Alice, I Think

Author: Susan Juby

Publication: Toronto: HarperTrophyCanada

Pub. Date: 2000

ISBN: 0-00-639287-3

Pages: 241

Summary: Alice is a teenager from a small Canadian town who has a unique perspective on life. After her therapist has a breakdown, Alice writes up a list of Life Goals that she wants to achieve. One of those goals includes going to public high school after having been homeschooled for most of her life. The story follows her exploits as she strives to cross goals off her list.

Major Characters: Alice, her mom

Comments: I was pleasantly surprised by this book. When I picked it up I thought it was going to be another story full of teenage angst, but it was completely the opposite. The dead-pan sarcasm and humour of Alice's first-person narrative is so funny that I found myself laughing out loud in several spots. I kept telling myself that no one could be that clueless, but that's what made the book so funny. It was also refreshing to read about a character that doesn't often appear in a leading role. So many main characters are the good-looking, athletic, popular type who seem to have it all-together. Alice doesn't have anything together, and it is fun to see how she deals with that.

Genre: Realistic fiction

Age Level: 15+

Ranking: 5/5

The Looking Glass Wars

Author: Frank Beddor

Publication: London: Egmont

Pub. Date: 2004

ISBN: 1405216476

Pages: 375

Summary: In this retelling of Lewis Carroll's Through the Looking Glass, Alyss Hart is the princess of Wonderland. After her evil Aunt Redd storms the palace and kills Alyss' parents, the princess is forced to flee and winds up in 19th century London. No one believes her when she tells them who she is, and eventually she begins to doubt herself. Years later she returns to Wonderland, but her powers of imagination are severely depleted, and she is no longer sure that she can defeat her Aunt and win back her throne. With the help of some loyal subjects though, she leads her troops into battle and the Looking Glass Wars begin.

Major Characters: Alyss Hart, Aunt Redd, Dodge (Alyss' friend), Hatter Madigan (captain of the secret service)

Comments: Beddor has taken the Alice in Wonderland stories and turned them on their heads by challenging all the conventions and completely reinventing the characters. This is not the Disney version of the story. It is a very violent book and deals with some deep issues such as revenge, urban decay, and the power of imagination and creativity. At the same time, it is a fun book to read that is filled with adventure, so you do not feel like you are reading something really heavy. I loved the originality of the story, and the new roles that Beddor created for familiar characters such as the Cheshire Cat, the Madd Hatter, and Tweedle-Dum and Tweedle-Dee. Highly recommended.

Genre: Fantasy / Revised fairy tale

Age Level: 14+

Rating: 5/5

Airborn

Author: Kenneth Oppel CAN

Publication: Toronto: HarperCollins

Pub. Date: 2004

ISBN: 0006392598

Pages: 321

Summary: Matt Cruse is a crew member on board the Aurora, a world-travelling airship, when he rescues the pilot of an air balloon who had been attacked. Before the pilot dies, he tells Matt about the stange beasts he saw flying in the sky. A year later his granddaughter, Kate deVries, books a passage on the Aurora, determined to prove that her granfather was telling the truth. Matt is taken by her spirit and together they get mixed up in several adventures. When the Aurora is boarded by pirates, it takes all of their ingeniuty and courage to fight off the pirates and prevent the airship from being detroyed.

Major Characters: Matt Cruse, Kate deVries, Capt. Walken (of the Aurora), Szpirglas (the pirate captain)

Comments: This book was so hyped when it was released that I was afraid to read it for fear that it would not live up to expectations. I needn't have worried. This fast-paced adventure has something for everyone, including daring heroics, humour, and even a little romance. An enjoyable read for both boys and girls, this book is certainly deserving of the Governor-General's Award that it won.

Genre: Fantasy/Adventure

Age Level: 13+

Rating: 5/5

Peter and the Starcatchers

Authors: Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson

Publication: New York: Hyperion Books for Children

Pub. Date: 2004

Illustrator: Greg Call

ISBN: 0786854456

Pages: 451

Summary: In this "prequel" to J.M. Barrie's Adventures of Peter Pan, Barry and Pearson tell how Peter came to live on Neverland and never grow up. As the orphaned Peter sails toward his new home he meets Molly, whose father guards a great secret. Together, they battle fierce storms, vicious pirates, and terrifying monsters in order to protect that secret.

