Category: Uncategorized

I’ve always loved anthologies because they present snippets of various writers’ styles, especially if the stories have a common theme. There are a number of good anthologies out there, but these three I thought were especially interesting. Hope you enjoy them.

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First up is a compelling group of stories that will wrench at your heart. It’s definitely worth a read.

Diverse Energies: The Future is Here. Are You Ready?

Edited by Tobias S. Buckell and Joe Monti

This anthology speaks to inevitable jumbling of the world’s cultures, frequently using dark dystopian stories. The horror exploded in Nagasaki and Hiroshima during WWII haunts “The Last Day,” Ellen Oh’s not particularly well written story tells of human survival and loyalty to friends. In “Freshee’s Frogurt,” which will appeal to boys, Daniel H. Wilson tells of a police officer questioning a teen who survived an attack by an-out-of-control robot. One of the better stories, “The Uncertainty Principle,” by K. Tempest Bradford, is about a girl caught up in a time warp, where the world constantly changes around her. In “Pattern Recognition,” Ken Liu tells of a boy who discovers the compound he lives in is full of lies. Greg van Eekhout’s “Gods of the Dimming Night,” is a compelling mix of improbability and mythic intrigue about an Indonesian-American boy who ends up fighting and killing a warrior from Odin’s army. “Next Door,” by Rahul Kanakia, pits “squatters” against property owners. Malinda Lo’s “Good Girl,” looking for her brother in the tunnels where non-purebloods live, falls in love with a mutt girl and finally realizes her brother is dead. “A Pocket Full of Dharma” is all the protagonist of Paolo Bacigalupi’s story wants but instead ends up with a data cube containing the conscience of the nineteenth Dali Lama in his pocket. Kidnapping a privileged Taiwanese girl not only nets Cindy Pon’s protagonist lots of money, but also creates a longing in the girl to see “Blue Sky.” “What Arms to Hold Us,” by Rajan Khanna, has the main character driving his robot to freedom. Finding one’s place in the universe is the well-written theme of Ursula K. Le Guin’s “Solitude.” The stories do offer love, hope and family obligation, but enough with the dystopia.

BIBLIO: 2012, Tu Books/Lee & Low Books, Inc., Ages 12 +, $17.95.

REVIEWER: Sarah Maury Swan

FORMAT: Young Adult

ISBN: 978-1-60060-887-2

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Though not strictly an anthology, all of the stories could be told separately and still hold their integrity. The characters all have sympathetic qualities to keep the reader engaged and rooting for them.

Tales from My Closet

Jennifer Anne Moses

Five girls are entering 10^th grade at the West Falls High School, each with her own emotional baggage and an interest in the clothes she wears. Short Justine, the new girl at the school, wears a paper dress she bought just before her family moved from San Francisco—super cool there, not so much in New Jersey. Tall and drop-dead gorgeous, raven-haired Becka is missing Paris and twenty-six-year-old Arnaud, the stereotypically debonair French heartthrob she met there. She wears the scarf he gave her and the raincoat he’d lent her as part of her first-day-of-10^th-grade ensemble. Becka’s best friend, Robin, a “shopaholic,” lands a summer internship in Manhattan with Becka’s aunt, super famous fashion designer Libby Pine. Banned from spending money, Robin gets creative with pajama tops or bottoms paired with classy looking belts and tank tops—all bought on sale with babysitting money. She loves her internship and is complemented on her style. Becka and Robin’s friend Polly is a swimmer, who obsesses over the size of her butt and any money her mother spends on her, since her father split from them many years ago. She and Mommy visit her paternal grandfather in his nursing home at least once a week. Ann’s parents want her to focus on academics so she gets into Princeton as her sister has, but Ann wants to be a fashion blogger and do all the drawing. She is super petite and feels she looks like a ten-year-old. Plus she has a tendency to be a blabbermouth. When her maternal grandmother gives her some vintage clothes, Ann feels transformed. The girls of course change during the school year and come to terms with themselves and their problems. This is a nicely told story, with real characters and real dreams.

BIBLIO: 2014, Scholastic Press/Scholastic, Inc., Ages 12 +, $17.99.

REVIEWER: Sarah Maury Swan

FORMAT: Young Adult

ISBN: 978-0-545-51608-2

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I really enjoyed this one. It’s full of life and intrigue. All the stories have common elements to them.

