Month: September 2017

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Ending Fear by Deanna Fugett

 

Ending Fear by Deanna Fugett is a well-written dystopian\science fiction novel for middle grade set in a world of “haves” and “have nots.” It was recently published by Love2ReadLove2Write Publishing (L2L2)  on September 23.

 

SYNOPSIS (from Amazon)

Fourteen-year-old Fear learns she was a parachute baby, dumped over the edge of the Gliding Lands as an infant. Fascinated by the floating cities in the sky before, now she’s desperate for answers.

But a slave isn’t likely to get those answers.

When her abusive Downer family throws her from their hovel, Fear takes refuge with a family who shows her love for the first time. Surely they can’t be trusted. Years of abuse and molestation has taught her that.

Then her brother discovers where she’s hiding and tries to kidnap her. Fear will never let him touch her again. Her new family conceals her at the Fallen, a ranch that hides parachute babies from the Uppers who discarded them.

Just as she’s beginning to embrace yet another home, Fear’s new little sister, Happy, is kidnapped and taken to the Uppers’ temple harem. Fear must go against her namesake, find a working hoverpod, and journey to the dreaded Gliding Lands before the little girl’s innocence is ripped from her forever.

Can she save Happy in time?

And will she find answers to the burning question of why anyone would throw her away?

PROS

  1. The first-person point of view is extremely well written and engrossing. Ms. Fugett shows excellent command of her writing craft and manages an interesting story.
  2. The story world of “Downers” and “Uppers” is thought-provoking for varying ages and reading levels. The concept of “haves” and “have nots” isn’t new to literature, but the story offers enough of a twist to distinguish it from other dystopian novels.
  3. The idea of a toxic foster family is presented in a straight-forward manner without being graphic and frightening to younger readers.
  4. The portrayal of a loving family existing outside of conventional two-parent family systems is commendable.

CONS

  1. This book will not openly engage male readers. That doesn’t make the book awful, but I was disappointed that the concepts of rape and abuse from the victim’s side weren’t presented in ways that would draw in male readers. Opportunities to present such ideas in engaging ways is always welcome, but broaching it to male readers is an important opportunity.  Since Ms. Fugett is such a good writer, my hope is that she will consider broadening her content and her appeal across gender lines.
  2. Since I do enjoy speculative fiction, I was disappointed that the setting wasn’t promoted enough, and that it took half of the book before the reader is given a substantive glimpse of the story world. That is one of the drawbacks to an extremely well-written first-person viewpoint. Giving the reader a much clearer view of the world in a way that is natural to the unfolding of the story is difficult.
  3. The biggest of my objections is the way that the topic of abuse and rape are handled. Ms. Fugett wasn’t graphic or disrespectful by any means.  The topics are difficult at best, but also important. There is no reason that the topics can’t be broached in an age-appropriate story. Since Fear is only fourteen, I’m not completely sure the topic was dealt with as well as it could. I don’t wish to imply that Ending Fear promotes anything inappropriate or is graphic,  but I was hoping for more substantive material. I will leave the final conclusion to readers.

COLORING BOOK

There is a companion coloring book available. I am not one to color pictures, but if you are, please feel free to click on the “COLORING BOOK” if you are.

 

CONCLUSION

The book is well-written and interesting, but will probably only appeal to female readers. I do wish the title character Fear would have been written a little older so that talking about abuse and rape could have been given much more context and greater spotlight.  I recommend parents read this book first to decide if their children are at an age where they are ready for the content and it’s implications.

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The Skin i’m in by Sharon G. Flake

Synopsis

If people aren’t taunting Maleeka about her dark skin then they get at her about her homemade clothes or her good grades. She’s learned to find a way to survive by keeping her head down.  That is until  a new teacher, whose face is blotched with a startling white patch, shows up to teach.  But when the students mock Miss Saunders she doesn’t it let her bug her. Maleeka can’t help but wonder how this new teacher can truly love her flawed skin. Or why she thinks that Maleeka is so special.

