Category: 5 Star

Outstanding

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The Forever Man by Eoin Colfer

The Forever Man is book #3 in the middle grade fantasy Warp Trilogy written by well-known Eoin Colfer, author of the Artemis Fowl series.

 

Riley, a fifteen-year-old, lives in Victorian London as a magician. In book #1, he defeated his murderous master Albert Garrick, with the help of Chevie Savano, a seventeen-year-old FBI agent who travelled back in a time pod.

Garrick, who had been banished in a wormhole for two hundred years, vowed to return and seek revenge on Riley. Garrick returns in book #3 with wormhole caused mutations that enable him to seem immortal.

Garrick lures Riley (and Chevie) to a prison under false pretences to see Riley’s long-lost brother. After the three are swept inadvertently into another wormhole, they end up in a puritan village in 1649. Due to the wormhole spitting out many horrific mutations to the village in the past, the villagers are fearful and Garrick is known by previous visits, as the witch hunter and protector.

Chevie is caught and is to be burned at the stake for being a witch, but Riley breaks free from his entrapment. With the help of a few new characters, Pointer (an FBI mutant who is a dog), Fairbrother Isles (another FBI agent), and the ghost of Professor Smart (the scientist who created the wormhole), Riley devises a plan to save Chevie. But they also must save humanity before Garrick destroys the wormhole.

 

 

Pros

 

  • As in the previous two books in the trilogy, Eoin Colfer’s incomparable style pulls the reader in with his wit and the lure of fast-paced action.
  • Garrick is a well-developed antagonist, and I found myself fascinated/horrified at his actions, as I would have been watching a black widow catching a bug in slow motion. He reminded me of Heath Ledger’s portrayal of the joker in Batman, The Dark Knight.
  • The romantic attachment between the Riley and Chevie is at the core of the story, so the reader is more invested in the outcome.
  • Each character he introduces is unique and identifiable.

 

Cons

 

  • By this time, I was more or less used to the omniscient POV, although at times I still found it irritating to be jumping back and forth so quickly between the heads.
  • This story is classified as MG, however I feel that there was too much violence and the style was slightly confusing for most readers of that age group.
  • The scientific details on the wormhole and how humanity was going to be obliterated by the destruction of the wormhole was not clearly explained. I never did quite understand that.
  • Chevie in this story seemed to lack her zeal and powerful persona that she possessed in the previous books. She was more or less just a maiden in distress that needed to be saved. I was disappointed in her role.

 

 

Final Word

 

I quite enjoyed this final book, and I feel of the three, it was the best.  I still enjoyed the Artemis Fowl series better, but this was a close second. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves Eoin Colfer, but I would caution that it is a bit more dark and technical to be regarded as MG.

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Court of Fives by Kate Elliot

The Court of Fives is the first in a YA fantasy trilogy. The worldbuilding is reminiscent of Ancient Egypt and the Roman Empire.
 

Synopsis

On the Fives court, everyone is equal.

And everyone is dangerous.

Jessamy’s life is a balance between acting like an upper-class Patron and dreaming of the freedom of the Commoners. But away from her family, she can be whomever she wants when she sneaks out to train for the Fives, an intricate, multilevel athletic competition that offers a chance for glory to the kingdom’s best competitors.

Then Jes meets Kalliarkos, and an improbable friendship between the two Fives competitors—one of mixed race and the other a Patron boy—causes heads to turn. When Kal’s powerful, scheming uncle tears Jes’s family apart, she’ll have to test her new friend’s loyalty and risk the vengeance of a royal clan to save her mother and sisters from certain death.

In this imaginative escape into an enthralling new world, World Fantasy Award finalist Kate Elliott’s first young adult novel weaves an epic story of a girl struggling to do what she loves in a society suffocated by rules of class and privilege.

Pros:

 
  • The premise is unusual. I didn’t know about the Egyptian and Roman influence when I read the first book, but I saw the influence in the cultures.
  • The multiculturalism of the world allows the author to explore identity, both personal and racial. This is at the heart of the novel, both for the main character and the country in which she lives.
  • Unexpected and twisty plot.

Cons:

  • The story didn’t go where I thought it was going to go. I expected most of the conflict to be about Jessamy and her competing in the trials. It’s not that the story was bad, just that on some level, I didn’t get the story I was hoping for. In that way, it was both more and less than I expected. Not really a con, per se, but worth noting.
  • The bad guy is really bad. He epitomizes the evil to which man will stoop for his own ambitions. Again, not necessarily a con, but worth noting. For younger YA readers, some of the events may be disturbing.

     

Final Word

 
I enjoyed the series. In fact, two of the three books I bought in hardback which is unusual for me. ($$$) The political intrigue and the fact I couldn’t necessarily predict what would happen next made me devour the stories.
 