Welcome to Bordertown: New Stories and Poems of the Borderlands

Edited by Holly Black and Ellen Kushner

It is amazing the number of subcultures existing within our overarching culture. The culture of this anthology is probably well loved by “goth” kids. It’s the magical region between the human World and the Realm of the faeries (Elves) who prefer to be called the Truebloods. When the Way to Bordertown is open, runaways and kids looking for affirmation of hope flock there. But be careful, the elfin magic is quirky in this region and the Truebloods can be arrogant or cruel. Also know that time slows down here—two weeks in Bordertown equate to thirteen years in the World. A number of the stories are very matter of fact about sexual encounters amongst the teen protagonists or their use of drugs. No consequences discussed for these choices. But, for the most part, the characters are well drawn and the stories are compelling, though Cory Doctorow’s “Shannon’s Law” was confusing and “Fair Trade” (written by Sara Ryan and drawn by Dylan Meconis) took a second reading. And perhaps the best was saved to last: “A Tangle of Green Men,” by Charles de Lint, about a young Native American who goes to Bordertown to find the way across the Realm to the land where his dead wife waits for him. Instead, he finds a reason to live. Fantasy always opens a way to discuss life forces with kids and this collection of stories reaches out nicely to those looking for hope. The other authors are Terri Windling, considered the font of fantasy stories; Patricia A. McKillip; Catherynne M. Valente; Amal El-Mohtar; Emma Bull; Steven Brust; Alaya Dawn Johnson; Will Shetterly; Jane Yolen; Janni Lee Simner; Tim Pratt; Annette Curtis Klause; Nalo Hopkinson; Delia Sherman; Christopher Barzak, Cassandra Clare and Neil Gaiman.

BIBLIO: 2011, Random House Children’s Books/Random House, Inc., Ages 14 +, $19.99.

REVIEWER: Sarah Maury Swan

FORMAT: Young Adult

ISBN: 978-0-375-86705-7

ISBN: 978-0-375-96705-4

ISBN: 978-0-375-89745-0

I was looking at a photo of my brother Bill and me on his tricycle which made me smile. He died last year and I miss him, though he frequently did big-brother mean things to me, he always took care me when I needed it. When the picture was taken, I was three or four and he was a year and half older, with flame red hair and freckles. My hair hadn’t turned that red yet—more strawberry blonde at that point. I was standing behind Bill on the back step of his trike as he pedaled us around our backyard in Hollywood, California, when Mother snapped the picture.

Bill and I were forever getting into mischief, like the time we coated our entire bodies—except for our hair–in charcoal dust awaiting mixing into white paint so our house would be light grey. This was back in the early 1940s. We looked very funny until Mother had to scrub our skin with a brush and harsh soap.

Anyway, I thought it would be fun to tell you about books that deal with sibling relationships. Hope you enjoy them.

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Even sci-fi stories can have sibling rivalry in them and this book is a fun read.

Boom

Mark Haddon

Jim has a typical younger brother relationship with his 16 year old sister, Becky; he drops a cheese and jelly sandwich on her boyfriend, Craterface, and she smacks Jim upside the head. Then she tells him she overheard teachers at their school talking about what a poor student he is and whether they should transfer him to a school for kids with problems where there are bars on the windows and people howling. Something else for him to worry about along with watching his father play with model planes and sink into depression because he can’t find a job. Jim’s mother has a good job and expects her husband to do the household stuff, but he keeps forgetting and he’s an awful cook. Jim gets his best friend, Charlie, to help him figure out if he really is going to be expelled. Charlie’s way eager to help and sneaks a walkie-talkie into the teacher’s lounge just before the weekly staff meeting. Although they don’t hear any mention of Jim’s name, they do overhear two of the teachers speaking a strange language after the meeting. Things go downhill from there, leading Jim and Becky to run for their lives on Craterface’s motorcycle. Turns out the teachers are only two of many aliens bent on kidnapping humans to repopulate their planet. Jim and friends not only save the day, he becomes friends with his sister, gives his dad an attitude-changing cookbook which lands him a job and our hero is not expelled from school. Very funny book with lots of tension and a great alien language.

BIBLIO: 2009 (orig. 1992), David Fickling Book/Random House Children’s Books/Random House, Ages 12 +, $15.99

REVIEWER: Sarah Maury Swan

FORMAT: Young Adult

ISBN: 978-0-385-75187-2

ISBN: 978-0-385-75188-9

ISBN: 978-0-375-89364-3

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I was happy to get this second book to review since I love reading about horses, but this one left a lot to be desired, plus the girl’s relationship with her sisters in mostly unbelievable.

Chosen

Jessica Burkhart

Lauren has it all, or so it seems, in this introduction of her starring role within the “Canterwood Crest” series. But she does have to get over her fear of jumping caused by a nasty spill on a cross-country course and she does worry about being accepted into the elite Canterwood Crest boarding school where she hopes to further her riding skills. And then the older of her two sisters, Charlotte, is coming home from college for the summer, making Lauren anxious about their on-going sibling rivalry fight. But she does have her faithful boyfriend, Taylor, and her two BFFs who give her encouragement. It is amazing that her parents seem to have no problem with their twelve-year-old daughter going on real dates and wearing make-up, or that the younger of her two older sisters, Becca, has no resentment in being yanked away from school and neighborhood so Lauren can go to a prep school that will be a stepping-stone to her admittance to Canterwood Crest. The all too brief description of riding will disappoint horse-lovers and the obsession with make-up and clothes should make parents roll their eyes and sigh in disgust.

