Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan
I couldn’t wait anymore. Due to a catalog changeover, my system still doesn’t have copies of this book, the final in the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series. So I just bought it from Target and I’ll add it my Percy Jackson summer prize pack.
Percy’s sixteenth birthday is quickly approaching, as is the Princess Andromeda, carrying Luke (now being possessed by Kronos) and his minions.
Simultaneously, things are heating up between Rachel (the mortal who can see through the Mist) and Percy, leaving Annabeth steamed.
The gripping, unexpected twist starting things off had me so hooked, I stayed up all night reading. There were some hilarous moments, some moments when it was clear Rick was pandering to the young teen boy crowd, and some surprising moments as the Great Prophecy was fulfilled.
We haven’t heard the last of this contemporary mythical world. And I’m glad for it! For now, I can anxiously await the February 10, 2010 release of the Lightning Thief movie!
Update (9-7-09): Nominated for the Printz, I just don’t think this book can stand alone. An excellent read, but part of a larger very good series, not a stand alone great book.
How We Decide by Jonah Lehrer
I haven’t posted a book review in a couple days… and that usually means I’m reading nonfiction!
I picked up How We Decide because it was on the NY Times best seller list and because it had a cute cover. I’m very glad I did. Highly readable, Lehrer takes the author on a journey through our minds, uncovering the process behind our routine and spur-of-the-moment, life-saving (or condemning) decision making.
Lehrer begins by debunking Plato’s theory that the brain is divided in two separate spheres (the rational side is the charioteer while the emotional side is the wild horses pulling the chariot). “One the one hand, humans are part animal, primitive beasts stuffed full of primitive desires. And yet, humans are also capable of reason and foresight, blessed with the divine gift of rationality” (p 10).
Lehrer counters, “What we discover when we look at the brain is that the horses and charioteer depend upon each other. If it weren’t for our emotions, reason wouldn’t exist at all” (p 13).
Through a series of accounts, Lehrer reveals incidents where emotion plays a key role in either benefiting lives or destroying them. He stresses preventing the onset of panic during new, life-threatening situations but relying on your gut during routine operations when neural pathways pick up on divergences faster than our rational brains.
Sound confusing? It is, but Lehrer lays it out so beautifully that I was able to follow along easily, often gripping my chair during the story-telling parts. The brain is an amazing thing.
Say Hello by Jack and Michael Foreman
You can see from the cover illustration that this is one of those picture books that tackles a difficult childhood issue, in this case, loneliness as a result of exclusion.
First a dog (all alone), then a boy (left out, no fun) join a group of children playing a game of baseball.
Another book with minimal artwork but that delivers its message. First the dog then the boy are isolated (even by the binding) from the gathered children. I really felt terrible when the little boy said, “I wouldn’t do this to anyone.” The author encourages the reader, “When someone feeling left out, low, it doesn’t take much to say … Hello!”
Posy by Linda Newbery and Catherine Rayner
Posy is a wiskers wiper, a crayon swiper… a playful wrangler and knitting tangler, among other things. I adore the crisp yet fuzzy illustrations (Can you tell I don’t have an art background? I just know what I like!) though some of the text is awkward (tomcat fearer, disappearer). I can’t wait to use this during our Good Morning Stories. Whoopie for adventurous kitties 
The P.L.A.I.N. Janes by Cecil Castellucci
A good pick for reluctant girl readers, The P.L.A.I.N. Janes kicks off a graphic novel series about a group of misfits, with some tie to the name Jane, brought together by the Main Jane.
Main Jane has just relocated to a suburb after being a victim of a bomb attack in Metro City. Tired of the type of friends she had in the city, she snubs the schools Queen bee and gravitates to the misfit table, determined to gain their friendship.
Despite the stereotypes, Jane brings some depth to the characters and touches on thought-provoking topics near and dear to the teen audience. Highly accessible and a very quick read.
Everything Beautiful in the World by Lisa Levchuk
Edna’s mother has just been diagnosed with cancer, inconveniently suspending a rather heated argument between Edna and her mom. Instead of visiting her mother in a NYC hospital, Edna has an affair with her Sculptures/Ceramics/Art History teacher, Mr. Howland – her senior by about 15 years.
I picked this one up after reading it reviewed at BookEnvy. But unlike Envy, I thought Levchuk brought something Barry Lyga’s Boy Toy didn’t (though, overall, Boy Toy is the superior book) – restraint.
When I read the chapter entitled “The Secret Spot,” Levchuk caught me off guard! By this point, the reader knows Edna and Mr. Sawyer Howland are going to consummate their relationship. Howland has just finished serenading Enda.
“Do you need to know what happened? … You probably want to know the X-rated details, the stuff that’s I’m not going to tell you because nothing about what we did felt wrong or X-rated at all” (p 61).
Unlike Josh from Boy Toy, Edna is fully aware of the moral implications of her affair. But like everything else in her life, she’s pretty apathetic about it. Because this story isn’t really about a student / teacher affair. It’s about Edna dealing with guilt, grief, and fear. Most of it caused by misinformation and neglect. Mr. Howland is far from perfect and Edna knows this, though she adores many things about him… which led to Edna controlling the termination of their relationship in the end.