Pros:

  • lots of white space on the page which makes it accessible for all types of readers.
  • looks at a topic/situation that not all teens may deal with (racism within the black community).
  • deals with bullying, peer pressure, being unique and loving yourself without becoming a bully yourself.
  • authentic African American voice without resorting to gratuitus language or overly lewd descriptions.

Cons:

  • does have some mature themes: Maleeka talks about some students “locking lips” in the hallway, smoking (including the main character once), drinking and partying in one scene, two boys try to force their affection on Maleeka and when a friend comes to help they beat him up.
  • the slang and writing are authentic which may be a pro or a con. I loved stepping so completely into another world. Others may find the reading of it a little rough or coarse.

Final Word:

I really enjoyed this book. It was easy enough to read but dealt with some dark subjects which may not be for everyone. The rough moments in the book all have a purpose in the plot line and give a glimpse into Maleeka’s (and many other black girls) life. I rated this as a teen book due to its mature content but the reading level is closer to Middle grade as is the protagonist.

Discussion Questions:

  1. How is Maleeka’s life similar to your own? How does it differ?
  2. Compare Maleeka’s life with that of the slave girl, Akeelma, that Maleeka writes about.
  3. Do you think Maleeka dealt well with the bullying she experienced? How might you deal if you were in her place?
  4. Describe a time when you didn’t feel comfortable in “the skin your in”. Also describe how/if you resolved it.
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Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai

Inside Out and Back Again is the second free verse middle grade novel that I’ve read and enjoyed recently. Perhaps, that’s because it’s the 2011 winner of the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature and a Newbery Honor Book for 2012.

The subject matter is also close to my heart: the plight of the Vietnamese refugees following the fall of Saigon in 1975. Using her own life story, Thanhha Lai creates a fictional version of ten-year-old Ha who leaves Saigon under siege, lives in a refugee camp for months, and arrives in Alabama to start her new life in America.

SYNOPSIS

The story opens in Vietnam where Ha’s father disappeared years ago, presumably captured by the North Vietnamese. Her mother works hard to feed and clothe Ha and her three older brothers. While I ached for the family’s struggles as they prepared to flee Vietnam, the story really caught my interest as they tried to adjust to a different culture. Ha can’t speak the language, she doesn’t like being treated like a small child since she can’t read at her grade level, and spelling in English makes no sense at all. I’m sure many of you agree! Some of the children in her class bully her, but a few are kind and reach out in friendship. As their first year in America unfolds, Ha depends on her brothers and her English tutor to survive in school. With each passing month, she gains a little more confidence and a few more insights into her new country.

Pros

  1. Thanhha Lai expertly weaves Vietnamese culture through much of the plot via Ha’s observations, actions, and emotions.
  2. The Author’s Note at the end of the book adds to the satisfaction as she describes what were true events in her story. AND she strongly encourages her readers to ask others to tell their story. She leaves us with a thought-provoking question: “How much do we know about those around us?”
  3. This is a book of hope. A little girl who goes through so much heartache, yet at the end looks forward to the next year of her life—that’s a story you want to read!

CONS

  1. After those three PROS above, could there be CONS?
  2. I’ll name one scene that made me uncomfortable—not that I believe it’s a CON, but a few Pharisees might consider this detrimental to the book. In order to be accepted by the neighborhood, the family agrees to be baptized. They don’t know why they should do this, but if it makes the Americans happy, they will oblige. I believe it was wrongful action by Ha’s sponsor, which isn’t the book’s fault. What happened in the story, happened.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

A study guide is available through Bookrags.com. http://www.bookrags.com/studyguide-inside-out-and-back-again/#gsc.tab=0

CONCLUSION

I’ll leave you with a fun aside. Name pronunciation always fascinates me. I assumed Thanhha Lai was pronounced Tonna Lie. Wrong. Teachingbooks.net has an audio of Thanhha Lai describing how to pronounce her name.  The closest I can describe it: Tang (voice rises) Ha (voice descends) Lie.

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Hunter by Mercedes Lackey

Hunter is the first in a YA fantasy trilogy set in post-apocalyptic America.
 

