In Crossed, the sequel to Matched, the dystopian love triangle continues. Cassia has left Society to search for Ky who was sent out to fight against the Enemy. The point of view alternates between Cassia and Ky, although it’s always in first person present tense. Occasionally I found myself forgetting whose point of view I […]
The Real Boy
September 24, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Anne Ursu, author of The Real Boy, doesn’t write happy books with neatly tied up endings, but she does write beautiful and evocative books. (If this sounds appealing and you haven’t yet read Breadcrumbs, go change that.) The Real Boy takes place on an island where magic is strong. It’s the story of Oscar, an […]
A Mango-Shaped Space
September 12, 2013 by 3 Comments
There are a lot of issues dealt with in A Mango-Shaped Space. It won the ALA Schneider Family Book Award which honors “artistic expression of the disability experience.” Mia has synesthesia, which means that she sees sounds, numbers, and letters in colors. The novel covers the several months during Mia’s 8th grade year when she’s […]
The Ruins of Gorlan
September 5, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Review written by Jeff Dougan. I’m not sure if there’s a good category description for something that’s a quasi-medieval setting with no magic outside the “Scooby Doo” variety, but The Ranger’s Apprentice series belongs in it. Since the Munchkin was born, I’ve read a higher proportion of middle-grades fiction & young adult material than ever […]
Matched
September 3, 2013 by 1 Comment
One of the review blurbs for Matched reads “If you like a ton of romance with your totalitarian government, this novel is for you!” Out of context, I’m not sure if that’s from a positive or negative review, but it’s certainly appropriate to this book.
The Sea of Monsters
July 12, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Review written by Jeff Dougan. The Sea of Monsters is the second book in the first pentad of books featuring Percy Jackson. You’ll want to read these in order—I reviewed the first one here, and for purposes of introduction will just note that I like the series a LOT. The second book opens up roughly […]
Etiquette & Espionage
June 26, 2013 by 4 Comments
Etiquette & Espionage is a novel for younger readers that takes place in the world of Gail Carriger’s Parasol Protectorate series (I highly recommend that series to teens and adults who wish Jane Austen had a more supernatural and steampunk flair). It’s a Victorian setting in which vampires and werewolves live, more or less peacefully, […]
The Lightning Thief
June 24, 2013 by 3 Comments
Review written by Jeff Dougan. The Lightning Thief is the first book in the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series. In the roughly 15 years since the publication of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, there have been several books or book series that have been called “the next Harry Potter.” Of the ones I’ve […]
The Plundered Parent Protocol
June 10, 2013 by 1 Comment
The Plundered Parent Protocol is a secret agent story for tweens, particularly girls. It’s full of kid power (including extra helpings of girl power) and it really wants to be made into a movie along the lines of Spy Kids—the action is fast paced and you can picture the killer robots made by the eight […]
The Wells Bequest
June 6, 2013 by Leave a Comment
The Wells Bequest is a companion to The Grimm Legacy. “Companion” is a deliberate word choice, rather than sequel, because while there is overlap, you could easily start with The Wells Bequest and not be at all confused. You will, however, have missed a wonderful book—The Grimm Legacy was one of my favorite books that […]