Discussion Questions

 
  1. From what you know of Ancient Egypt, how is Efea culture similar different? 
  2. How do the Saroese resemble the Romans? What is different?
  3. If you had to choose a society to be part of, which would you choose? The Efean society ruled by women, or the Saroese society ruled by men? Why?
  4. Which culture should rule a country? The original one, or the stronger one? (Keep in mind the American Indians when you answer the question.)
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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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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.

 

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The Forgetting by Sharon Cameron

The Forgetting is the first in a dystopian series. Fans and readers of Leigh Bardugo’s Grisha Trilogy or Sabaa Tahir’s An Ember in the Ashes will enjoy this book. Recommended.
 

Synopsis

 

What isn’t written, isn’t remembered. Even your crimes.

Nadia lives in the city of Canaan, where life is safe and structured, hemmed in by white stone walls and no memory of what came before. But every twelve years the city descends into the bloody chaos of the Forgetting, a day of no remorse, when each person’s memories – of parents, children, love, life, and self – are lost. Unless they have been written.

In Canaan, your book is your truth and your identity, and Nadia knows exactly who hasn’t written the truth. Because Nadia is the only person in Canaan who has never forgotten.

 

Pros:

 
  • I loved the premise. What if everyone around you forgot everything about their history every 12 years but you? How would that affect people? Society?
  • 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. And, to me, the reveal was worth the read.
  • The romance, conflict, and topics were suitable for a YA audience. Nothing too extreme, violent, or over sexualized.
  • While there is at least one other novel in the series, the book is complete as its own story. No cliffhanger ending, just a general interest to perhaps read more about what happens one day.

Cons:

 
  • Perhaps a little slow to start.

Final Word

 
I like this author. I’ve read another one of her books (Rook) and enjoyed it. I will continue reading this series and consider picking up some of her other books.
 

Discussion Questions

 
  1. What would you do if you knew you were going to forget everything and everyone in six months? 
  2. If you had to keep a journal like the people in the story, would reading what you wrote about yourself help you know who you are? What would you leave out? What might you embellish? [Consider trying to write a journal entry about your day or week for this purpose.]
  3. Do you think Jonathan made the right decision in not remembering his past? 
  4. If you could go forget a time period from your past, would you? If you could remember something from your past, what would it be?
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Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys

 

The Importance of This Story

This novel brings to life the plight of millions of citizens of Poland, Lithuania, and Prussia (a country that no longer exists), who were victims of both Nazi and Russian brutality during World War II. Descriptions of the horrors these people endured or succumbed to were sometimes hard to read, yet I wanted to learn more about this lesser known part of the war’s history.

Characterization, the Feature I Value Most

The characters become acquainted with one another while trying to escape both the Communist Russians and the Nazis. Talk about being caught in the middle! The characters’ goal is to reach a ship on the Baltic Sea coast that will take them to safety. On the way, they demonstrate their tendencies toward self-sacrifice or self-absorption. I don’t recall profanity used as a crutch for characterization.

These fictional characters are so very human within a real historical event that I didn’t mind the story being told from many points of view. And I rarely enjoy a novel with more than one or two points of view, which I feel is usually all that is necessary.

Is it Young Adult, or … ?

I don’t consider this a YA novel, as it is promoted. Because of the maturity of the main characters and the more adult content, I’d label it New Adult. Only one of the main characters appears to be a teen. The rest are twentyish or at least older than the protagonist in most YA, and the two that carry the story (IMO) are the nurse and the mysterious soldier. Teens may be disappointed in it (or shocked) unless they love history and don’t mind the seriousness and brutality in the story. However, I recommend it to emotionally mature teens over the age of 14 who might be interested. This novel could be called a coming-of-age story in the most extreme sense of the term.

 

Pros:

  1. Provides lesson in lesser-known events of World War II
  2. Well written
  3. Acceptable for Christian teens over 14 years old who are not overly sensitive to violence

 

Cons:

  1. Labeled YA but more NA
  2. Graphic descriptions of horror and brutality
  3. Sad ending based on fact
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Firebrand by Sarah MacTavish

Firebrand by Sarah MacTavish is a historical fiction novel about slavery that is recommended for young adults and adults (8th grade and up).

Synopsis:

Saoirse buried her older brother the day after they arrived in Texas. She blames herself for his death and so does her family. The only ones left who speak kindly to her are her cousin, Jack, and Abigail, the family’s loyal slave.

Saoirse and Jack want to free Abigail, but anti-slavery views are dangerous, especially after a series of fires destroys half the town. The slaves are suspected of plotting an insurrection.

Saoirse is determined to find out who actually started the fires, but every question puts her and her family in further danger.

Westleigh lives in the relative comfort and safety of Dove Hollow, Pennsylvania. His anti-slavery views, though not always popular with the people in town, are not a danger to him. That is, until he and his adoptive father take in a freedman as a favor. Westleigh overhears a conversation between his father and a long-time friend that makes him question what he knows about his past.