BIBLIO: 2011, Aladdin Mix/Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division/Simon & Schuster Publishing, Ages 8 to 12, $6.99.

REVIEWER: Sarah Maury Swan

FORMAT: Middle Reader

ISBN: 978-1-4424-1946-9

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Have you ever lived through a tornado? If not, the description is this book will make you feel as if you had. The main character loses a lot, but in the end she gains much. You might even be able to find a copy in a book store.

Torn Away

Jennifer Brown

Just as she ‘s about to finish her junior year in high school, Jersey Cameron’s whole life is blown away when a massive tornado wipes out a large swath of her Missouri town. Her mother and younger sister, Marin, die and then her stepfather, Ronnie, ships her off to her biological father and her paternal grandparents whom she has never met. Her remarried birth father has twin daughters who are cruel to Jersey. She sleeps on the screen porch of her grandparents’ seriously overcrowded house. With the exception of her aunt, who lives in the house with her two out-of-control sons, everyone is mean to her and very un-accepting. Then she learns her parents didn’t separate in the way she had always been told; that her mother wasn’t as truthful as she could have been. Eventually she is foisted off on to her also unknown maternal grandparents, but by now is so hurt and angry and guilt-ridden for ignoring Marin, she is rude. Since her mother told her lies about them, she is surprised to discover they are good people who just want to help her heal. The description of Jersey’s surviving the storm all alone in the basement of her house is electrifying and her struggle to survive the pain and suffering she endures is emotionally powerful. The book is a good read and the characters are well defined.

BIBLIO: 2014, Little, Brown and Company/Hachette Book Group, Ages 13 +, $18.00.

REVIEWER: Sarah Maury Swan

FORMAT: Young Adult

ISBN: 978-0-316-24553-1

ISBN: 978-0-316-24551-7

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Next week I’m going to tell you about some anthologies I’ve reviewed. Sarah

When we had a horse farm, one of the neighborhood kids to whom I was giving riding lessons, asked if I could only have one animal what would it be. I’m pretty sure she thought I’d say a horse, but I told her a dog. Horses are wonderful creatures and very near to my heart, but you can’t cuddle with them on the sofa or the bed. Cats are also good pets, but they don’t relate to humans the way dogs do. Plus, I’ve had dogs most of my life.

First my family had cocker spaniels, a beagle and a basset hound, and a standard poodle who was a wonderful retriever.

When my handsome devil and I got married we got the children a Llewellyn setter puppy from the pound. The kids named him Ashley, because he was English, and we all adored him, as did the kitten we adopted at the same time. He lived for fourteen years, accompanying us from Alabama to two different houses in Maryland and finally to the horse farm.

Our next dog, Jazz’s Double Dutch, was a beautiful chocolate-brown Labrador retriever. He was very smart and lived his eleven years to the fullest. He adored children, but was not fond of most other dogs.

Our last dog was a German Shorthair Pointer, named Dawn’s Border Patrol, but we called him Jake. He loved everybody and welcomed our new kitten with a tongue bath. But most importantly, he was a spectacular hunting dog.

So I thought I’d treat you to reviews of dog books.

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First up is a picture book about a basset hound that lives on a ranch. Bassets have very mournful eyes and droopy ears. When they are puppies their ears are too long for their legs, so they frequently step on their ears. Or the ear tips end up dipping into the puppy’s feed bowl and then leave a trail when the dog is finished.

Charlie the Ranch Dog

Ree Drummond

Illustrated by Diane deGroat

Charlie-the-Bassett-Hound lives on a ranch with his friend and helper, Suzie-the-Jack-Russell-Terrier. Where Charlie’s ears almost drag the ground as he ambles about on his stubby legs, Suzie’s ears sit high on her head as she bounces around on her short legs. And paws; why Charlie’s are big to support his weight and long body, but Suzie’s are trim and give her more spring to her stride. Charlie forgives Suzie her flaws and tries to keep her out of trouble. Suzie can jump much better than Charlie, not to mention dig and run better. Charlie doesn’t hold that against her either. Charlie means to get up early to help with the chores, but Suzie beats him to the punch. The story continues telling of Charlie being a bit late for all of his chores, which Suzie does for him. The thing Charlie does best is eat his breakfast, especially if there is bacon involved. But in the end, Charlie does save the day—or at least the garden—by chasing the cows out. Children may not understand the tongue-in-cheek tone to this story, but they will like the pictures and the grown-ups will get a chuckle while reading it.

BIBLIO: 2011, Harper/HarperCollins Children’s Books/HarperCollins Publishers, Ages 4 to 8, $16.99.

REVIEWER: Sarah Maury Swan

FORMAT: Picture Book

ISBN: 978-0-06-199655-9

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Have you ever seen a Saint Bernard in person? They’re so big a small child could probably ride on one. Their coats are luxuriously thick, like a cushiony rug to cuddle with for a nap.