Major Characters: Peter, Molly, Black Stache (a pirate captain)

Comments: Even though this novel was written as a retelling of the Peter Pan story, the plot could have easily stood on its own. The authors have taken great liberties with details of the story and have made it completely theirs. They answer all the burning questions such as who the lost boys are, how Peter learned to fly, and how Capt. Hook got into a run-in with that crocodile. This is a highly entertaining novel, and I wouldn't be surprised if it got turned into a movie at some point. My only criticism is that the was not as funny as I expected it to be, (considering who wrote it), but I still strongly recommend it.

Genre: Revised fairy tale / Fantasy

Age Level: 10-15

Rank: 4/5

What My Mother Doesn't Know

Author: Sanya Sones

Publication: New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Pub. Date: 2001

ISBN: 0689841140

Pages: 259

Summary: 15-year-old Sophie describes her relationships with family, friends, and a series of boyfriends as she searches for Mr. Right.

Major Characters: Sophie, her mother, Grace and Rachel (Sophie's friends), Murphy (a classmate)

Comments: Typical hormonal, teenage angst, but with a bit of humour. The book's originality and main drawing point comes from the form in which it is written. The story is told in verse, and the poetry changes according to Sophie's mood. Each poem describes a new event or emotion she is experiencing. The book is very quick, and easy to read, yet it is still entertaining. As such, I recommend it as good choice for reluctant readers.

Genre: Realistic fiction

Age Level: 14+

Rating: 4/5

Chasing Vermeer

Author: Blue Balliett

Illustrator: Brett Hellquist

Publication: New York: Scholastic Press

Pub. Date: 2004

ISBN: 0439372941

Pages: 254

Summary: When seemingly unrelated and strange events start to happen and a precious Vermeer painting disappears, eleven-year-olds Petra and Calder combine their talents to solve an international art scandal.

Major Characters: Petra Andalee, Calder Pillay, Ms. Isabel Hussey (their teacher), Mrs. Louise Sharpe (their neighbour)

Comments: This a highly unusual, yet entertaining book. Although the main characters are a little young for a traditional young adult novel, they act a lot older than they are. The story has a little bit of everything - supernatural phenomena, mysterious letters, and a daring art theft. It is more intelligent plot than most, and opportunities are given for the reader to decipher codes and to look for patterns in pictures. It is a very interactive book, and therefore, difficult to put down.

Genre: Mystery

Age Level: 10+

Rating: 5/5

Daniel Half-human and the Good Nazi

Author: David Chotjewitz (trans. by Doris Orgel)

Publication: New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers

Pub. Date: 2004

ISBN: 0689857470

Pages: 298

Summary: In 1933, best friends Armin and Daniel admire Hitler and want nothing more than to join the Hitler youth. As anti-Semitism bouys Hitler to power though, life in their beloved Hamburg becomes nightmarish. The situation becomes even worse when Daniel learns that he is half-Jewish, and Armin has to choose between his friend and the Nazis. Interspersed chapters reveal details about Daniel and Armin's reunion in 1945.

Major Characters: Daniel Krushaar, Armin Hillmann

Comments: In this book Chotjewitz does an amazing job of illustrating how the Jews went from being respected members of society to being treated like animals. To do this, he successfully builds the tension between friends and family members. Although the story has some pretty tense moments, this is not one for teens who are looking for high adventure and intrigue. The appeal of the story lies in the psychological battles that each character has to endure. Selected as a Batchelder Honor Book.

Genre: Historical Fiction

Age Level: 14+

Rating: 4/5

The Courtesan's Daughter

Author: Priscilla Galloway

Publication: Toronto: Penguin Canada

Pub. Date: 2002

ISBN: 0-14-3015044

Pages: 259

Summary: Phano is a 14-year-old free citizen of Athens, but her stepmother's former master, Phrynion, says she is a slave who belongs to him. One day he kidnaps her and tries to sell her to an acquaintance. Theo, the young nobleman, listens to her pleas and agrees to take her case to court. During the legal proceedings Theo and Phano fall in love, but Phrynion refuses to give up without a fight. Phano's way of life and everything she thought she knew about herself are brought into question.

Major Characters: Phano, Nera (her stepmother), Theo, Phrynion

Comments: An exciting plot, combined with Phano's blunt, wise-beyond-her-years personal narrative, make this book an enjoyable look at Ancient Greece, although it will be more appealing for younger readers.

