Showing posts with label middle grade. Show all posts
Showing posts with label middle grade. Show all posts
Sunday, May 13, 2012
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Review | The Arctic Incident by Eoin Colfer
Eoin Colfer
Artemis Fowl #2
Published
MG science fiction
Review copy from NetGalley
4 stars
Twelve-year-old billionaire genius Artemis Fowl is back and close to finding his father. He's finally discovered a connection between the lost ship carrying Fowl Senior and the Russian Mafiya, but on his way to learn more, he's interrupted by none other than his old LEPrecon friends, or possibly nemeses, Commander Root and Captain Holly Short. They have problems of their own.
I enjoyed this book more than the first, partly because there was more going on and partly because Artemis started to develop something that might eventually resemble a conscience. As far as the first goes, the fairies are dealing with goblin attacks and a mortal selling fairies human weapons. Root, Holly, and centaur Foaley, having some experience with Artemis Fowl, immediately suspect Artemis. Involving him in the investigation leads to some hilarious and extremely dangerous hijinks, and in the face of peril and near death, the characters show a bit of their softer sides. They then proceed immediately to deny the existence of any such side, of course.
It will be interesting to see the changes in the series after the end of this book, because even though I've read the next book, I don't actually remember what happens. If you ever want a break from love triangles and brooding, I definitely recommend this series; it's a fun and exciting diversion.
Quality: Excellent
Enjoyability: Excellent
Review of Artemis Fowl
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Review | Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer
Eoin Colfer
Artemis Fowl #1
Published 2001 by Disney-Hyperion
MG science fantasy
Review copy from NetGalley
3 stars
Bite-Sized Review
Artemis Fowl contains a twelve-year-old genius, a highly unusual take on fairies, a kidnapping planned by the protagonist, and a smartass centaur. It's not as good as later books in the series, but it's still fun and good to read.
King-Sized Review
I actually read some of the Artemis Fowl books as a kid and enjoyed them, so when I saw them on NetGalley I grabbed them. As an adult, this was still a fun read and one I'd definitely recommend to fans of middle-grade books. Artemis, heir to a formerly vast fortune, is trying to track down a fairy in order to restore his family's status. However, when he decodes the fairies' book and manages to capture one, he gets rather more than he bargained for.
The fairies in the Artemis Fowl books are quite different from the ones you see in more recent paranormal books. While they do have great respect for and a deep connection to the Earth, they're also extremely technologically advanced, giving this book a bit more of a scifi feel. I really enjoyed the book's take on fairy tales and legends, like making leprechauns the LEPrecon squad, a branch of law enforcement.
As a kid, I don't think I really understood how incredibly morally questionable some of Artemis's decisions are. That's not a criticism; he changes throughout the book, and although I wouldn't exactly call him "good" by the end, he does get a lot better and continues to do so in later books. It's just interesting how oblivious elementary school Kate was to shades of gray. But don't worry, this book won't turn your kids evil or anything.
Artemis is a twelve-year-old genius, which is the only reason his schemes have any chance of succeeding. Of course it's a little ridiculous, but it's a fun character trait. He also has unusual freedom for a twelve-year-old because after his father vanished in a shipwreck, his mother sank into depression and now doesn't even recognize him most of the time. It makes his choices at the beginning of the book a little more sympathetic.
This book is full of action. It switches between various perspectives, including some underground, where the fairies live, and it's quite interesting to take a look at their culture, which is very well developed. There's quite a bit of fighting, with and without fairy technology, as well as lots of wittiness and humor. It does drag a bit at times, and there's certainly room for improvement, but it's definitely worth a read, especially since the series gets better after this.
Quality: Good
Enjoyability: Good
In the same aisle
The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians by Brandon Sanderson
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Review | The Green Man by Michael Bedard
Michael Bedard
Published April 10, 2012 by Tundra Books
YA contemporary fantasy
Review copy from NetGalley
3 stars
Bite-Sized Review
If this book had been longer and more fleshed out, I think it could have been great. As it was, I quite liked it, particularly the lovely writing style.
King-Sized Review
When her father travels to Italy for research one summer, fifteen-year-old O, short for Ophelia, spends the time with her Aunt Emily, who owns a secondhand bookstore called "The Green Man." O, a budding poet, enjoys helping her aunt in the store, but when odd things start to happen, Emily realizes that her past is coming back to haunt her and O as well.
I loved the poetic style of this story. With two poets as main characters, it could hardly be otherwise, but reading parts of this book was like having words wrapped around my head so that the rest of the world disappeared. The writing was beautiful and my favorite part of the book.
The setting was another high positive. Most of the story takes place among books, which is always something to be happy about. I wish there had been a bit more about the bookstore itself – I wanted to see more of the ghosts of poets past, and have a better picture of the store. I would have liked to know more about the story of the green man as well. If the book, which was rather short, had been a bit (or a lot) longer, the setting could have been more developed.
