The Woods

One of my favorite ways to learn about books is by reading about the titles other bloggers read and recommend.  We don't always agree, but quite often they have read books I have never heard about.  I've also never met a list of books that I didn't immediately want to check titles off!!  So I was in seventh heaven when Janssen published her summer reading list "100 picture books to read this summer".   I "met" Janssen when we served on a Cybils panel a few years ago (Side note: I am so excited to be a judge for Round One of the Easy Readers/Early Chapter Books judging this year!!), and I know that she has amazing taste in books.  So I printed out her list of recommendations and got to work.  Because these weren't the only books we read this summer, it took us all summer to get through the list.  But we loved it - reading old favorites and new titles.  And one of the new-to-us books that I loved enough to write about was The Woods.

It begins with a little boy going through his bedtime routine.  He's in bed, under his covers, finished with his story, when he realizes his bunny rabbit is missing.  The boy knows there is only one place his stuffed rabbit could be.  He gathers some supplies, including a sword, and heads off into the woods.  He announces that he isn't afraid at all.  Until...he runs into a BIG, SCARY BROWN BEAR!  Luckily, the little boy is brave enough to determine that the bear is afraid of the dark.  And the little boy can also solve the bear's problem by providing a night-light.  Because he has been kind to the bear, the bear wants to join in and help the little boy find his rabbit.
 
So with the bear tagging along behind, the boy proceeds through the woods.  They continue their search through the murky, dark woods, finding two scary giants and a three-headed, fire-breathing dragon.  Each time the little boy confronts something new, he doesn't get scared, but makes the effort to find out what they need (that frightening dragon is actually bawling because he has a stomachache!).  When he helps them out, they all agree to help him to find his rabbit in return.  But when the group approaches a dark cave, it tests all of their combined bravery.  The solution is to hold hands and  work together as they venture in.

What is inside that dark, spooky cave?  Well, it's one last surprise to close out the little boy's adventure.  But suffice to say everything turns out okay in the end.  When that little boy finally climbs back into bed, he has a whole host of new friends to snuggle with.

There are several pieces of this title that I think work together to make this a successful picture book.  Some of these are textual, and some are contained within the illustrations.  It doesn't have complex text with lots of words on each page, but those words are full of imagination and adventure.  Readers are drawn into the story immediately through the little boy's bedtime routine.  I have yet to meet a child who doesn't sleep with at least one stuffed animal.  They can all relate to the process of getting into bed, tucked in and slightly sleepy, and missing that one special animal who has disappeared.  When the story changes from a bedtime story into an adventure, children are ready to commit to searching along with the little boy.  Part of this is due to the earnest first person tone in those introductory sentences.

And another textual success is the repetitive structure of the story.  The sentences are fairly short to keep the plot moving along.  And after each time the boy meets someone (or something) new, and the group sets off together, the text claims "And we weren't afraid at all.  Until..."  It's a great device for building momentum - readers can't wait to see what is around the corner.  They will listen intently for the next cue and be prepared when the page turns.  That piece of repetitive text also ties off the previous incident.

One of the things I love about this story is that it takes teamwork to accomplish the little boy's mission.  When they reach the cave, they aren't individuals - they are a team.  It takes all of their effort to face off against that last creature.  The little boy has been clever in solving every character's problems with compassion and generosity.  But even the bravest little boy might cower before that creature, and it is the support of his new-found friends that helps him get through the confrontation.

I thought the illustrations helped make the story so captivating.  They remind me of illustrations readers would experience in a graphic novel.  There is rich color, with an incredible range of browns in the woods and the little boy's bedroom.  And there are fun details in the pictures too - that scary brown bear who the boy meets first has a gold HONEY necklace.  It looks incredibly out of place on a bear in the woods, but makes that bear seem more hip than scary.  When the little boy gives him the night-light, he strings the lightbulb around his neck instead.  The looks on the faces of every character as they discover each other are priceless.  They are often reacting in shock and fear, but they also look hilarious.  These details add to the fun of reading this book aloud.

Speaking of reading aloud, this story is dramatic and a perfect addition to storytimes or just a family reading time.  It is especially perfect with the multiple surprises on almost every page.  And of course, the combination of bedtime and adventure will help keep it in regular rotation everywhere.  Thank you, Janssen, for the recommendation!