Genre: Historical fiction

Age Level: 12+

Ranking: 3/5

Re-open-ed Book

Well, after a brief hiatus, I am back to add some more posts to this blog. I don't think anyone actually reads it, but I find it fun, so if there are one or two of you who have managed to find this site, kudos to you. Here are some more reviews for you to read. I have also decided to introduce a new element to the blog, which is a ranking system. It will help you to better determine which books I liked the best. The rankings fall from 1 (low) to 5 (high) on the chocolate scale. What is the chocolate scale, you ask? See the legend below:

1. Dollar-store chocolate: Enough to satisfy a craving but tastes more like wax than chocolate.
2. Baker's chocolate: Tastes pretty bitter until you bake it with something.
3. Hershey's Chocolate Bar: Good chocolate taste, but pretty plain.
4. Swiss chocolate: Excellent taste. A leader among its peers.
5. Chocolate ice-cream brownie sundae with chocolate chips and chocolate sauce: A treat with all the extras that make it truly amazing.

Hopefully that's clear enough. As before, my entries will continue to be sporadic, but I have built up enough entries now that my postings should be fairly frequent. Enjoy!

Piratica

Author: Tanith Lee

Publication: London: Hodder Children's Books

Pub. Date: 2004

ISBN: 0-340-854456

Pages: 370

Summary: When Artemesia bumps her head at training school she suddenly remembers that she grew up on a pirate ship with her pirate captain mother, Molly. No longer wishing to conform to how a "proper" girl should behave, she dresses up in boys clothes and escapes Angels Academy to return to the life she once led.

Major Characters: Art Blastside, Felix Phoenix, Little Goldie Girl

Comments: This is quite an unusual book. First of all, Lee sets the story in the past, but includes modern elements, so the reader feels caught somewhere in between. Secondly, the writing is very choppy and the characters use unusual phrases so you're not always sure what they are saying. The action moves so slowly in the beginning that I almost abandoned the book twice, but I'm glad I stuck with it. I found myself cheering for Art - the pirate who doesn't kill anyone - as she rejoined her mother's former shipmates and sailed off in search of adventure and treasure. Once you get used to the style, you'll find yourself caught up in the story, and won't want to put it down.

Genre: Fantasy/Adventure

Age Level: 10+

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Author: J.K. Rowling

Publication: Vancouver: Raincoast Books

Pub. Date: 2005

ISBN: 1-55192-756-X

Pages: 607

Summary: The sixth in a series of stories about the boy wizard and his battles against the evil wizard Lord Voldemort.

Major Characters: Harry Potter, Professor Dumbledore, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Professor Snape, Draco Malfoy

Comments: No one on the planet can claim to love YA literature and not know about Harry Potter. That's why this blog would not be complete without an entry on the most highly anticipated book release of the year. For a long time now, HP fans have been warned that this installment would include the death of a major character, and it was not an empty threat. Rowling departs from her usual formula for this book, however. Even though the story begins with Harry at the Dursleys, the stay is cut short, as Dumbledore comes to pick him up after only a few weeks. There is also the issue of a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher to contend with, and readers will be surprised at how that turns out. Also, unlike most of the other books, there is no face-to-face battle between Harry and Voldemort. Don't take that to mean that the book ends uneventfully, however. Rowling has successfully fueled the fire of anticipation for HP7.

Genre: Fantasy

Age Level: 10+

The Prince of the Pond

Author: Donna Jo Napoli

Illustrator: Judith Byron Schachner

Publication: New York: Dutton Children's Books

Pub. Date: 1992

ISBN: 0-525-44976-0

Pages: 151

Summary: An adaptation of the fairy-tale in which a frog is turned into a prince by the kiss of a princess. The story begins shortly after the prince has been turned into a frog by an ugly hag, and follows him as he tries to adapt to his new, amphibious life.

Major Characters: De Fawg Pin (The Frog Prince), Jade (his froggy wife), the Hag

Comments: Napoli does an excellent job of transforming a fairly boring story into an amusing, original adventure. It is hilarious to read along as Pin learns how to hop and croak and do everything that frogs do. The story has something for everyone: action, suspense, love and humour, and Schachner's amazing drawings bring it all to life.

Genre: Revised fairy-tale

Age Level: 10-13

The Shakespeare Stealer

Author: Gary Blackwood

Publication: New York: Puffin Books

Pub. Date: 1998

ISBN: 0-14-130595-9

Pages: 216

Summary: Widge, a young, orphaned apprentice, is sent ot copy Shakespeare's play, The Tragedy of Hamlet, during a performance at the Globe Theatre. While he attempts to complete the task, he ends up being invited to join the Players as a theatre apprentice and must decide whether to obey his master or remain loyal to his friends.