Dogs in the Dead of Night

Mary Pope Osborne

Number 46 in the “Magic Tree House: A Merlin Mission” series is about St. Bernards who rescue stranded travelers in Switzerland. Annie and Jack are tasked with finding a rare flower to help friends reverse a spell. So they go to their magic tree house and read the message their friends have left them: find a special yellow and white flower and live its meaning for an hour. The book they’re to use is about the Swiss Alps, in particular the Saint Bernard Pass. But when they get there, all they find is snow and mountains. Jack is sure they’ll never find the flower and to make matters worse they are caught in an avalanche. They are rescued by a Saint Bernard trained by a group of monks who breed the dogs. To repay the monks, Annie helps train an exuberant pup, Barry, and in the end the two children become Saint Bernard dogs for an hour by drinking the magic elixir they’d been given. This way they can find Barry who ran off after being scolded for destroying a book. They have a grand time as the dogs, find Barry and rescue a soldier from Napoléon Bonaparte’s army. While they’re dogs, they explain to Barry how he must behave, winning the gratitude of the monks. One of them gives Jack and Annie a dried yellow and white flower. They get home in time to be ready for school. A nice way to teach a little history to kids, this story is fast paced and entertaining.

BIBLIO: 2011, Random House Children’s Books/Random House, Inc., Ages 7 to 9, $12.99.

REVIEWER: Sarah Maury Swan

FORMAT: Chapter Book

ISBN: 978-0-375-86824-5

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And finally we have a story about Great Pyrenees—another large breed good at rescuing people in the snow. In a neighboring town when I was growing, a family had such a dog. I remember one summer day riding with my older brother in the family car. We stopped at a stop sign and the next thing we knew a shaggy white head poked through Richard’s rolled down window to say hello. He still had all four feet planted on the ground. Another gentle giant.

White Fur Flying

Patricia MacLachlan

This is a charmer of a story about the power of dogs to help heal an emotionally wounded boy who moves in across a small field. But it’s also the story of the need to rescue and nurture abandoned animals—in this case Great Pyrenees, who come with mounds of fluffy white hair. At first the boy, Phillip, won’t speak to anyone, but soon he starts talking to the dogs and bonds with a newly rescued pup named Jack. When Jack runs away in the middle of a rainy night, Phillip goes off to find him. Zoë, the story’s narrator, knows where to look for both of them. Phyllis, the woman taking care of Phillip, panics and feels it’s all her fault that Phillip ran off.   Zoë does find Phillip and Jack asleep in a barn full of hay and falls asleep herself. When she awakes, Phillip is talking up a storm. Then Zoë’s mom comes in with the family’s dog and they all walk home together. Turns out Phyllis isn’t the prickly pear everyone thought her to be and even lets the dogs sleep on her beautiful velvet-covered sofa. The only quibble with the book is the setting. It is hard to tell how much property Zoë’s family owns, because they can see Phillip’s house across the field and stream quite clearly, but somewhere abutting Zoë’s property are cow and horse pastures. Still, this is such a lovely story, don’t let the setting keep you from reading it.

BIBLIO: 2014 (orig. 2013,) Margaret K, McElderry Books/Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division/ Simon & Schuster, Ages 7 to 9, $5.99.

REVIEWER: Sarah Maury Swan

FORMAT: Chapter Book

ISBN: 978-1-4424-2171-4

ISBN: 978-1-4424-2172-1

ISBN: 978-1-4424-2173-8

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I’d love to hear what your favorite animal is. Is it a snake, or a lizard, or a frog, or a llama, or a cat or a dog? Thanks for reading my blog, Sarah.

          My answer to my question is: No, I do not miss school.  Life has been a much more interesting and informative school for me.          

         With some exceptions, I was not a good student until I got to college, and even then it took me a few years to really put my nose to the grind stone. I don’t take tests well and I prefer to learn on my own. Plus, I had a poor self image, which made me think that people wouldn’t like me. When I got to college I realized most everybody else was feeling shy and uncertain, so I started being the first one to speak in a group. Has anyone else had these experiences?

            The books for this week all have a theme of dealing with school. Hope you enjoy the selections and please let me know what you think.

            The first entry is a picture book designed to teach children how to deal with the dynamics of making friends. I thought it was sweetly done.

First Day at Zoo School

Sarah Dillard

Illustrated by Sarah Dillard

            Amanda, the panda, is very excited about starting school, but Alfred, the alligator, is not. But Amanda changes her tune when she gets to the school yard. Except for her, everyone has a best friend. She’s sad until she sees Alfred standing by himself. Ah ha! A best friend for the panda. Alfred is not quite as happy about the whole thing, in part because Amanda calls him Gator, instead of Alfred, and in part because Amanda is very bossy. She loves to sit up front, but the alligator is sure he’s going to be called on by the teacher. At lunch he tries to hide, but Amanda finds him. The panda bosses Alfred all day long, but when she announces at the end of the school day that best friends always walk home together, alligator yells at her. He tells her he’s not walking from school with her and he’s not her best friend and his name is Alfred. Amanda is crushed and Alfred feels awful. The next day our panda friend is downhearted. She’s lost her spark, Amanda tells the teacher. She and Alfred don’t speak all day long, until the alligator worries about the panda hurting herself while hanging upside down from a tree. He tells her to come down because they can’t be best friends if her head bursts. And the two are best friends again, but good ones. The illustrations are funny in the right parts, especially when Amanda’s question while she’s hanging from the tree is written upside down. A good story to encourage children to be polite, caring and not bossy which children will want to read or hear over and over.