One aspect for which I actually appreciated the under-development was the magic. There is magic in this book, but it is mysterious and dangerous, the opposite of the magic of words that Emily and O possess. The mystery surrounding the magic in this story – even the question of whether or not it really existed – added suspense and gave the book a wonderfully ethereal quality that's missing from most of this genre. Of course, the writing contributed to this aspect as well, but the uncertainty of the magic, of what's really happening in to O and Emily, really makes it a better story.
However, Emily and O themselves didn't feel entirely real either, which was not a positive. As much as I loved the writing and the setting, the characters didn't live up to the same standard. They weren't bad, they just didn't come alive the way other parts of the story did. Again, with a longer book this could have been much better. As it was, O and Emily weren't much more than faint outlines of characters without much personality. I've seen much worse characters, but there was plenty of room for improvement. And even at the end I knew next to nothing about O's love interest, and while the mystery was definitely part of his appeal, it would have been nice to know his real name, at the very least.
But overall, I really enjoyed this book. It's a quick read and definitely worthwhile for fans of a more mysterious sort of magic with a light touch of romance.
Quality: Acceptable
Enjoyability: Good
In the same aisle
A Ring of Endless Light by Madeleine L'Engle
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Monday, January 30, 2012
Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians by Brandon Sanderson
Brandon Sanderson
Alcatraz #1
Published October 1, 2007 by Scholastic
Bite-sized Review
Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians was a fun, unique read. The unusual nature of the world Sanderson created made up for the excessive silliness of the narration.
King-sized Review
As the Alcatraz series was the only one of Brandon Sanderson's I hadn't tried (I haven't read The Alloy of Law yet, but I've read the rest of the Mistborn books), I almost had to give it a try. Since it's a middle grade story rather than one of Sanderson's usual epic fantasy sagas, I expected it to be different, and it certainly was. It's definitely clear that this was written for a younger audience; it's very silly – sometimes a little too silly – and rather simpler than Sanderson's other works. However, it was a fun and entertaining read.
As we've come to expect from Brandon Sanderson, the world of the Free Kingdoms and the Hushlands was very different and interesting. People have magical talents like breaking things, being late, saying things that don't make sense, and tripping and falling. Alcatraz is a funny, irreverent hero who's convinced he's not a hero at all. The story does use some slightly tired tropes – Alcatraz is raised by foster parents, and has no idea who he really is, for example, but the uniqueness of the world more than compensated for that.
One unusual point was that the narrator, Alcatraz, often takes a moment (usually in the middle of a sticky situation) to address the reader directly. This device was usually funny, though it did become a bit tiresome after a while.
I listened to this book, and I found the narration decent, if nothing particularly spectacular. I liked the different voices, but there were a couple times I thought the narrator forgot to switch to the right character for a bit of their dialogue, which was a little confusing.
I would recommend this book to anyone looking for something silly and different. I enjoyed it, and I will be reading the rest of the series.
Quality: Good
Enjoyability: Acceptable
Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians is similar to:
The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
Pawn of Prophecy by David Eddings
Monday, January 16, 2012
Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
Diana Wynne Jones
Narrated by Jenny Sterlin
Published April 14, 1986
Bite-sized Review
I really enjoyed this book. It was fun and clever, and Jenny Sterlin did a great job narrating. Pick this one up if you want a fairy tale sort of book, but with unexpected laughs and some truly touching moments.
King-sized Review
Sophie is the eldest. She's always accepted that this will mean she will never be able to seek her fortune elsewhere – only youngest, and sometimes middle daughters can do that without mucking it up. So she is mostly content to work in her father's hat shop. But when the Witch of the Waste transforms her from a young woman into an old crone, she ventures off to find some way to fix her problem.
Howl's Moving Castle was great in so many ways. It was very silly in a dry, understated sort of way (think Robin McKinley or Patricia C. Wrede's Enchanted Forest books). I love that sort of writing, so this book was great for me. Though I did think the plot dragged a bit in the middle, otherwise it was quite good – entertaining, mysterious, and loveably frustrating.
My favorite character was definitely Calcifer the fire demon. I don't know if it was the voice or just Calcifer, but there was just something so funny about him. He reminded me a little of Marvin from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, only a bit nicer and less depressing. All of the characters were entirely lovable, except for the evil ones of course.
This book has the kind of love story I love to read. It's so much fun when everyone except for the characters themselves realizes they're in love, and it makes me so very happy when things finally do work out. It always helps, too, when there's plenty else going on to distract them from their situation. The way everything came together was wonderful. I was grinning like an idiot on the bus while listening to the end of this book. It's rare that I unreservedly love an ending, but this one was just perfect.
This was the first audiobook that I've listened to and actually liked. (See my post on audiobooks in general.) Jenny Sterlin's narration was excellent, with recognizably different voices that fit the characters extraordinarily well. Her tone managed to match the feel I got from the books, too; I just had so much fun listening to this one.
Howl's Moving Castle most definitely found a place in my heart. I will be reading more of Diana Wynne Jones's books just as soon as I can get my hands on them.
Quality: Excellent
Enjoyability: Excellent
Howl's Moving Castle is similar to:
Dealing with Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede
Spindle's End by Robin McKinley
Alphabet of Thorn by Patricia A. McKillip
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