Dragon Castle by Joseph Bruchac (2011)

The Dark Lord raised his hand, his palm glowing as if it were a burning hand. He lowered it and great gouts of lightning came pouring down from the black cloud (p 23).

Rashko and Paulek are princes in a very peaceful kingdom. Then their benevolent but slightly bemused parents disappear in the middle of the night, a herald brings an enchanted letter announcing the arrival of The Great and Honorable Baron Temny and a large, well-armed host of men arrive at the castle gates. Rashko seems the only one worried as the pixilated Paulek lowers the drawbridge.

In alternating chapters, we learn the history of the magical castle, Hladka Hvorka, and the hero of its people, Pavol.

This charming fantasy with a slew of interesting characters, smooth prose, and whimsical anicdotes was just what I needed. It is a gentle read appropriate for ages 12 and up.

Library Copy | Dial Books for Young Readers | Ages 12 up | 333 pages | ISBN 978-0803733763 | $16.99

The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare (1958)

“Don’t you know about the water trial?” Nat’s eyes deliberately taunted her. ” ‘Tis a sure test. I’ve seen it myself. A true witch will always float. The innocent ones just sink like a stone” (p 13).

It is 1687 and Kit Tyler has fled her home in sunny Barbados to escape an undesirable marriage. With her grandfather’s death, her only living relative is an aunt in colonial Connecticut. Kit books passage on the Dolphin with the last of her money, befriending the Captain’s son, Nat, on the journey.  Arriving unexpectedly, Kit disrupts his aunt’s household. Her Uncle Matthew is a strict Puritanical man who speaks out against the King, much to Kit’s dismay. Her cousin Judith resents the attention Kit attracts from the local boys and while Mercy is a quiet and comforting presence, Kit can’t deny she is another mouth to feed during tough times.

Then she meets Hannah Tupper, a widow believed to be a witch, living by Blackbird Pond. Through Hannah, Kit meets Nat again and a tenuous friendhsip begins. She also begins tutoring Prudence, a neglected girl who blossoms under Kit’s care, in secret at Hannah’s little house. It becomes a sanctuary for Kit until an illness takes hold of the townsfolk and they turn on Hannah and then Kit.

While there are tense, hair-raising moments and acts of cruelty based on fear, the resolution is of the happy variety. Though property is damaged and Kit spends an uncomfortable night in a cold shack, she find happiness with Nat, Hannah escapes to a more companionable situation, and both Mercy and Judith are paired with the perfect suitors. This cheery conclusion, however, does not diminish the horror mind-numbing religious fanaticism and the mob mentality threat to outliers.

Library copy | 1958 | Houghton Mifflin Company | Ages 9 + | 248 pages | ISBN 0-395-07114-3 | $16.00

Rules by Cynthia Lord (2006)

I watch the back of David’s head and repeat in my mind: Do well today. Do well today (p 66).

In this coming of age story, twelve-year-old Catherine must reconcile her desire to be a normal with her role as older sibling and part-time caretaker of her younger, autistic brother David whose behaviors she finds embarrassing. Her attempts to control his behaviour by stressing a set of rules more often backfire than not.

Each chapter begins with one of these rules or guidelines.

If you don’t have the words you need, borrow someone else’s (p 50).

These rules seem simplistic and universal when listed at the beginning of the novel, but they gain dimension with each passing chapter, weaving together to reflect the complexity of Catherine’s feelings. The reader is drawn into Catherine’s routine by her authentic voice, feeling her frustration, anxiety and love with every interaction. Her situation becomes even more complex when she strikes up a friendship with Jason, a young paraplegic. Though seasoned readers will anticipate the ending, it doesn’t detract from the feeling the story clearly means to elicit.

Thankfully, I listened to this book while on a long drive. I didn’t have to pause because that would have been unbearable. The reader, Jessica Almasy, was wonderful.

Library Audio Book | Recorded Books | ISBN 978-1428152113 | Ages 9 and up | $17.49

Read other reviews:
Books for Sale
Deliciously Clean Reads
Hope is the Word

I also recommend:

Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick (9/13/2011)

Outside, the wind picked up and rustled through the leaves on the giant trees surrounding the house. Voices droned from Robby’s CB radio, which he insisted stay on all night. It didn’t bother Ben that much. Being deaf in one ear had it’s advantages: he could sleep with his good ear on the pillow to block out all the noise. Ben used a similar trick in school. He’d lean his good ear on his hand when he wanted to tune out his teacher or his classmates. It made it easier to read the books about outer space that he hid in his desk (p 17).

Brian Selznick’s follow up to the convention-defying The Invention of Hugo Cabret (which went on to win the 2008 Caldecott medal) is another novel told in words and pictures.