BIBLIO: 2014, Sleeping Bear Press, Ages 4 to 6, $14.99.

REVIEWER: Sarah Maury Swan

FORMAT: Picture Book

ISBN: 978-1-5836-890-7

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            Children all have to learn to get along, either by speaking up for themselves against a bully or an overly bold child, or not being the bully or pushy child. This book gives many discussion points for teachers and students.

Willow Finds a Way

Lana Button

Illustrated by Tania Howells

      Like most children, Willow wishes she could say to “no” to bossy Kristabelle who wants everything to go her way. But like the other children in her class, Willow always caves to Kristabelle’s orders. When Kristabelle invites her classmates to her “fantastic” birthday party, Willow is overjoyed to be included. But soon, Kristabelle demands the children sit with her at snack time or they’ll be uninvited. She wants them to watch only what she is doing and to wear only pink, but when she decides she should be first in line when it’s not her turn, Mateo reminds her it’s his turn. He gets his name scratched off her list. Willow is upset by Kristabelle’s actions, but she doesn’t know how make her bossy classmate stop. Then Julian doesn’t wear pink and gets his name scratched off the list. Willow knows Kristabelle is being mean, but is too afraid to say so. After she frets about the problem more, she comes up with the solution. She picks up the birthday list and scratches off her own name. The other children gasp and then follow suit. No-one is coming to Kristabelle’s birthday party and then no-one sits with her a snack time or watches her do her amazing tricks on the jungle-gym and she stands at the end of the line. Willow declines a spot next to her friend Jane and stands with Kristabelle instead. Kristabelle apologizes and then whispers something to their teacher. Having learned her lesson, the no longer bossy girl rips up her invitation list and invites all her classmates to her party. She even says please. Children will relate to the problem in this sweetly told story and teachers can use it as a platform to talk about manners and behavior.

BIBLIO: 2013, Kids Can Press Ltd., Ages 5 to 8, $16.95.

REVIEWER: Sarah Maury Swan

FORMAT: Picture Book

ISBN: 978-1-55453-842-3

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            We’re still in elementary school, be we’ve advanced to the fourth grade in this book. The theme is to learn to get along and forgive.

Allie Finkle’s Rules for Girls: Blast from the Past

Meg Cabot

      Allie is now in fourth grade at a new school and trying to prove herself responsible enough to own a cell phone—after all she’s saved a total $36 from doing chores and helping her neighbors. Her parents say the rule is she could have her own cell phone in sixth grade, if she’s proved herself responsible by not losing things or not leaving her coat and book bag on the floor. Two whole years away! Plus she has other things to worry about: her cat, Mewsie, is hiding in a hole in the wall of her brother’s room; her wonderful teacher is probably getting married and moving away; and she has to go on a boring field trip and share the bus with the kids from her old school—including her ex-best friend, Mary Kate, who is now hanging out with the snobby “cool” girls. Turns out the field trip isn’t as boring as Allie thought; her teacher is getting married, but not moving; Mary Kate is now her friend again, sort of; Mewsie leaves the hole on his own; and Mom says Allie may have cell phone in fifth grade. Allie is a spunky girl and her antics are amusing, but she sure is repetitive. I’m not sure we readers need to be reminded in each chapter of how obnoxious Mary Kate has been, or that Allie’s teacher’s boyfriend threw rocks at the school window, or that Allie missed going on the last field trip because of Mary Kate.

BIBLIO: 2010, Scholastic Press/Scholastic, Inc., Ages 7 to 9, $15.99.

REVIEWER: Sarah Maury Swan

FORMAT: Middle Reader

ISBN: 978-0-545-04048-8

            Life is full of inexplicable occurrences, scary-but-intriguing events, and seemingly magical moments. So this week’s blog includes books that incorporate at least one of these traits. Too frequently, I’ve had psychic experiences where I seem to know what’s going to happen before it does. I’m sure there’s a logical explanation for each instance, but maybe it’s more fun to buy into the theory of psychic powers. I hope you enjoy the reviews and, as always, I’d love the read your comments.

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            But, on another note, we still seem to be having racially-motivated violence in this country and we are coming up on another anniversary of the murder of four young girls in Sunday School. Please reread my interview of Carole Boston Weatherford and her description of her book about the day those girls died.