Synopsis

They came after the Diseray. Some were terrors ripped from our collective imaginations, remnants of every mythology across the world. And some were like nothing anyone had ever dreamed up, even in their worst nightmares.

Monsters.

Long ago, the barriers between our world and the Otherworld were ripped open, and it’s taken centuries to bring back civilization in the wake of the catastrophe. Now, the luckiest Cits live in enclosed communities, behind walls that keep them safe from the hideous creatures fighting to break through. Others are not so lucky.

To Joyeaux Charmand, who has been a Hunter in her tight-knit mountain community since she was a child, every Cit without magic deserves her protection from dangerous Othersiders. Then she is called to Apex City, where the best Hunters are kept to protect the most important people.

Joy soon realizes that the city’s powerful leaders care more about luring Cits into a false sense of security than protecting them. More and more monsters are getting through the barriers, and the close calls are becoming too frequent to ignore. Yet the Cits have no sense of how much danger they’re in—to them, Joy and her corps of fellow Hunters are just action stars they watch on TV.

When an act of sabotage against Joy takes an unbearable toll, she uncovers a terrifying conspiracy in the city. There is something much worse than the usual monsters infiltrating Apex. And it may be too late to stop them…

Pros:

 
  • The premise is unusual. Unlike most post-apocalyptic fiction, this one has fairies, dragons, red caps, goblins–all your basic fantasy creatures, and they’re all evil. Coupled with cool technology, all the aspects meld together to make a fresh sort of dystopian fiction.
  • The story is rich in conflict – personal, familial, political. All of these work together to create a rich mystery that a reader will keep turning the pages to uncover. 
  • The characters are likable, especially Joy. You root for her and her menagerie of magical dogs (which are really cool).

Cons:

 
  • The writing is clunky in places. But story is king, and this is a great story. Despite my inner editor wanting to reword things, I pushed through to the end, but this and the following are the reason I’m rating the series as 4-star instead of 5-star.
  • My chief complaint is the anti-Christian overtones. “Christers” are responsible for the nuclear war that toasted humanity. Apparently some went rogue and thought the advent of the Rapture needed some help. (OK, that could be plausible with some deranged fanatics, BUT…) Christians are depicted as ignorant, misogynistic, and misguided. Worst of all is the implication and their end-times beliefs were both wrong and misguided. While the main character makes friends with a Christer, she is seen as the tolerant one. He’s portrayed as a good, moral guy with misguided belief. You really like his character despite these “flaws,” but all three books in the series take potshots at Christianity.

Final Word

 
I enjoyed the series, despite its anti-Christian barbs. The third book, advertised as the thrilling conclusion, left a few unanswered questions so I could see another book being added at some point. If it were, I would read it.
 

Discussion Questions

 
  1. Do you think books that are anti-Christian should be avoided? 
  2. Have you ever been confronted by friends or strangers who have made jokes or insulted your faith? What did you do?
  3. Do you prefer fantasies where creatures such as dragons, vampire, and fairies are good or bad? Why?
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The Hangman’s Revolution

The Hangman’s Revolution is a YA novel aimed at grade seven readers and up, and is the second book in the Warp Series written by the incomparable Eoin Colfer.

At the beginning of the story, seventeen-year-old Chevie lives in the present, a strange world where she is a cadet in the vast army of the Boxite Empire. The dictator of this strange new order is Colonel Box, who has achieved his position by manipulating an FBI program called Warp (Witness Anonymous Relocation Program). The intended use of this program was to relocate witnesses by the FBI to a different historical era using a time tunnel perfected by the genius, Charles Smart. Colonel Box, however, used it to his own advantage by smuggling technology and weapons into the past to dominate the Government, executing millions in the process.

So, returning to Chevie, we see that her position as a cadet is being hampered by voices in her head that tell her something is amiss. Her unpredictable actions and outbursts have been noted and she is brought before the authorities. To prove her devotion to the empire, she is instructed to assassinate the suspected spy, Charles Smart. (He is just getting in the way of Box’s plans) Accompanied by two Thundercats, high-ranking soldiers in the Boxite army, Chevie pays Smart a visit. Things get complicated when Smart suspects something and establishes a time tunnel in his home to escape. But in the process, Smart is shot and the Thundercats and Chevie get sucked into the time tunnel and wind up in 1899 England on Emergence Day.

