Retro Tuesday: Gallagher Girls series by Ally Carter

Our favorite teen has been bugging us to read this series for ages, and since the third one (Don't Judge a Girl by Her Cover) is in the Scholastic Book Fair, we thought this might be a good time.
 
Note to selves: listen to the teen a little more often!
 
Our main character, Cammie, attends what appears to be an elite boarding school for snooty rich girls. In actuality, it is a training school for spies, where PE class becomes P & E (Protection and Enforcement, and a game of "Rock, Paper, Scissors" can result in trips to the infirmary.) A little suspension of disbelief is needed (we don't care how well-trained they are, there is no way that many seventh grade girls can keep a secret year after year), but these are very enjoyable reads. Loads of funny lines you will want to read out loud, and while some outcomes are predictable there are still plenty of surprises popping up.
 
In short, balanced enough that most teenage girls (and a few adults) looking for a fun read will enjoy them, engaging enough that we will be watching for the rest of the series. For those who are already fans, we recommend the Agency series by Y.S. Lee - watch for our review of the first book, A Spy in the House, as soon as we can get it back from the aforementioned teen! We give the Gallagher Girl series a
 
4 out of 5.

Retro Tuesday: Blackwater by Eve Bunting

"Thirteen-year-old Brodie Lynch was ready for the perfect summer of adventure along the awesome Blackwater River. That was before everything changed forever. When a harmless prank goes too far, the unthinkable happens. Brodie's lies make him a hero, but inside, his guilt tears at him like the treacherous current of the Blackwater itself, which has become a horrifying reminder of his part in the tragedy. In this gripping new coming-of-age novel, a young boy is faced with a choice between right and wrong and ultimately learns that truth can offer hope in even the darkest moments."

Just a quick blurb on this one. The plot moves quickly - the prank which leads to the death of two classmates happens almost at the beginning, and while Brodie's cousin bends the truth to make Brodie a hero, it is soon evident that someone else saw what really happened. Unfortunately, it was also pretty evident who that person was, so no big shocker at the end.

We liked the realism of the ending, though - no Disney finish for anyone. Lots of fodder for discussion - what would Brodie have done if there wasn't a witness? What might people's reactions have been if the truth had been told from the beginning. It was an accident...but it was still his fault...but he did try to save them...where does he really fall between hero and villain? He did try to correct his cousin's lies at first, how much does that count for? Not the best we've read with this type of storyline, but worth an afternoon read. We give it a

3 out of 5.

Retro Tuesday: Attolia series continued

         
Continuing the vein of last week's Retro Tuesday, we can't believe we missed this series. Have we had our collective heads under a rock? Well, we are water turtles, so we may have been doing just that. At any rate, we are very glad to have found it now, and sad that we are only 100 or so pages away from finishing the last of the series, A Conspiracy of Kings.
 
When we posted last week, we had just started reading The Queen of Attolia, and we mentioned how very different in tone it was.  The first few chapters were pretty horrific, and we missed the humor of The Thief. Fortunately, as most readers will know, the humor did return, without losing the seriousness of the storyline. What amazed us was (slight spoiler) how we could hate someone so thoroughly at the start of the book, and love and root for her at the end. Of course, Eugenides might wonder the same thing. Excellent, excellent books, and we are now torn between wanting to devour the latest, and wanting to stretch it out to make it last!

Retro Tuesday: The Thief, by Megan Whelan Turner

Publisher's description:

"The king's scholar, the magus, believes he knows the site of an ancient treasure. To attain it for his king, he needs a skillful thief, and he selects Gen from the king's prison. The magus is interested only in the thief's abilities. What Gen is interested in is anyone's guess. Their journey toward the treasure is both dangerous and difficult, lightened only imperceptibly by the tales they tell of the old gods and goddesses."

We have no idea how we missed this one for so long - a Newbery Award winner, and the type of historical fantasy we like. While the characters' journey may be, as the publisher's description states, "dangerous and difficult", the story itself is lighthearted and fast-paced, with a suprise ending that truly took us by surprise as well as leaving us chortling with glee (and yes, turtles do chortle with glee - as well as write really long, run-on sentences at times.)
 