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            The first book today is a wonderful take on good and evil, with plenty of intrigue thrown in.

Consumed

Kate Cann

      Rayne has been caught up in the evil power of Morton’s Keep since she came to work at the tea shop two and half months ago. She had left home to get away from family drama and fell into much more evil drama. When the story opens she thinks the evil has been contained and that she’s safe, with even a new boyfriend in the making. The boyfriend part has its ups and downs, but the evil part just keeps getting bigger. Plus many of the townspeople think Rayne has special powers to save the town from the evil. Morton’s Keep is an ancient manor house originally owned by man who could conjure of nasty spirits and other terrifying entities and his true believers have tried to restore his evil through themselves. The Watchers work to protect the Keep and town from such evil by lighting bonfires at the points surrounding the area which would depict a six-sided star. Rayne’s new boyfriend is a watcher and fire dancer, which makes her wonder whether he really is interested in her or is just using her special powers. The Keep’s present owner hires a new, female, manager, who convinces him to embrace the building’s storied dark mysteries. He is smitten by her as things turn darker and scarier. Soon Rayne realizes she’s the key to saving everyone and uses her powers to find the missing link which will let the Watchers capture the evil presence for good. Other than feeling the story took place 14^th Century England, when people didn’t have cell phones, and is a sequel to an earlier book, the book is enjoyable. I never did figure out how old Rayne is, since sometimes she seems like a teenager, but people give her alcoholic beverages to drink on several occasions.

BIBLIO: 2009, Point/Scholastic, Inc., Ages 14 +, $16.99

REVIEWER: Sarah Maury Swan

FORMAT: Young Adult

ISBN: 978-0-545-26388-7

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            The second book is not only a fantasy, there’s a mystery involved.

Departure Time

Truus Matti

Translated by Nancy Forest-Flier

      An eleven year old girl seeks shelter in an old, run-down hotel run by a fox—who is also the chef—and a rat—who is also the handyman. The rat is immediately angry with the girl, who can’t remember her name or where she’s from and can’t understand why the rat is so abrupt with her. That’s the first thread of the story; the other is of another eleven year old whose father died in an accident which he wouldn’t have had if he’d been home for her birthday. The two stories slowly begin to intertwine, until the reader realizes the part with the talking animals is a story written by the father. Another girl is hiding in the hotel and playing the piano. She is the orphaned girl, I think. I liked this book and think older teens would find it intriguing, but I can’t fathom any eleven year old I know understanding it. It’s one of the books I’d like to read in the original Dutch, if only I knew the language. The writing is stellar and the story compelling.

BIBLIO: 2010, (orig. 2009,) Namelos/Lemniscaat, Ages 14 +, $18.95

REVIEWER: Sarah Maury Swan

FORMAT: Young Adult

ISBN: 978-1-60898-087-1

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            Up for a not so wonderful fairy godparent? You’ll most decidedly get a kick out of this one.

Extraordinary: The True Story of My Fairy Godparent, Who Almost Killed Me, and Certainly Never Made Me a Princess

Adam Selzer

      Turns out it’s not cool to have a book written about you, if the author makes people believe things that didn’t happen. Instead of turning her into a princess, Jennifer Van Den Berg’s fairy godparent—a disheveled, grumpy elf named Gregory Grue—grants her wishes, but they come with a price or she’ll die. Along the journey, Jennifer learns there are other ways to control one’s anger than smashing dollar-store ceramic figurines. Her favorite guy friend suddenly reappears in her suburb of Des Moines, but is being chased by his parents who want him to become a vampire like them. So she has to save him. Her fairy godmofo, Gregory, is a mess and tangles Jennifer’s life webs into ever more intricate knots. All kinds of supernatural creatures surface in the story; the school counselor is a vampire. Scenes from the fictitious book of her life preface each chapter of the book Jennifer is writing. This is an amusing book, lightheartedly written to prove life is indeed no fairy tale.

BIBLIO: 2011, Delacorte/Random House Children’s Books/Random House, Inc., Ages 14 to 18, $15.99.

REVIEWER: Sarah Maury Swan

FORMAT: Young Adult

ISBN: 978-0-385-73649-7

ISBN: 978-0-385-90612-8

ISBN: 978-0-375-98358-0

     I’m yet again revising my MG novel, Emily’s Ride to Courage, so I thought I’d do a blog on books that have animals being key to the plot. I’m fond of most animals, though yappy little dogs are not my favorites and I’m not sure I’d care to cuddle with a reptile. Some little dogs are not yappy and consider themselves to be worthy companions. My husband and I owned a horse farm for 20 some years which gave me a chance to observe snakes. I marvel at their agility and can even see the beauty in their markings. It’s amazing to watch snakes climb almost straight up a tree. So here are my entries for today. No snakes included, so don’t get all creeped out me and go high-stepping away, shaking your arms and squealing, “Eeewww!”