The above-mentioned present world was started on Emergence Day when Box and his troops, who were armed with future weapons, emerged from their headquarters in the sewer. They executed Queen Victoria and her government, and the rest of the world soon succumbed to Box’s army.

Chevie seeks out her old buddy, a fourteen-year-old magician named Riley, and with their new ally, Otto Malarkey, (a gang leader) they set out against the Thundercats, Colonel Box and their allies to halt the events that lead to Emergence Day and the altering of history.

 

Pros:

 

  • Eoin Colfer’s witty style of writing pulls the reader happily into his yarns. No matter what happens, there is an element of humour to the action.
  • Eoin Colfer has a marvellous imagination that keeps you guessing and most often catches you off guard.
  • The main characters have identifiable flaws and endearing qualities that keep you looking for the next book.
  • There is not one character that isn’t well thought out, and his constant backgrounds on each of them, make them believable.

 

Cons:

 

  • Eoin Colfer’s Warp books are in the omniscient POV. This is a bit distracting to me, as there is a lot of head hopping and background info on each character. I would rather have gotten to know the main characters a bit more.
  • There is a lot of violence (shooting, stabbing) so younger YA readers should be warned.
  • The lingo of the era was likely done well, but I stumbled a lot on the terms, and often didn’t know what was meant by many words. I would suspect younger kids would stumble even more.

My General Opinion

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I still think that his previous Artemis Fowl Series is more appealing. Perhaps it is because he concentrated more on the reader getting to know Artemis. But all in all, and rollicking fantasy that will be enjoyed by young and old readers!

 

 

 

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Julie by Catherine Marshall

Catherine Marshall is famous for her novel Christie. I don’t want to review it here because it has won so many awards I have to believe everyone who reads Scriblerians is fully aware of the beautiful story. A true classic.

But are all of you aware of her other novel? Julie? She only wrote two, and Julie was published after her death.

Based on events in Catherine’s young womanhood, Julie Wallace is the eighteen-year-old daughter of a pastor who has left his position to become a newspaper publisher in a small, steel-working town during the Depression years of 1934-35. The challenges that follow in their new life also force Julie to evaluate her understanding of God. As tempers rise within the town and as danger approaches, Julie will discover just how strong her faith is–or is not.

Pros

  1. Julie makes for a great YA read. While conflicts abound, Catherine Marshall makes sure the story is wholesome.
  2. The best realistic fiction places readers so deeply in the story they feel they “are there.” Julie, like Christie, does that.
  3. The message of faith and family as most important runs through the entire novel.
  4. Pastor Wallace’s deep faith provides an excellent balance to Julie’s questions regarding her own.
  5. The details in the flood scene are amazing! Based on the Johnstown Flood of 1889, Marshall uses her research to create a similar flood from a dam break. Those details remain vivid in my memory thirty years after reading the book!

Cons

  1. Many readers don’t like the love triangle. I don’t have a problem with it. It’s a secondary plot to moral questions regarding the greed of steel mill owners versus the downtrodden union organizers. Besides, competing suitors do arise in real life. Julie is not mature enough to handle the situation perfectly, which is why the book is so realistic and why readers identify so well with Marshall’s characters.

Discussion Questions

  1. Julie always wanted to be a writer so she is thrilled to have a job with her father at the newspaper. What would be the perfect job for you?
  2. With the problems between the steelworkers and the mill owners getting worse, Julie and her father had to make some difficult decisions as to what was the right thing to do as they wrote for the newspaper. What would you do if powerful people tried to stop you from doing what you knew was right?
  3. Terrible things happened during the flood. And wonderful, heroic actions happened, too. What do you think you will remember most about the flood?

 

The setting of the newspaper business in a town struggling with union issues provides fodder for much family discussion on ethics and morality. Talking about your family’s value system and how it relates to the world is one of the most precious teaching opportunities you can provide for your children. Julie is one tool you can use in those discussions.