Month: March 2017

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King’s Cage by Victoria Aveyard

 
King’s Cage is the third installment of the bestselling Red Queen series. Fans and readers of Leigh Bardugo’s Grisha Trilogy or Sabaa Tahir’s An Ember in the Ashes will enjoy this book. Recommended with reservations. May not be appropriate for younger YA due to sexual content (see Cons).
 

Synopsis

 
In our distant future, nuclear war has changed our world. A mutation gave rise to Silvers – people with silver blood and amazing abilities. Now in power, Silvers subjugate Reds (normal people with red blood and no abilities). Then Mare Barrow arrives: a Red with the ability to control electricity.
In King’s Cage, she is the prisoner of mentally unstable King Maven.
 

Pros:

 
  • Victoria Aveyard has created a rich world full of conflict.
  • Mare’s character learns that pushing people away is a mistake. This makes her more likeable in King’s Cage.
 

Cons:

 
  • King’s Blood is not the end of the series. To some extent, it reads like a bridge novel.
  • The story contains other POV characters, such as Cameron and Evangeline. I enjoyed getting inside Evangeline’s head, but Cameron seemed an odd choice.
  • The author has an LGBTQ+ agenda that becomes evident in this book. One of the characters is a lesbian and there is a brief bedroom scene with her girlfriend. While not descriptive, it made my 12-year-old uncomfortable.
  • [spoiler alert] Mare and Cal begin a sexual relationship. When Farley is having her baby, she convinces the nurse to give Mare the equivalent of a morning-after pill.
 

Final Word

 
Conservative parents should be aware of the sexuality aspects in King’s Cage.
 
I read it after my daughter, so she was interested in my reaction to the lesbian characters and the fact Mare and Cal had sex. Both scenes made her uncomfortable. We were able to discuss authors’ agendas and whether these aspects were integral to the story.
 

Discussion Questions

 
  1. What kind of character is Maven? How did Maven’s mother contribute to making him into the King he becomes? Do you like him or not? Why?
  2. What new things did we learn about Evangeline in King’s Cage? Do they make you like her more or less? Why?
  3. How does Mare and Cal’s relationship evolve over the course of the series? How do you feel about it?
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Amber The Story Of A Red Fox by Shirley Woods

Amber, The Story of a Red Fox, is a fascinating early chapter book that follows a red fox, from her birth to adulthood.

We are introduced to the parents, the playful young kits and their lives in the country as they dodge eagles, dogs, and learn lessons about porcupines and skunks.

By fall, Amber’s parents have left, and her brothers have gradually gone their separate ways. Amber still has much to learn. Driven by hunger and fear, she will use every instinct and intelligence she possesses to feed herself and stay safe.

She survives encounters with armed farmers, wolves, foothold traps, and one of the more lethal menaces, winter. But we rejoice when she finally pairs up with another fox that becomes her hunting partner and mate.

Pros:

  • Shirley Woods educates us about foxes, without distracting the reader from her story. The facts happen naturally around the actions of the foxes, so we are happily immersed into their world.
  • The story does not candy-coat nature. Animals die so others can eat and live. It is neither cruel nor sad, it just happens and life moves on.
  • The main character, Amber, is a spunky little fox that learns quickly, and is a sure heroine for young readers.
  • I thoroughly enjoyed the illustrations and felt that the style was very appropriate for the story.

Cons:

  • The book is written in the third person omniscient POV, and I would rather have heard the story from Amber’s point of view only. I wasn’t a fan of the ‘head-hopping’ and would have felt closer to Amber if the story was from her perspective.
  • With all the dangers that she encounters, Amber succeeds in never getting injured. Not even a little. I find that a bit hard to believe, and it belittles the threats she constantly faces. At the risk of sounding mean, I feel that if she suffered a bit more, the reader would sympathize with her more, and fear for her future.

My Personal Opinion:

I was drawn to this early chapter book as an illustrator, a writer for middle grade, and a lover of animals. It was a pretty easy sell, however, I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the writing and the obvious research involved, and illustrations. Kids will love this story, as it seems there is danger around every corner, as there is in nature.