The Woods.  Paul Hoppe.  Chronicle Books, 2011.

borrowed through interlibrary loan.

The Dyerville Tales

I have been waiting to share this book with you for a long time.  I read it almost three months ago - I was lucky enough to win a copy in a Walden Pond Press giveaway (side note: Walden Pond Press is a super-cool publisher with lots of other great books too!).  But I don't like to blog about books that I love until you are able to read them too - it doesn't feel fair to tempt you like that!  So now The Dyerville Tales has been out for a few weeks, and I'm ready to talk about it!

You might recognize the author's name from Juniper Berry, which I loved, here in this post.  I was surprised at how much I loved Juniper Berry and again at how much I loved The Dyerville Tales.  Both of Kozlowsky's books have a mood in common - one of building uncertainty and fear.  They also both look at the mysteries of the adult world with a steely, clear-eyed gaze.  Very few adults escape these books whole.  The building tension, combined with the look at how adults compromise themselves, is one of the things I love best about Kozlowsky.  But his books can also keep me up at night, worrying about what might happen next.

The Dyerville Tales begins with Vince Elgin.  He lives in an orphanage, because his mother died in a house fire when he was ten years old.  Vince believes that his father escaped the fire, somehow, and is still alive.  He believes this because while Vince's mother died in the hospital room next to his, after getting Vince and herself out of the house.  Vince knows that "the authorities never discovered a single trace of him in the ashes of their home.  No bones, no teeth, not even the gold ring Vince had been promised.  And for Vince, this changed everything.  This was where he found his hope." (p. 11)

Vince isn't sure exactly why there was a fire, nor is he really sure about the events leading up to the fire.  He remembers how scared his parents were the night before but has lots of questions about what actually happened.  But the younger children in the orphanage love to hear most of the tale of Vince's arrival at the orphanage, and so he retells it (and relives it) over and over again.  It is full of magic to the other children, because it has parents in it, parents who care about Vince's safety, who want to protect him from the evil that surrounds them.

When Vince goes to the orphanage, after his mother's death and his father's disappearance it's because the only relative he has left is his grandfather.  His grandfather was believed to be crazy and was living in a nursing home.  When this story begins, it is with a package that arrives from Dyerville, the town where his grandfather lived, addressed to Vince.  In the package, a letter informs Vince that his grandfather has passed away, and that the funeral will be in a week.  Enclosed in the package is a book - a collection of tales his grandfather told in his nursing home, much as Vince has told stories in the orphanage.  Vince knows he must get to the funeral.  After all, it is his father's father.  And if Vince has any chance of seeing his own father again, it will be there, at the funeral.

The director of the orphanage tells Vince that there is no possible way he can go to the funeral - the orphanage doesn't have the money or the resources to get him to Dyerville, which is a long way from the town where the orphanage is located.  Vince is determined, though.  He escapes from the orphanage with the help of a friend, Anthony.  "Vince heard the commotion but told himself not to look back.  He had to concentrate on climbing.  He thought of what would be waiting for him at the end of this journey.  In Dyerville he would find his father.  A new life would be waiting; all he had to do was make it to the other side of the gate.  Suddenly it didn't seem so impossible." (p. 52)  And he makes it.  It's just one little step in what could be a very long journey.  But as he clears the fence around the orphanage, "somewhere deep within his mind there was now a spark glowing.  It was small, but it wanted to grow." (p. 53) I don't want to ruin the suspense of the well-plotted story.  You just need to pick it up.

But here's what I will talk about.  This book isn't just about stories and telling them (although clearly that is a major focus, considering what I've already told you about Vince and his grandfather).  It feels just like a fairy tale set in real life.  After all, there are not one but two epic journeys written about here.  Each time Vince opens his grandfather's book, there is a picture that helps add to the drama of Vincent's journey.  Both stories have fairy tale elements in them - things that are almost too incredible to be true.  And yet they are.  There are also some elements of reality that are fairy tale scary, too.  Here is one of those moments: "Her breath was colder than the wind.  With her lips touching his skin, and in a childish voice, she began to sing: 'Oh, I have the moon in me.  And everything beyond.  I am a black hole, you see.  And I'll eat me some vagabond.'" (p. 144)  Just writing that quote totally out of context made the hair on my arms stand up!