I’d liken this book to aspects of Melvin Burgess’s Doing It rather than Boy Toy (which is more about seduction and lust). Teach Me is another excellent novel that captures the teacher / student affair though it ends very differently than Everything Beautiful in the World.
The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan
The Forest of Hands and Teeth is populated by the Unconsecrated, a zombie-like vampiric race created by an unknown virus a la Steven King’s The Stand meets 28 Days Later meets Resident Evil.
Within the fence, a community of humans survive under the strict rules of the Sisterhood and protected by the Sisterhood’s right hand, the Guardians.
When the fence is breached, Mary’s world collapses. She is forced to leave the village and seek out a new life using a network of fenced out trails.
My issues with this book are numerous.
**SPOILER ALERT**
First, I found Mary to be insipid. She is presented as curious, questioning, passionate and vivacious. So why is it she becomes a simpering/crazy stone figure when the action gets going? Thank goodness Harry, the man who loves her but that she doesn’t love, comes along to save her.
She is driven by a desire to see the ocean, a mythical land of water her mother has told her about, but at the first opportunity, she becomes complacent, satisfying her Travis-lust. It isn’t until the Unconsecrated are on her heals that she and the rest of her party are stirred into action.
For a people living under constant threat of some pretty freakin scary zombies, they really don’t know how to prepare. In this, they are like the Eloi, sacrifices instead of active participants in their own destiny.
Secondly, the Sisterhood has secrets and an unknown agenda. We never really find out what the heck is going on there. They feed an Outsider, a young girl, to the undead to see how long she lasts? “To better understand her?” What?
Are they trying to find a cure? How are these undead remaining reanimated for so long if they burn out? They are numerous even though many years have gone by…
We never really find out about the Guardians either. Mary can’t seem to understand her own mind… It was all to random for me.
Other horror books/movies offer some explanation. In 28 Days Later, the undead eventually starve. I am Legend digs deeper, offering a new breed of humanity, a chilling end.
I compare this to Resident Evil, a piece of fluff, purely-for-the-horror kind of work. There were lulls and explosive moments (all of which conveniently end in our heroine being saved in the nick of time), some nicely written scenes and some duds.
Other reviews at: Fantasy Book Critic, Karin’s Book Nook, A Chair, a Fireplace and a Teacozy.
Update (9-07-09): Another popular title nominated for the Printz and one of the least deserving. Ug.
Toby Alone by Timothee de Fombelle
Translated from French, Toby Alone is the first of a two-volume story about miniature people.
It is a dense novel that hits the ground running. I’ve been reading for three days and feel like I haven’t made a dent! But I’m enjoying every moment of Toby’s fascinating world, the world of a Tree.
Another book for my recommended summer reading list (those who have completed fifth grade).
Read a comprehensive review at The Gaurdian.
The Library in Children’s/YA Literature
The last two books I read mentioned, in some context, the Library. It got me thinking about how libraries are referred to in children’s and young adult literature. Are libraries (and librarians) represented in a positive, neutral or negative light? How frequently are they mentioned? How did I perceive libraries as a child/young adult?
From what I can remember, my childhood impression of libraries was positive. I recall my first trip to the public library occuring sometime around third grade. My father took me and I signed my name to my very own bright yellow plastic Library card. The first book I remember checking out – The Hobbit by Tolkien.
The earliest I recall reading about libraries and Librarians in fiction was when I read Matilda by Roald Dahl in fifth grade.
“Matilda set out all by herself to walk to the public library in the village. When she arrived, she introduced herself to the librarian, Mrs. Phelps. She asked if she might sit awhile and read a book” (p 12).”
The Library opens worlds to Matilda and Mrs. Phelps, a quiet woman who minded her own business, was her gentle guide.
In The Aurora County All-Stars, House wants to learn all about his favorite left-handed MLB pitcher, he “had even gone to the Bay Springs Library to look up more about Sandy Koufax. Miss Dena DeRose, the librarian, had found articles from old Life magazines to share with House” (p 77 – ARC).
In Zarr’s yet-to-be-published Once was Lost, Sam wants to fix up her back yard saying, “I could make this yard look like the one at New Beginnings. All it would take are some supplies and time and maybe a book from the library telling me how to do it” (p 3 – ARC).
I can also recall the Library being used often by Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter series; the librarian a typical shhhhh-ing woman.
My high school library was a sanctuary away from the sound and fury of the hallways, cafeteria, and gymnasium. During college, it was a free ticket to the Dean’s list (Need an essay? I’d spend one day spinning published critical reviews together to make that 12 page paper! Cake.).
What have you read that mentions libraries/librarians in literature? How did it effect your perception of our beloved institution?
A Brief Break
May 25, 2009 at 2:14 pm (Commentary)
I will be on vacation for the next week. Of course, that means 4 days of hard-core volleyball playing in Minneapolis, MN! It’s the annual National tournament and I will be playing with Get Over It. When I return, looks for reviews of: This is What I Want to Tell You by Heather Duffy Stone, Zorgamazoo by Robert Weston, and Wondrous Strange by Leslie Livingston. And some videos/pics. Until Monday… be well!
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