Midnight Magic (2004)

A reluctant magician, his assistant, a princess in a castle, a ghost, an evil count, secret passages and a missing prince are the ingredients of this delicious little book by Avi. The king calls for the magician, Mangus, to help get rid of a ghost that is haunting his young daughter. Mangus' assistant, Fabrizio, helps solve this mystery by exploring the castle, meeting people, and reporting back to his master. Mangus uses his knowledge of human behavior to try and discover the truth behind the ghost before the princess has to marry the evil Count Scarazoni.
This story takes place in medieval Italy and gives the reader a good idea of what life in a big castle was like. The cover and fly leaves of the book are decorated in medieval style illustrations which attracted me to the book. I enjoyed following Fabrizio around the castle, in and out of secret passages, eavesdropping on, and meeting the other residents of the castle. The ending was not a terrific surprise but I loved following the plot to the end.
A combination of historical fiction and mystery, this book would amuse someone looking for a quick read.
My rating for this book: +++

A house Called Awful End

One of the fun aspects of working in a library is finding things that people have left in their books. I have found IDs, money, notes, and scraps of paper. When I opened this book, an index card fell out. Perfect, I thought, a book mark. Drawn on the card was a face with a dark grimace on it. I hoped it wasn't an omen.

This book by Philip Ardagh is very, very, very similar in style to the wonderful Lemony Snicket's Series of Unfortunate Events. The author takes time out of the story to explain expressions to the reader and at one point, the characters of the story even refer to the page number of the book. Unfortunately, the ratio of explanations to story is much higher and much less charming in this story about Eddie Dickens, a young man who has to leave his home to stay with his crazy aunt and uncle until his parents recover from illness. Eddie has none of the gumption of the Beaudelaire children and is pushed around in this book like a empty soda bottle in the ocean. He is even as transparent and empty as the bottle. One thing I liked about Awful End was the explanations about life in England at the time of Charles Dickens.

This book was written for a younger audience and may be enjoyed by readers who also enjoyed the Snicket books.

My rating for this book: ++

A Guide to the Birds of East Africa (2008)

Is there any bigger pleasure than reading a book that gives you a smile? I had one in my mind the whole time I read this book! As a big fan of the series of books written about Precious Ramotswe that take place in Botswana, I was drawn to this book written by Nicholas Drayson that takes place in Kenya. Mr. Malik is a member of a bird watching club headed by Rose Mbikwa, a woman he admires but he is too shy to approach. He is challenged by a more assertive man to a bird counting contest, the winner of which has the honor of asking Rose to the Nairobi Hunt Club Ball. All does not go well for Mr. Malik as events prevent him from getting to the best bird watching places.
I was not able to put this book down as I commiserated with and cheered for Mr. Malik's quest to be Rose's escort.
I recommend this book to anyone who wants a break from books about mean and violent people. If you are a fan of birds, this makes the book even more of a treat.
My rating for this book: +++++

The Beekeeper's Apprentice (2007)

Shame on me! Almost a month since my last post! It was a busy time but I was still able to fit a couple of books in.

Laurie R. King's book introduces a young woman, Mary Russell, who meets Sherlock Holmes (trips over him in fact) and becomes his very able sidekick. This story takes place after the stories in the original books written by Arthur Conan Doyle. Holmes is almost in hiding since his friend, Dr. Watson, has publicized his cases in the papers. Mary is an orphan, living with a grouchy aunt, and studying so she can attend Oxford. He appreciates her quick mind and takes her under his wing and she helps him solve cases.

It is no secret I love Sherlock Holmes stories and to pair him with a young woman is a real pleasure for me. I will keep an eye out for more of King's books.

I recommend this to Sherlock Holmes fans and mystery lovers.

My rating for this book: +++++

Redwall (2002)

Several years ago I had the pleasure of hearing the author of Redwall, Brian Jacques, speak. He said he started writing when he was unable to find good, descriptive books to read aloud at a school for the blind. That's why his books are so rich with description.
"Cluny was a bilge rat; the biggest, most savage rodent that ever jumped from ship to shore. He was black, with grey and pink scars all over his huge sleek body, from the tip of his wet nose, up past his green and yellow slitted, eye, across both his mean tattered ears, down the length of his heavy vermin-ridden back to the enormouse whiplike tail which had earned him his title: Cluny the Scourge!"
The parallels to The Lord of the Rings are too numerous to mention but mice, shrews, and sparrows (men, dwarves, and elves) fight off invasion from rats (orcs). Frodo, oops, I mean Harry Potter, er, I mean Matthias, discovers his destiny to follow in the footsteps of Martin the Warrior. The resemblance between Matthias and an image of Martin in a tapestry had gone unnoticed until the abbey was threatened. He goes on a quest to recover Martin's sword to help defend Redwall Abbey from the rats. While leaving his friends behind to fend for themselves, he faces dangers and meets new allies along the way to recovering this valuable artifact.
I had been meaning to read Redwall for many years and I am glad I finally did. I doubt I will read the entire series (ah, the old problem of so many books and too little time) but it is not because I wouldn't enjoy them.
I recommend this book to fans of adventure books. It's an enjoyable good vs. evil story.
My rating for this book: +++

Revelations (2008)

This is the third book in the Blue Bloods series by Melissa de la Cruz and I have to say I did not enjoy it as much as the first two. It seems that everyone has a second angel name and it was confusing as to which were the good angels and which were the bad angels.