Questions For Discussion:

  1. What is the difference between a fox and a dog? (Hint-look at chapter 2)
  2. What were some of the lessons the kits (baby foxes) learned before they left their parents?
  3. What did Amber learn about surviving after she left her parents?
  4. How is the survival of foxes increased by having a partner?

 

 

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Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

Three weeks ago, I promised reviews based on my granddaughters’ favorite books. The oldest finally decided she loved Jane Eyre the best. She’s six, so she read the children’s version from the Treasury of Illustrated Classics. Voracious reader that she is, I give her four more years before she tackles Charlotte Brontë’s original text.

If you have never read Jane Eyre, Jane tells her story beginning as a young girl in a Cinderella-type of existence with her stepmother, stepbrother and stepsisters, none of whom have sympathy toward her. They send her to an orphanage claiming she is a terrible child, so the people who run the place don’t trust her either. Jane’s one friend, an older girl and a devout and kind Christian, dies of tuberculosis.

Once Jane grows up, she finds a position at Thornfield Hall as governess to Rochester’s ward, Adele. Thornfield Hall is an eccentric household but comfortable. Strange laughter from the attic is explained as “Grace Poole, one of the servants, who just goes up there to sew.” When Rochester and Jane fall in love and plan a wedding, a stranger enters the church in the middle of the ceremony declaring Rochester is already married. Jane runs away. If you want to find out the ending, read the book. I don’t want to spoil it!

 

Pros

  1. Children love to read about other children in precarious situations, and Jane Eyre delivers, as orphaned Jane endures many hardships through childhood and must make her way in the world as a young adult.
  2. Children, girls especially, love a good love story, and once again, Jane Eyre delivers. Her love story seems star-crossed, but just when all is lost, Brontë writes a happy ending employing unusual circumstances.
  3. Parents who want their children to appreciate literature will find this story and many other Treasury titles a wonderful way to introduce the classics.
  4. Jane’s character perseveres in every circumstance. She is not perfect, neither in beauty nor in temperament, but she never gives up on worthwhile goals, a quality I tried to instill in my own children.

 

Cons

  1. As an adult, I admit disappointment in the truncation of plot. But this is a review for kids’ satisfaction in reading, so I guess it’s not so much of a negative.
  2. With all the craze for fantasy and fairy princesses, Jane Eyre will not satisfy. But then, I have always promoted variety in the literary diet, so again, not much of a negative.

 

Discussion Questions

  1. If you had been another child at the orphanage, how would you have treated Jane?
  2. What would you have thought of Mr. Brocklehurst?
  3. Was it right or wrong for Rochester to lie about his crazy wife who lived on the top floor?

Conclusion

Modern Publishing has three dozen classic titles under the Treasury of Illustrated Classics logo, all of which boil down the plots to a third/fourth grade vocabulary. Of course, the nuances in the adult versions are missing, but the adaptations remain true to story. In this case, credit goes to Sara Thomson.

 

 

 

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It’s Complicated by Laura L. Smith

It’s Complicated by Laura L. Smith is the first book in the Status Updates series, suitable for ages sixteen and up.

The series follows the stories of Claire, Hannah, Palmer, and Kat, college roommates, as they go through their freshman year. I would place this book on both the Young Adult and New Adult shelves because the protagonists are all eighteen years old at the beginning and grow older as the series progresses.

Pros:

  • Ms. Smith deftly portrays four very different girls as they tell their stories–both individual and collective–in their own words. The author tackles some difficult topics in a realistic manner, but she manages to keep the story hopeful and inspiring.
  • It’s Complicated introduces the main characters during the end of their summer and first weeks of school. The four friends learn to pull together as they navigate through life-changing circumstances.
  • Young Adult readers will relate to the dilemmas and decisions the main characters face. Drama and trauma are interwoven with funny and embarrassing moments Readers will definitely want to tune back in for the remaining four books in the Status Updates series to find out what happens to Claire, Hannah, Palmer, and Kat.
  • Due to a couple of adult situations, this material is inappropriate for younger students. However, the Lexile is approximately 610L based on a sample, so struggling readers will not have a problem enjoying the text.
  • All of the girls claim to be Christian. Kat’s family has moved several times, so they’ve “switched churches a lot.” Claire keeps her Bible and a journal beneath her pillow. She says she attends church back home.
  • Palmer admits to being a Christian and always wears a silver cross necklace. It bothers her that her boyfriend’s family doesn’t pray before meals. Claire is convinced that she’s too dirty for God to love after the assault; I found this crisis of faith to be realistic.