Two stories, set 50 years apart unfold. In words, we meet Ben Wilson, an orphan living in Gunflint Lake, Minnesota in 1977. A book called Wonderstruck and a book mark are the only clues that might lead to his father, a man his beloved mother could never bring herself to talk about.

Set 50 years prior and told through pictures, we learn about Rose, an isolated, lonely girl who dreams of New York, visible to her from her bedroom window on the other side of the Hudson River. As both stories unfold and settings overlap, readers begin to see the connection between these two curious, courageous young people.

Those who loved The Invention of Hugo Cabret (and really, who didn’t love it?) will not be disappointed. Wonderstruck is every bit as amazing as Hugo Cabret. Even better. Selznick does his research. His illustrations are beautiful. His story is tight.

Finally, I’ll have something to hand patrons who ask for something “just like” Hugo Cabret! Relief! Can we consider this for a Newbery, please? We could get to work on correcting this. You can read a bit more and see an illustration at GalleyCat.

Read Nina Lindsay’s take on Wonderstruck‘s Newbery/Caldecott chances or head over to Fuse #8 for a great review. Kirkus and Publisher’s Weekly gave it a starred review.

Advance Reader Copy | September 13, 2011 | Scholastic | 640 pages | ISBN 978-0-545-02789-2 | $29.99

The Penderwicks at Point Mouette by Jeanne Birdsall (2011)

As he put together the clarinet, Skye stood and waved her arms in the general direction of the Birches, knowing that Jane would be watching and ready. By the time Jeffrey was beginning to play, he had a full audience — four girls to listen to him, cherish him, and wish they could keep him there forever, safe from the perilous world of grown ups (p 244).

Summer has come and for the first time, the Penderwicks will spend two weeks apart. The newly weds, Daddy and Iantha, are taking young Ben with them as they honeymoon in England. Rosalind will spend the time with a friend in New Jersey. That leaves Skye, Jane, and Batty (and their dog, Hound) to spend two weeks with their Aunt Claire in Maine. Jeffrey will join them, if his mother can spare him.

Skye couldn’t be more nervous about taking over OAP (Oldest Available Penderwick) responsibilities. Jane is determined to write a Sabrina Starr romance story, and Batty is desolate without Ben and Rosalind.

Fans of Birdsall’s preceeding two Penderwick books will snuggle lovingly back into her world. She transitions between Penderwick narrators effortlessly, taking us into the unique minds of these delightful girls (and occassionally their dog). I especially enjoyed seeing more of Jeffery (introduced in the first novel). Read more from Kirkus.

Library copy (print) | Knopf Books for Young Readers | May 10, 2011 | 304 pages | Ages 8-12 | ISBN: 978-0375858512 | $16.99

No Passengers Beyond this Point by Gennifer Choldenko (2011)

Ever since I found out they kicked Pluto out of the planets, I have not been feeling so sure about a lot of things (p 26).

Twelve-year-old Finn has noticed his mother struggling but it comes as a surprise when she informs Finn and his sisters, fourteen-year-old India and brainy little Mouse, they must leave California to live with their Uncle Red in Colorado. With their house repossessed by the bank, the siblings have no choice. Finn must abandon his basketball team. India must part with her best friend Maddy, and Mouse can’t take her explosion equipment. Their mother, staying behind to finish teaching out the school year, will join them later.

But the children don’t arrive in Colorado. Instead, they travel down the proverbial rabbit hole when their plane lands in Falling Bird, a seemingly nonsensical world where the children find their dream houses awaiting them, crowds cheering their arrival, and an idealized version of a mother or father attending them (reminiscent of Coraline).

This is an enjoyable adventure for early chapter book readers exploring the importance of family, individuality, and responsibility. It’s twilight-zonish conclusion provides a quick but somber explanation.

Books of Beginning: The Emerald Atlas by John Stephens (4/5/2011)

The girl felt the soft brush of her mother’s hair, smelled the gingerbread she’s been cooking that afternoon, and then something wet struck her check and she realized her mother was crying.
“Remember your father and I love you very much. And we will be together again. I promise” (p 2).

Kate, Michael and Emma, are spirited away from their home one Christmas Eve by a mysterious but benevolent man. Kate, the oldest, can’t remember much, being only four at the time, but she holds on to her mother’s promise.

In whispered exchanges between this man and her parents, it is hinted that the children have a great destiny but are also in great danger. They must escape ‘him’ though surely ‘he’ will search for them, always.

Ten years later, Michael and Emma can’t recall their parents but they believe their sister when she says they will be claimed. Sent from orphanage to orphanage, refusing to be adopted, they eventually arrive Cambridge Fall.

Mysterious and absent of children, Cambridge Falls seems a desolate place. Their stay, under the care of one Dr. Pym, soon takes a magical turn. They find a book, bound in green leather but blank. A book that uses an old photo to transport them back in time, when Cambridge Falls was alive, but lately, under the rule of a tyrannical witch on the hunt for something hidden in the mountains.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

This is a well-plotted, intricate fantasy for middle grade readers.