There are, of course, lots of parallels between both journeys -both Vince and his grandfather are 12 when their journeys start.  When the director of the orphanage brings Vince the package, she asks Vince "' You were named after him.  Am I right?'  Vince nodded.  'My parents said I looked just like him too.  Almost identical.  I don't know.  I didn't see it.'" (p. 24)  Both boys are on their own, trying to solve a mystery of their own lives.  And of course, when the book begins, they are both stranded in places (the orphanage or the nursing home) without any family connection.  There are so many magical things that happen in this book to tie the two together, over and over.

I was truly spellbound by this book, as you should be by any true fairy tale.  It has adventure, magic and leaves you questioning  Please pick it up - you'll dive right in.

The Dyerville Tales.  M.P. Kozlowsky.  Walden Pond Press, 2014.

I won this ARC in a giveaway, without expectation of a review.

Heirs of Prophecy

First of all, I apologize for the long silence.  This early summer has been a little bumpy for me, but I have lots of posts waiting to be written, so I promise more regular posts are on their way.  Thank you for being patient with me!  I was approached to participate in a blog tour for this book, Heirs of Prophecy.  I read some reviews that interested me, and I realized I hadn’t written any blog posts about chapter books in a long time, so I decided to give it a go.  And this was a fast-paced adventure that kept me reading!

The Riverton family is going on vacation.  Their father usually plans the vacations, and he chooses some…unusual places (their last vacation featured Japanese ruins and samurai sword making).  But their dad is letting them bring the family cat, Silver, so 14 year old Ryan and 12 year old Aaron figure it can’t be that bad.  Well, their vacation doesn’t go quite as planned.  The family ends up outside of Tucson, Arizona, exploring caves by canoe.  Suddenly, there is a loud rumble, and the cave collapses around them.

This is the Riverton family’s introduction to Trimoria, a world they could not have ever dreamed of.  And as they stumble through the forests, trying to find civilization, some unexplainable things begin to happen to them all.  Ryan, the oldest son, has what looks like lightning shoot out from his fingers.  Aaron, who had been previously described as “diminutive”, shows amazing strength – lifting rocks as if they were hollow.  And their mother and father, too, begin to exhibit powers they never had before.  As for Silver, well, Silver has grown enormous and even smarter than he was before.

They are incredibly lucky to find the Protector of the area, Throll, on their second day, and even luckier that he believes their story, even though it seems farfetched.  As Protector-General of the land, Throll is able to wield some power over the townspeople and gets them to believe that Jared Riverton (the boys’ father)is his old friend from another part of the land.  Oddly, Jared Riverton had been interested in blacksmithing back home in the United States, and had created a smithy in their backyard.  Here in Aubgherle, there is an urgent need for a blacksmith.

Magic is outlawed in Trimoria, and people who exhibit any type of magical powers (especially babies) mysteriously disappear.  So the odd skills that the Rivertons have gained need to be hidden from spies in the town of Aubgherle.  They practice these skills in secret, trying to gain control of their powers and learn how they function.  It becomes evident that while Ryan is the strongest wizard, his father is also a wizard of some power.  Aaron is freakishly strong, and begins to learn a variety of fighting skills and strategies.  And their mother, Aubrey, is an incredible healer.

But somehow the wizard who controls the country of Trimoria, Azazel, who is evil, becomes apprised of this unusual family and sets out to destroy them.  At the same time a “small” ogre (only seven feet tall at the start of the novel! And a vegetarian!) named Ohaobbok joins Throll’s family and the Rivertons, and he retells a strange prophecy, one that includes himself and the Riverton family.  The Rivertons’ inclusion in the prophecy makes sense.  Trimoria is nowhere near as technologically advanced as present-day United States, but the skills the Rivertons have honed in their American lives seem to translate well here.  For instance, the blacksmithing (along with the samurai sword making vacation) comes in very handy.  Jared can actually bring modern technology to creating swords in Trimoria, giving his swords an advantage.  Both Ryan and Aaron have studied martial arts for years, and that gives them an advantage as well.  All these things seem to point to their destiny – to fulfill the prophecy.