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     Alison writes lots of horse books and has good knowledge of her subject. I enjoy reading her books. Did you read all the horse books you could get your hands on when you were young? Do you still read them? I did and I do. Any of you guys out there ride horses?

Whirlwind

Alison Hart

      Jasmine Schuler is in foster care because she attacked Hugh Robicheaux with a hoof pick. But Robicheaux had just accused Jas’ grandfather of killing Whirlwind, a valuable mare, by giving her yew to munch on. Her grandfather suffers a heart attack, leaving Jasmine nowhere to go. And Jasmine is sure of the truth—Hugh is the culprit. She is relieved to discover that Whirlwind is not dead; that a look-a-like, but less valuable horse, was poisoned instead; for the insurance money. At first Jas is not keen on being in foster care, but when she ends up at horse rescue farm run by the no-nonsense Miss Hahn, things begin to look up. She still has to wear a tracking anklet because she attacked her nemesis, but she does have some freedom. The insurance company decides to prosecute the evil Robicheaux and needs Jasmine’s help in finding the real Whirlwind. Plus, the good looking Chase seems to have an interest in her and her problems. The book, a sequel to Shadow Horse, is fast paced with death threats and intrigue, plus a little romance thrown in for good measure. Horse lovers will enjoy all the horse talk and other readers will enjoy the mystery and romance.

BIBLIO: 2010, Laurel-Leaf/Random House Children’s Books/Random House, Ages 12 +, $7.99

REVIEWER: Sarah Maury Swan

FORMAT: Young Adult

ISBN: 978-0-375-86005-8  

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     Cats are frequently not treated with the same respect as dogs. Perhaps it’s because our feline friends can be more standoffish than our canine friends. But I had a cat when I lived in Brasil, who put her new born kittens on my chest, so I could keep them warm. The ultimate gesture of trust as far as I’m concerned. Unfortunately, the kittens were still born, but that moment has stuck with me for more than 40 years. Do you have a favorite animal memory?

A Cat like That

Wendy Wahman

Illustrated by Wendy Wahman

      An elegant, whimsical cat happily teaches young people how to be his best friend. Play games that let Mr. Cat jump and pounce and claw and hide. Yelling at him won’t make Cat your friend. But stroking him softly from head to tail for a few times and under his chin or behind his ears will keep him purring. Especially scratching him at the base of his tail will bring him back for more. Mr. Cat’s best friend would never try to tickle his tummy; that’s what dogs are for. Cat does not like to be dropped, because he might not land on his feet. Nor will he be your best friend if you drag him from here to there. The illustrations perfectly set the stage in this wonderful book on how to treat a cat . The look of long-suffering displeasure as the poor cat is being dragged along is priceless. And the book is full of many helpful hints on how to get a cat to love you. A must for any household planning to include a cat.

BIBLIO: 2011, Henry Holt and Company, LLC, Ages 4 to 8, $16.99.

REVIEWER: Sarah Maury Swan

FORMAT: Picture Book

ISBN: 978-0-8050-8942-4

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     I love reading or hearing folk stories from other cultures, don’t you? Learning about other customs and languages just makes my day. It’s such a wide world, in some ways, with so many different ways to tell the same things; reading about other peoples just enhances life for all of us.

Busy-Busy Little Chick

Janice N. Harrington

Illustrated by Brian Pinkney

      This is a charming retelling of a Central African story with lots of African words and sounds sprinkled throughout the narrative. Mr. Pinkney’s simple, but enchanting, illustrations set the story off beautifully. Mama Nsoso loves her chicks very much and knows she should make a better nest, ilombe, for them so they won’t have cold, wet bottoms at night. She promises each night that she will make a better nest, but the following day she gets distracted. Day by day, tee-tee-tee, busy-busy Little Chick gathers the grass and twigs and leaves and mud until he has enough to make a new nest. One with smooth mud sides to keep the wind out. One with a grass roof to keep the rain out. One with a nest made of clean, fresh leaves to keep the chicks warm and safe. Mama Nsoso pruck, pruck, prucks with pride for Little Chick, but he doesn’t even care. He’s too busy chasing cricky-cracky crickets. The special words are from the Nkundo people who speak Lonkundo and are very descriptive of the actions mentioned. Children and their parents will enjoy reading this book again and again.

BIBLIO: 2013, Farrar Straus Giroux Books for Young Readers, Ages 3 to 5, $15.99.

REVIEWER: Sarah Maury Swan

FORMAT: Picture Book

ISBN: 978-0-374-34746-8

Who is Diana Belchase?.

Since I’m on my way to Buffalo, NY, for my sister’s memorial service, death and how we deal with it are on my mind. Thank goodness I have my husband and children as rods I can lean against and I do have the memories of my sister’s bravery and humor in dealing with her long battle against breast cancer. So I will channel those feelings and remember the good times. May you have courage and love in whatever sorrows you may face in your lives.

This first book is a powerful read and well written. Enjoy.