Pros:

  • I could not put this book down from the moment I cracked it open. Sarah MacTavish has a captivating writing style that pulls you into the characters’ journeys and lets you experience their heartbreak, joy, love, confusion, and desperation.
  • The fires mentioned in the book were a real event in North Texas that incited “The Texas Panic of 1860”. I live in the Dallas area and had never heard of this before, so it was interesting to learn a new piece of my local history.
  • Though not explicitly “Christian fiction,” the Bible is quoted throughout the book, and there are strong Christian themes of redemption and true freedom. Abigail and Jack have a strong faith and attend a secret church service at night with slaves in the area.
  • Jack and Abigail show love to Saoirse when she is rejected by her family.
  • Saoirse has a strong sense of justice and stands up for the right even when it puts her in danger.
  • Deep, well-developed characters and character journeys. All characters had depth and layers, including the ones I hated, and the ones I wanted to hate. Westleigh, who at first was rather unimpressive to me, made me change my opinion of him in Chapter 17. I love when characters surprise me!

Cons:

  • There is some minor language in this book, including “d—” and “h—” and derogatory language toward slaves.
  • A few disturbing scenes of slaves being sold in an auction and being beaten by their masters.
  • A girl is slapped across the face by her brother.
  • References are made to an infidelity and abuse.
  • This is the first book in a series (a little detail I did not realize until halfway through the book), and it ends on somewhat of a cliffhanger. Book 2 is not out yet.

Overall:

This is a fantastic story dealing with anger, guilt, and broken people searching for forgiveness. It handles the harsh realities of slavery in pre-Civil War United States with respect and fairness, without glorifying or dwelling on the ugly details.

The book forces the reader to ask the question, “What would I do in the face of injustice?” Recommended for young adults and adults (8th grade and up), especially those who love historical fiction, suspense-filled plots, and complex characters.

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The Thirteenth Child by Patricia C. Wrede

Scriblerians

The Thirteenth Child by Patricia C. Wrede is a Young Adult fantasy suitable for sixth grade and up. This engaging story is set in a re-imagined wild west.

Synopsis​

Eff is the older twin sister of Lan, the superpowerful seventh son of a seventh son in a family of magicians. That makes her the unlucky thirteenth child. Everyone, even her extended family, is on the watch for the day she “turns bad” and her magic brings disgrace on their name.

Eff’s parents move their family to the Far West, just this side of the Great Barrier, a magical wall intended to keep the dangerous wild creatures on the far side of the river away from the settlers.

Pros:

Patricia C. Wrede has created an alternate history of a new world where magic systems collide and melt together. 

The main character, Eff, learns the difference between superstition and knowledge. With help from her brother, a good friend, and a superlative teacher, she gradually grows in power and understanding.

This novel will appeal to young adults, regardless of gender. This is the first book in a trilogy that will give readers many hours of entertainment.

The complex magical system will satisfy the most demanding fantasy readers. The situations the settlers face makes the wild west as tantalizing as ever.

The story is told by Eff, from the time she is five until she is eighteen. Her voice reminds me of Scout’s from To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee; that is high praise indeed. The heroine is thoroughly endearing and unexpectedly funny.

Cons:

Before her family moves west, she is mistreated and teased unmercifully by her cousins. She constantly hears the predictions of failure from her extended family. One uncle in particular is set against her; he urges her parents to do something about her before it’s too late. The superstitious gossip and constant low expectations create Eff’s struggle to accept herself and to rise above the curse of being the thirteenth child.

This book will challenge struggling readers, but on the other hand, it would make a great read-aloud book for bedtime rituals.

Personal Thoughts

I highly recommend this series. 

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The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper Book 2 of 5

 Synopsis:

Will Stanton, seventh son of a seventh son is turning eleven and this birthday marks the beginning  of his awakening as the last of the Old Ones. The Dark is Rising tells how Will, met by Merriman Lyon, comes to power in the modern world and must accumulate the six “signs” to help fight the rising Dark.

Pros:

  • This is a basic story about Good versus Evil and how everyone must at some point make a stand for one or the others.
  • The pros in this book is stunning example where art and popular stories merge into one well done novel. Susan Cooper is hitting her stride after book one and doesn’t seem to look back.
  • This was one of the first fantasy novels to break into the Newbery Awards, which was no small feat back when it was originally written.
  • The story is well paced and full of suspense and creepy backdrops, but that might fall under the Con category.

Cons:

  • I really can’t think of any, but if you have a problem Arthur tales and the legends of Cornwall England, this may not be the book for your reader.
  • Like in the review for Book One of the series, I don’t find this story antithetical to anyone’s beliefs unless you’re an atheist. Since this is only fiction, I can’t imagine anyone taking a story so literally that it would cause them problems.

Final Word:

I cannot say enough good about this novel. This was one of two novels responsible for turning me into a reader.If you have any qualms as an adult, I recommend you read it first before you turn it over to your young reader.