Cons: (spoilers)

  • Claire’s date lures her to his room and rapes her. The attack, told from Claire’s point of view, is short and not graphic, although she leaves no doubt about what has happened to her.
  • Palmer’s long-term high school boyfriend pressures her to have sex with him to prove that she loves him. She resists, but not before it’s almost too late. Their physical relationship has spiraled out of control, and he cannot keep his hands off her. She, in turn, lets passion cloud her judgement.
  • Kat makes out with a guy she knows isn’t the sort of boy she can take home to meet the parents.
  • Claire’s mom discovers that her serious boyfriend is already married. Claire is pressured to drink wine on at least two occasions while in France, even though she’s underage in the United States. She drinks too much the last time, and this makes her vulnerable to the assault mentioned above. Claire cannot seem to catch a break.
  • Kat’s new friend and fellow soccer player uses “K2,” a synthetic form of marijuana, to relax and deal with stress. He compares it to drinking wine. She refuses his offer to share.
  • A random stranger offers to buy Palmer a beer.
  • Claire’s father walked out on her mother when Claire was seven. Claire’s mother goes from one relationship to another. This distorts Claire’s perspective on men.
  • Kat decides to get a stud in her nose without her parents’ consent. She knows her mother won’t approve.
  • Palmer’s mother seems overly concerned about appearances, nagging Palmer about staying trim.

My Personal Opinions:

Mature adult readers who–like me–frequently read YA fiction may find the style too telling. These accounts read like a girl’s diary. That’s fine, up to a point, but the constant emotional input from the four girls, revealing their feelings through “I feel” and “I felt” statements exhausted me.

That said, Laura L. Smith hits the sweet spot for her intended audience of young women on the threshold of life. This is an inspirational novel that fits neatly under the heading of Christian contemporary YA fiction.

In this book, there is no overt “altar call” as is found in some inspirational fiction. This is the way Christian fiction should be written, keeping things real and addressing the difficult questions we face.

For Young Adult/New Adult readers, It’s Complicated will too soon, and they will want to pick up each new installment as soon as it’s available.

 

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The True Meaning of Smekday by Adam Rex

 

The True Meaning of Smekday and its sequel Smek for President are comedic science fiction romps for middle school students. These are the books that inspired the animated movie Home, which is a family favorite. If you haven’t seen it, you should.

Synopsis

The Smek books follow the adventures of Gratuity Tucci, her cat Pig, and an alien name J.Lo, whose species has taken over planet Earth and kidnapped Tip’s mom. The first book is set on Earth, the second on another planet.

Pros:

  • While the Smek books are the basis for the movie, that’s all they are. The stories quickly diverge from the movie so the readers can be surprised by what’s coming. The characters are similar enough that you feel like you’re reading companion novels.
  • The book is fun and funny. The antics of J.Lo are sure to make you smile.
  • The book is written in the format of a school assignment, so children will identify with the personal essay form.
  • Boys and girls should both enjoy the book.

Cons:

  • While I enjoyed both books, I didn’t like the mom-character in the book at first. (She gets better).
  • I must admit that I liked the movie version of the story better, but the books are still worth reading.

Final Word

 

Recommended for a fun read. Definitely a series of the home (or school) library.

Discussion Questions

  1. While the movie Home and the book The True Meaning of Smekday started similarly, the stories themselves ended up going in different directions. What did you like better about the movie? What did you like better about the book?
  2. If a catastrophe separated you from your family, what would you do? Who would you go to for help?
  3. What did you think was the funniest part of the book?
  4. Who was your favorite character, and why?