Torn Away

Jennifer Brown

            Just as she ‘s about to finish her junior year in high school, Jersey Cameron’s whole life is blown away when a massive tornado wipes out a large swath of her Missouri town. Her mother and younger sister, Marin, die and then her stepfather, Ronnie, ships her off to her biological father and her paternal grandparents whom she has never met. Her remarried birth father has twin daughters who are cruel to Jersey. She sleeps on the screen porch of her grandparents’ seriously overcrowded house. With the exception of her aunt, who lives in the house with her two out-of-control sons, everyone is mean to her and very unaccepting. Then she learns her parents didn’t separate in the way she had always been told; that her mother wasn’t as truthful as she could have been. Eventually she is foisted off on to her also unknown maternal grandparents, but by now is so hurt and angry and guilt-ridden for ignoring Marin, she is rude. Since her mother told her lies about them she is surprised to discover they are good people who just want to help her heal. The description of Jersey’s surviving the storm all alone in the basement of her house is electrifying and her struggle to survive the pain and suffering she endures is emotionally powerful. The book is a good read and the characters are well defined.

BIBLIO: 2014, Little, Brown and Company/Hachette Book Group, Ages 13 +, $18.00.

REVIEWER: Sarah Maury Swan

FORMAT: Young Adult

ISBN: 978-0-316-24553-1

ISBN: 978-0-316-24551-7

Because her father’s reaction to her mother’s drug death leaves Emma pretty much a hostage, I included this book because of the message that the death of one person affects those around her.

Afterparty

Ann Redisch Stampler

     The reader might say Emma Lazar is held in “protective custody” by her father, who doesn’t want his daughter to turn out like her mother—a dead addict found behind a convenience store with a needle in her now lifeless arm. And Emma has had to give up a lot: her name, Amélie; her country, Quebec, Canada; her native language, French; and her religion, Judaism. But keeping a teenage girl from going to parties or out with friends or other normal adolescent behavior generally causes rebellion. So when Emma and Dad move to L.A. for his new job and her new fancy prep school, the girl goes wild. The first day of school she meets Siobhan Lynch, who is already past wild into dangerous and she leads Emma to over-the-top behavior. She tries to resist, but is sucked into “not-a-good-girl-anymore” behavior. Siobhan makes up a French boyfriend for Emma, supposedly to protect her from snarky remarks by the school’s mean girls. Of course, this keeps the school’s hottest guy, Dylan, from showing an interest in Emma. At Siobhan’s prodding, Emma’s behavior is increasingly dangerous. She sneaks out her bedroom window, frequently drinks too much, and tries drugs. Siobhan needles Emma into losing her virginity. By the time the notorious prom “Afterparty” rolls around, Siobhan has made Emma promise that if they aren’t ecstatically happy at the party, they should jump off the roof of the hotel. When Siobhan drags her to the roof, Emma resists her friend’s attempt to push over her over the side. Siobhan jumps over herself and survives. Siobhan refuses to be Emma’s friend, because she didn’t keep her promise to jump. This is a cautionary tale for both parents and children.

BIBLIO: 2014, Simon Pulse/Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division/Simon & Schuster, Inc., Ages 14 +. $17.99.

REVIEWER: Sarah Maury Swan

FORMAT: Young Adult

ISBN: 978-1-4424-2324-4

Though a bit outlandish, this book does have the good message that those of us who remain living after the death of someone dear to us must learn to move on. Holding on to the past does no one any good.

Cold Kiss

Amy Garvey

      Wren inherited magical powers from her mother and grandmother. If she’s angry, things tend to catch on fire or be hurled across the room by using the energy in her body. But Wren gets carried away when her boyfriend, Danny, dies in a car crash. She misses him so much, she casts a spell and brings him out of his grave, but not really back to life. Obviously, Danny must stay out of sight—most people freak out around the “undead.” Wren soon learns the Danny she brought back isn’t the Danny she loved and soon he begins to chafe at being stuck in a garage attic. Her two best girl friends are bewildered, hurt, and then angry about Wren’s refusal to hang out with them, but she can’t let them in on the secret and she can’t leave Danny alone too much. Plus her mother is being closed mouthed about their powers, which frustrates Wren, especially when she sees her younger sister, Robin, beginning to develop powers of her own. To top off her miseries, Wren is befriended by Gabriel—a new boy in school—who happens to have psychic powers of his own and for whom she begins to fall. She finally realizes the selfish mistake she made by bringing Danny back as he begins to remember more about his death and searches out a new spell to put him back in his grave. The book is a good read, with a compelling narrative and plenty of angst. It could be a good jumping off point for a philosophical discussion of what is life and is there a soul, not to mention how to deal with death.

BIBLIO: 2011, Harper/Teen/HarperCollins Publishers, Ages 12 +, $17.99.

REVIEWER: Sarah Maury Swan

FORMAT: Young Adult

ISBN: 978-0-06-199622-1

Again, please feel free to leave me your comments. Thanks for reading me. Sarah