I don’t want to tell too much of the plot, because exploring the country along with the Rivertons and discovering where their destiny lies is part of the ride.  And it is definitely a ride.  The book is full of magic, elements of fantasy, and some crazy fights.  Everything is enthralling, and keeps you reading.   This book sped by – I would pick it up and find I had suddenly read 100 pages!  It is easy enough for a fifth grader to read, and perfectly suited for a middle grade audience, including plenty of adventure and danger.

The world-building Rothman does is easy to understand.  I hate fantasy books where I spend so much time figuring out how things work, or how the universe was created.  I often feel that that holds me back from really engaging with the plot, and I’ve been known to not finish fantasies that get overly complicated.  While it is a mystery how the Rivertons arrived in Trimoria (the back of the book calls it a ‘fluke of nature’, but could it be something or someone else?),  the country of Trimoria itself isn’t overly complicated.  It seems to be pretty squarely set in something resembling the Middle Ages, with an emphasis on iron, mining, and blacksmithing.  People fight with swords, daggers and bows and arrows, not guns and bombs.  And the types of creatures that populate the forests are also familiar – dwarves that mine ore, elves in an amazing magical forest glen, and ogres.  But the characterization helps keep these traditional types interesting .  I really loved the ogre, Ohaobbok – he is sweet, and yet fights for this family he has come to love.

This book includes many of the “big” fantasy themes – good v. evil, the power of magic, but adds in some new twists.  It felt fresh, and made me want to continue on to see how this series gets to the final war and an epic battle.  For there will be one – it has been foretold.  Generations of Trimorians have the same dream, and the Riverton family is front and center in that dream.

I do have a couple of minor quibbles with Rothman, though.  I have a cat of my own, and I would never take him on a family vacation.  Especially if I knew that vacation would involve canoeing along a river in addition to a plane ride.  I don’t know many cats who would agree to those conditions!  Also the Riverton family doesn’t seem to articulate any desire to return to the United States.  They seem perfectly happy in Trimoria, and while I’ve already said that they are destined to be there, I can’t help wondering if they will mention a longing for home at some point. 

Also, I would have liked a glossary or pronunciation guide for the names.  I see that book two (titled Tools of Prophecy) is already out in e-book and will be out in hardback next month, so maybe he will consider it for the prequel or book three, both of which are in the works.  I think it’s important to guide readers to the “correct” Trimorian pronunciation for names like Ohaobbok (oh, how I’d love to say that name!), Ealuanni, Azazel, and others.  The elven names are particularly tricky.  So, please, Mr. Rothman, help us out!

All in all, though, this is a fun, thrilling adventure.  I would love to know more about the Rivertons and their adventures in Trimoria, and I hope you’ll take time to explore along with them!

Rothman , Michael A.  Heirs of Prophecy.  M & S Publishing, 2012.

Sent by TLC Book Tours for review as part of a blog tour.

Trash

One of the things that I love about School Library Journal's Battle of the Books is that I've read things that I would not have read otherwise.  When I heard about Trash, it did not seem like my kind of book - I am not always an enthusiastic reader of books with teenage boy protagonists.  I rarely connect with teenage boy characters, so it has to take some special characters for me to get past that.  But this book was different from the first page.

Raphael and Gardo are sorting trash, on the top of a large mountain of refuse in a landfill.  Suddenly something slips out of a bag - a wallet with ID, a key and a substantial amount of cash.  To Raphael and Gardo, who live in the landfill in a sort of scrabbling, hand-to-mouth existence, the cash is most important.  But when the police come looking for that same wallet, Raphael and Gardo know they have unearthed something much more valuable than they first thought.
They enlist one other boy, a loner known as Rat, to keep their secret.  These boys have already kept the wallet a secret from their neighbors because of the amount of cash.  Raphael and Gardo know that cash makes them vulnerable in their dumpster society.  They could be robbed or killed over it.  In their neighborhood (called Behala), people never have any money at all - they mostly use recyclables or found trash to barter for food and supplies.  This is a bleak, hopeless society.  The adults in Behala are just barely surviving.  Raphael, Gardo and Rat, however, are still young enough to have a slim glimmer of hope.  And that is enough to allow them to set off on a quest to solve the mystery behind the wallet. 