Major Characters: Widge, Falconer (Widge's master), Sander (Widge's friend)

Comments: As an older reader, I found the book to be a little predictable. There are some typical elements in the plot, such as a girl pretending to be a boy, and another player who gets jealous of Widge and tries to make his life miserable. However, I can imagine that as a pre-teen, the story would be very exciting. Falconer is truly despicable, and so you can't wait to get to the end of the book to see what happens to him. The historical and theatrical facts are also well researched and interesting. It was named an ALA Best Book for Young Adults, and the School Library Journal's Best Book of the Year.

Genre: Historical Fiction

Age Level: 10-15

Postcards from No Man's Land

Author: Aidan Chambers

Publisher: New York: Dutton Books

Publication Date: 1999

ISBN: 0-525-46863-3

Pages: 312

Summary: Told in double narratives, this book follows the adventures of Jacob Todd as he visits Holland to meet Geertrui, the woman who cared for his soldier grandfather during the Second World War. Set against the backdrop of Geertrui's recollections about that time, the book follows Jacob as he learns about life, love, and himself.

Major Characters: Jacob Todd (grandson), Daan Wesseling (friend), Ton (friend), Geertrui Wesseling, Jacob Todd (grandfather)

Comments: This is a very unique and captivating book. It makes you think and examines some controversial issues, such as euthanasia, homosexuality and social propriety. The way the book switches between the two different storylines is accomplished very well. The reader doesn't get confused by it, and both sets of characters are interesting and likeable. None of the people are all good or all bad, which makes them seem more realistic and identifiable. This book has received a lot of praise and won the Carnegie Medal.

Genre: Historical Fiction

Age Level: 16+

Catherine, Called Birdy

Author: Karen Cushman

Producer: New York: Recorded Books Productions, Inc.

Publication Date: 1996

ID #: 94861

Format: 5 Audiocassettes

Duration: 6.5 hours

ISBN: 0-7887-0687-X

Summary: Catherine (called Birdy by her family) is a free-spirited, independent girl from a well-to-do family in 13th century England. On her 14th birthday her brother asks her to start writing a diary. She doesn't like the idea at first, but soon fills the pages with stories about her "ogre" of a father, tales of the villagers, and thoughts about the changing world around her.

Major Characters: Catherine, Lord Rouleau (father), Shaggy Beard (a suitor)

Comments: This is a very funny book. Catherine's blunt comments and the tricks she plays on people make you laugh out loud. The author has obviously done a lot of research. The way she describes daily life in medieval England makes you feel like you are there. The book has won numerous awards, inlcuding a Newbery Honor, ALA Children's Notable Book, ALA Best Book for Young Adults and an ALA Quick Pick for Young Adults.

Genre: Historical Fiction

Age Level: 12+

Irish Chain

Author: Barbara Hawoth-Attard CAN

Publication: Toronto: Harper Trophy Canada

Publication Date: 2002

ISBN: 0-00-639215-6

Pages: 204 pages of story, 8 pages of appendices

Summary: Thirteen-year-old Rose Dunlea hates school. The only thing she seems to be good at is telling stories about patches in the Irish chain quilt that was passed down from her great-grandmother. She has been held back a grade twice because she can't read or write and this has made her an outcast. One day she prays that she will never have to go back to school again. The next day her school is detroyed by an explosion in Halifax Harbour and Rose if forced to look inside herself to find the strength to deal with the tragedy and the guilt she feels about having caused it.

Major Characters: Rose Dunlea, Alice (Mam) Dunlea (mother), Patrick Murphy (Rose's cousin)

Comments: This would be a very good book to recommend to a student who has dyslexia, as it presents the learning challenge in a positive light. What I liked most about this book was that it did not try to end with a happy ending. The Halifax Explosion of 1917 was a horrible tragedy and Haworth-Attard does a good job of acccurately portraying that. The pictures at the back help to illustrate the destruction, and the author even inlcudes instructions on how to make your own Irish chain quilt.

Genre: Historical Fiction

Age Level: 12+

Oliver's Wars

Author: Budge Wilson CAN

Publication: Toronto: Stoddart Publishing Co.

Publication Date: 1992

ISBN: 0-7737-5508-X

Pages: 102

Summary: When Oliver's dad (a military nurse) is called to serve in the Gulf War, he and his family are forced to moved from Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan to Halifax, Nova Scotia to live with his grandparents. To everyone else, Oliver seems to be carefree and have it all together, but inside he is torn apart with worry for his father, fears of moving to a new city and dealing with his cranky grandfather. Oliver must adjust to his new life, and learn how to admit when he's feeling bad.

