Areas of concern (content):
Foul Language: mild
Nudity/Adult Content: very mild
Violence: Mild