The characterization is good. If Harry Potter was really the story of three friends, The Emerald Atlas is really the story of three siblings: Kate as a responsible but over-burdened older sister, Michael as the bookish middle child fascinated with Dwarves, and Emma, the youngest and a spunky, smart-mouthed fighter.

Readers of the genre will be familiar with several fantasy tropes employed here: witches and wizards, dwarves in underground kingdoms, time travel, and prophesy. Stephens handles the time travel paradox with more profundity than most children’s authors.

I’m assuming Stephens has laid some breadcrumbs in this first book, much like Rowling did, to be explained in later installments. I look forward to continuing the adventure.

This is a review of an advance reader copy provided by the publisher. Read more about The Emerald Atlas from the author.

Alfred A. Knopf, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books | 432 pages | ISBN: 978-0-375-86870-2 | Ages 8-12

Coffeehouse Angel by Suzanne Selfors (2009)

I didn’t throw it away. Why? For the same reasons that I make a wish before I blow out my birthday candles, and look into the sky for the first evening star, and pull extra hard on the wishbone. Because, deep inside, like a Scandinavian craving caffeine, I craved change. I had been living a quiet life in the mundane middle, hidden in my two friends’ shadows, but that wouldn’t work much longer. When they left Nordby to pursue their dreams, I’d become visible, exposed for what I was – nothing at all (p 52).

Coffeehouse Angel, like its narrator, is sweet with some unexpected strengths revealed through several missteps.

The story begins with Katrina noticing an apparently homeless teen sleeping in the alleyway behind the coffeehouse her grandmother owns. It’s the place where Katrina has always worked and how her classmates identify her – as Coffeehouse Girl.

But Malcolm is no ordinary vagabond. He’s a messenger angel, though Katrina is hard put to believe it. But through a series of mishaps as Malcolm attempts to grant Katrina her deepest desire as a reward for her unselfish generosity toward him, she begins to see the etherial truth.

Thrown into the mix are Vincent, Katrina’s best guy friend and swimming champion, and Elizabeth, artist extraordinaire. There is some romantic confusion surrounding Vincent and perhaps some jealousy regarding Elizabeth, and it takes Katrina some time and some self-deprecation to work through. But she does and the result is a girl realized, not a damsel in distress. Woo hoo!

SLJ described the adults as “often pliable, unrealistic, homophobic, or otherwise inappropriate” but welcome to small town America. This book is not without its charm, it’s highly readable, and without drugs, sex and violence, but still appropriate for the high school crowd. Definitely light chick-lit reading.

Read other reviews at: Confessions of a Book Addict and Karin’s Book Nook.

If you enjoy this book, I’d recommend:

City Boy by Jan Michael (US 2009)

If you talked about a thing with power, that made it weaker (p 142).

City Boy begins with the burial of Sam’s amai - his mother. The Disease (AIDS) claimed both of his parents.  Now Sam must live with his Aunt Mercy in the village where his amai was raised. The problem is that Sam is a city boy.

Unused to dirt roads, barefoot children and sharing his possessions, Sam has difficulty adjusting to his new life. He is grieving for his parents, especially his recently deceased mother. Navigating the customs and myths presented by Aunt Mercy, her children and MacDonald (a foster child who butts heads with Sam immediately) proves almost overwhelming.

In tone, this book is reminiscent of Linda Sue Park’s A Single Shard. It felt too didactic for a young adult novel, but I admit to little tolerance for superstitious/religious/altruistic themes. While I assume it accurately represents the African culture depicted, it just wasn’t my cup of tea. Sam’s grief, however, came across strongly, adding to the veracity of his experience and keeping me interested.

From School Library Journal:

For young U.S. readers with only a hazy idea of life in this part of the world, this moving story will go a long way toward adding detail about both modern city life and the more traditional village ways.

The Lemonade Crime by Jacqueline Davies (5/2011)

This follow up to The Lemonade War is a gem. It picks up after War, with the money Evan and Jessie made from selling lemonade missing. Everyone suspects Scott, but is he guilty? After all, no one actually saw him take the money.

Enter “Obsessie Jessie,” the “Queen of Fair,” and soon the students of 4-0 are holding a mock trial to determine Scott’s guilt. While The Lemonade War interjected math concepts, The Lemonade Crime will introduce readers to legal concepts like due process and trial by jury, among others.

But what sets this book apart is that these concepts never detract from the story and the very real emotions these kids are feeling. Kids will relate to Jessie’s need to play fair, Evan’s frustration and his desire for revenge, and even Scott’s loneliness as his parents provide him with fancy gadgets to compensate for the time they don’t spend with him.

A great addition to any summer reading list, I can’t wait to recommend this one.