Major Characters: Oliver Kovak, Jerry Kovak (brother), Gus Rodgers (school bully), Grandpa and Grandma Kovak

Comments: This is a rather short chapter book and more suited to elementary students rather than young adults, but it is still a great story. I had the great pleasure of being able to hear Budge Wilson speak to our class a couple of months ago, and she said that of all her characters, Oliver is the character that is most like her. I read this book before I knew that, and I thought at the time that she must have written some of herself into him, because his emotions are so real, that they could only have been created from personal experience. Although the book takes place during the time of the Gulf War, it is appropriate today becuase of the events in Iraq.

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Age Level: 10-12

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants

Author: Ann Brashares

Publication: New York: Laurel Leaf Books

Publication Date: 2001

ISBN: 0-440-22970-7

Pages: 294

Summary: Four girls who have been friends since birth are about to embark on their first summer seperate from each other. One of them finds a pair of jeans in a second-hand store that seem to have magical powers, because it fits each of the girls' different figures perfectly. They decide that the Pants should spend a few days with each of them while they are on their respective vacations and then reunite at the end of the summer to talk about the adventures they had. Along the way the girls learn valuable lessons about life and death, love and rejection, family relationships, and being yourself.

Major Characters: Carmen, Tibby, Lena and Bridget

Comments: By now, almost every teenage girl and youth services librarian in North America knows about this book and its two sequels. When the movie is released later this summer, even more people will learn about it. Carmen, Tibby, Lena and Bridget have a huge following, and it is easy to see why. Once you start reading the book you're hooked. The four girls seem so human; anyone could identify with them. While the book teaches a lot of lessons, it doesn't come over as preachy. It makes no judgements about the decisions the girls make, but just seems to follow along as the girls work things out on their own. I would recommend this book more for older readers, because there are some hints of sexuality, but nothing is described explicitly. I laughed out loud at several parts of this book and can't wait to read the other novels in the series.

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Age Level: 15+

How Not to Spend Your Senior Year

Author: Cameron Dokey

Publication: New York: Simon Pulse

Publication Date: 2004

ISBN: 0-689-86703-4

Pages: 293

Summary: Jo O'Connor has moved around so much while growing up that she has gotten used to it and learned not to get close to anyone. That all changes in her senior year though, when she falls in love. When Jo and her father learn that they have to fake their deaths in order to protect themsleves from a murderer, Jo finds it hard to resist the urge to say one last goodbye. This sets events in motion to the point where Beacon High is convinced that Jo's ghost has come back to haunt them. The staff of the student newspaper at Jo's new school (Royer High) are so intrigued by her resemblance to the dead girl, that they send her on an exchange to Beacon to get the scoop on the strange events that are happening there. Somehow, Jo has to fix all the problems she caused without giving away her identity.

Major Characters: Jo O'Connor, Alex Crawford (boyfriend), Elaine Golden (best friend and neighbour), Mark London (student at Royer)

Comments: This is an enjoyable, funny read. Even though the plot is far-fetched, the story is told very naturally, as if it could happen to anyone. Unlike many teen stories, there is no angst from Jo about her childhood (she had a perfectly happy upbringing despite losing her mother and having to move all the time). The book is written in modern language and it makes lots of pop culture references to things such as Starbucks lattes.

Genre: Romantic Comedy

Age Level: 15+

Elisabeth: The Princess Bride

Author: Barry Denenberg

Series: The Royal Diaries

Publication: New York: Scholastic

Publication Date: 2003

ISBN: 0-439-26644-0

Pages: 151

Summary: A diary-style story about Princess Elisabeth, set in the years 1853 and 1854. It describes her engagement and marriage to her cousin, Franz Joseph I, Emperor of Austria.

Major Characters: Elisabeth (future Empress of Austria-Hungary), Franz Joseph I (Emperor), Duchess Ludovica (Elisabeth's mother), Archduchess Sophie (Elisabeth's aunt and Franz Joseph's mother)

Comments: Half the book is a fictional account of a period in Elisabeth's life, while the other half is a biographical sketch of the Empress. This section includes a biography, illustrations, a family tree, and other interesting items. I liked this part of the book much more than the diary part. It is obvious that the author has taken time to make sure that the story is historically accurate, but the diary is written in modern language, so I feel like all of that effort has been wasted. The style of the writing just sounds like someone pretending to be from the 1800s. Elisabeth also never talks about her first kiss, which all girls write about in their diaries, so I never felt like I was reading an actual diary. The Dear Canada Series accomplishes this effect much better.

Genre: Historical Fiction

Age Level: 10-15