Mulligan has created an incredible story.  These boys have nothing - no money, little family, even less education.  And yet they are resilient, clever, street-smart.  The three are able to get information because they have always lived by their wits, so they are observant and have perfected being invisible to the adults around them.  Perhaps only this particular group of boys would have this combination of daring and smarts that allows them to solve this mystery.  Most teen boys wouldn't be curious about the rest of the contents of the wallet, probably discarding them while keeping the cash.  Or they might have bowed to authority and handed over the wallet to the police when they came looking for it. 

This is an adventure story at heart, but it is combined with the mystery that unfolds in front of the boys.  At times, the action is heart-stopping - will the boys be caught by the police before they uncover a mystery that hints at political corruption?  Mulligan keeps the tension ratcheted  up at an unendurable level, and you wonder how these poor, uneducated boys can possibly survive.

One other unique thing about Mulligan's novel is the voices - each of the boys have chapters told through their eyes, and they all have very different ways of looking at this situation.  They all see each other's strengths and weaknesses, and work together as a seamless partnership.  It is truly miraculous that these boys have the wherewithal to not only survive their bleak upbringings but to hold out hope for a better life.

Trash.  Andy Mulligan.  David Fickling Books: Random House, 2010.

personal copy

Ship Breaker

Ship Breaker is a National Book Award finalist in Young People's Literature, and while it had been on my radar since the beginning of the summer, it didn't seem like the kind of book I'd be interested in, so I let it pass by.  But I decided I wanted to read all the finalists, and I started with Ship Breaker.  Boy, was I wrong about it not being my kind of book. 

The book opens with Nailer working light crew, which entails sliding through small ducts in old ships, trying to strip the ship of anything usable.  As the first chapters unfold, readers become aware of how hard Nailer's life is, with an abusive father and violence and drugs pervading the harsh society.  There are small sparks of hope in his life, including his friend Pima and her strong mother, but Nailer is facing an uncertain future.  Eventually he will become too small to go through the ductwork, and will have to find another way to earn what little money he can.  But suddenly a "city killer" storm rips through his beach community, turning Nailer's life upside down.  He discovers a hydrofoil ship which has wrecked up the coast from his shack.  Nailer and Pima go to look for scavenge on the ship, and discover a rich girl, barely alive.  What Nailer and Pima do next goes to the core of who they really are.

This summary sounds compelling, but it doesn't do justice to the plot of this novel.  At heart, this is an adventure story and things happen to Nailer at a rapid pace.  And once you're sucked in to the story, Bacigalupi does not let the suspense slack off.  It is a heart-stopping pace, with Nailer, Pima and the rich girl (Nita) escaping both Nailer's abusive father and other pursuers in an effort to get Nita back to her family.  There were times I could not stop reading, thinking "I should really stop - oh, I'll just read one more chapter...".  You want to see Nailer and Nita safe, but it seems that their society has other ideas.
Bacigalupi's talent is science fiction, and while this is an adventure story, the background is definitely sci-fi.  I really hate the world-building part of a science fiction novel - I don't like the feeling of uncertainty and not understanding what is going on.  Ship Breaker is not like this.  There are enough familiar elements to guide readers and the world-building is introduced slowly and in context.  The book takes place off the Gulf Coast, sometime in the future.  Technology has continued to advance, including clipper ships that can travel incredibly fast due to an ingenious hydrofoil system.  But all of the technology, including genetically enhanced half-men and weaponry is accessible to teen readers and doesn't bog down the plot.
I do feel obligated to talk about the violence in this book.  While some of the violence is drug-fueled (Nailer's father is a druggie and often beats Nailer while high), much of the violence is necessary as different factions struggle for power in this shipping-based society.  However, life for Nailer is full of violence, even if he is not comfortable with it.  This ties into some of the current topics that Bacigalupi weaves into this story, including the wide gap between rich and poor in this society.  There is also prejudice between various groups and climate control (most of New Orleans is underwater now).  Basically, life for Nailer has always just been about survival, and suddenly he is fighting for more than he ever dreamed possible. 

I also have to say that I am relieved for once that there is not an obvious opening for a sequel.  It seems like every great book lately has an ending which will lead to a trilogy, and this ending was a breath of fresh air. 

I think this is a great National Book Award finalist, and I am glad I made the effort to read it.  The pacing, the combination of science fiction and adventure, and most of all the characters made it worth my while.  Well written.

Ship Breaker.  Paolo Bacigalupi.  Little, Brown and Co., 2010.  Borrowed from the Lewis and Clark library