I was disappointed, too, because I was left feeling that I have to wait for the next book (good for the author's bank account but frustrating for me). Since Rowling and Meyer have their readers comfortable with books reaching up to 600 pages, it seems that de la Cruz might have given us more with this book and not left us hanging in the wind.

I would recommend that readers wait until the series is finished and then read them all at once. Fans of vampire romance books will love this series.

Confessions of a Triple Shot Betty (2008)

It's interesting, sometimes, to figure out exactly what attracts you to a certain book. In this case, I was intrigued by the term "triple shot betty". When I read the description of the book, I was further drawn in by the fact that it took place in Sonoma, just over the hill from my home! My confession is that I am not a real fan of chick lit, even though I have to admit that once I start reading a book of this genre, I find I like the main character, feel sorry when something bad happens, and celebrate when everything is fixed (if that's the case). In Jody Gehrman's book, Geena is looking forward to a summer where her best friend, Amber, and her cousin, Hope, meet and the three of them enjoy hanging out. Well, you know that if that was all that happened it wouldn't be a very interesting book. Geena is smart and funny and has a totally unique view of the world. I highly recommend this book to girls who enjoy revenge stories.

My rating for this book: +++

Hunger Games (2008)

Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is like Survivor on steroids. In a futuristic land called Panem, one boy and one girl are selected by drawing to represent their district in a competition called Hunger Games. The lone survivor is the winner and returns home to live comfortably for the rest of their life. Katniss lives with her widowed mother and younger sister in the 12th district where the main occupation is coal mining. Since her father was killed in the mines, she has learned to sneak outside the electrified fence to supplement her family's food with animals she hunts with a bow and arrow. When her sister is chosen for the games, she volunteers to go in her place and is paired with Peeta, the son of the town's baker.

Comparisons to the TV reality shows that seem to have taken over television these days is easy. Competitors are mentored by previous winners from their district and they are fed, dressed, and prepped for the program. They receive a locator which is injected in their arm and are presented to the county in televised interviews. Cameras cover their every move.

The action is riveting. Some of the kids have been training for this competition since they were very young so they are larger, stronger, and more skilled with weapons than our heroes. Some of the competitors are even smaller and weaker than Katniss but all of them have a talent that helps them survive for a time. The biggest enemy of all of them is the Capitol, host of the games, who is not adverse to using tricky tactics to make the game more interesting for the viewing audience.

I highly recommend this book to readers who enjoy a good action book with a little science fiction thrown in. Kids killing each other may be disturbing but happily enough, there are rules against cannibalism so we are spared there. ;-}
My rating for this book: ++++

Generation Dead (2009)

Many schools have had to deal with integration problems. Different races, different sexualities, different abilities, or conditions such as HIV/AIDS have shaken up the social structure of schools through the years. Now, Oakvale High is presented with a new influx - the undead - or biotically different, to be more politically correct. Daniel Waters introduces us to several teens in the middle of this turmoil. Phoebe is friends with Adam and Margi (all living) and has a crush on Tommy (undead). Pete is a narrow minded, violent bully who doesn't believe that BDs belong in his school, much less on his football team. Tommy is our window into this new phenomenon. We follow all of these kids as they (and we) learn more about BDs and their developing culture.

Waters has created an interesting scenario for studying the dynamics of prejudice; overt and unintentional. How and where do they live? Do they have bodily functions and feelings? What does one do when you have a crush on one of them? He has chosen a perfect subject to study the different facets of integration by creating a totally new and inplausible subject that doesn't parallel any existing relationship.

A small complaint I have about this book is the cover. At first look, one might assume it is a book primarily aimed at young women but it is equally from boys' points of view and includes many detailed scenes on the football field. Unfortunately, I fear that most boys would be put off by the cover with a zombie cheerleader. They would be missing out on an excellent read.

I highly recommend this book for readers who enjoy books about difficult relationships.
My rating for this book: ++++

WikiHow

"The How-to Manual that You Can Edit" http://www.wikihow.com/

Have you ever caught yourself saying "I wonder how I could...." and then stopped because you don't know where you could look up something or who could answer your question? Here's where you can find the answer! I put a link to this site on my iGoogle page and read a new "How To" everyday. Today was a wonderful article on how to bake cookies. There are always pictures that help demonstrations and links at the bottom to related articles and resources.

I learned how to make the most darling pop up cards for Christmas. I read about how to braid a horse's tail. Choose the Education and Communications category and get lots of articles on homework help (How to Do Your Homework on Time if You are a Procrastinator) and presentations (How to Create Less Annoying Powerpoints). Were you curious about how to make a crop circle? Here's the place to learn how.

Of particular interest is the category "Youth." In these pages are all sorts of things to try of special interest to young people. Young people are invited to help edit these pages so here's your chance to step up to the plate and show how much you know about a topic.

Fun and informative, this is a great site.