We are now halfway through The Queen of Attolia, the second book of the series, and it came as quite a shock. It is just as good as the first book, but much darker - we haven't chortled once. We received an ARC of the fourth book from the publisher, and now we are playing catch-up before we get to it. Our goal is to be able to review that one Thursday or Friday, so stay tuned!

Retro Tuesday: Life as We Knew It (2006), by Susan Beth Pfeffer

Publisher's description:

Miranda’s disbelief turns to fear in a split second when an asteroid knocks the moon closer to the earth. How should her family prepare for the future when worldwide tsunamis wipe out the coasts, earthquakes rock the continents, and volcanic ash blocks out the sun? As summer turns to Arctic winter, Miranda, her two brothers, and their mother retreat to the unexpected safe haven of their sunroom, where they subsist on stockpiled food and limited water in the warmth of a wood-burning stove. In her journal, Miranda records the events of each desperate day, while she and her family struggle to hold on to their most priceless resource—hope.

This book came to our attention when we read reviews of the third in the series - somehow the first two escaped our notice. Apparently they escaped everyone's notice, because we are only the second checkout for each book - and they are GOOD! We are going to be hand-selling these to fans of Suzanne Collins and Scott Westerfeld.

On the surface, they aren't as dark as the Hunger Games or Uglies series. When we passed this one on to one of our favorite teens, however, she found it more disturbing than she did the others.

While any of these series could take place in the future, this one is more immediate - it could happen tomorrow. She found the characters easy to identify with, and the daily routines and plans were similar enough to be familiar - and thus all the more jarring when they changed so drastically. It was reassuring to her to realize that her family is more self-sufficient than some already, but many of today's teens are so used to relying on technology for everything, this book may hit them harder than adults might expect.

It was also somewhat reassuring for our teen to realize that, in this scenario, it's not that the world itself ended - just, to paraphrase the title, the world as we know it now. No civilization lasts forever, and for thousands of years people have learned to adapt to whatever new civilization has come along. This series might prompt both teens and adults alike to reflect on what they may have within them that would make them one of those who would adapt and survive.

Retro Tuesday: Diamond Secret by Suzanne Weyn, reviewed by Miss Ami

Have I mentioned how much I like fractured fairy tales? I especially like the ones that make the fairy tale plausibly realistic, as is done in this series from Simon and Schuster. The "Once Upon a Time" series began in 2004, I believe, but there are still new ones coming out - this one is actually from June of last year, so not quite retro. I have found several voracious readers who didn't know the series exists, however, so it's worth plugging here.

"The Diamond Secret" is a retelling of the story of Anastasia - not so much a fairy tale per se, but still an intriguing mystery after all these years. If parts of the explanation for Anastasia's disappearance and rediscovery seem a bit implausible - the convenient case of amnesia being the biggest pill to swallow - their very implausibility is addressed within the story, as the characters discuss whether her grandmother or anyone else will believe it. The ending comes as a surprise only to the main characters, but it is still a fun read. I enjoyed Weyn's "Water Song" (a retelling of The Frog Prince) from the same series more. Other authors in the series include Cameron Dokey and Nancy Holder. A good series to add to your YA collection.

Retro Tuesday (on Wednesday - so sue me): Runaway Princess by Kate Coombs

Like Chains, this one isn't old by any means, but it is old enough to have a sequel out (The Runaway Dragon, which you also need to read). In fact, I read this one, which I had somehow missed, because I saw a review of the second and knew I had to read them both.

Definitely a 'girl book' for the most part, although boys who enjoy the Squire's Tale series by Gerald Morris might give this one a try. Meg is the spirited tomboy princess who would rather catch frogs with her friend than learn to curtsy. Her clueless father offers her hand in marriage and half the kingdom to any prince who can accomplish three tasks (all in the name of economic development), and of course Meg disapproves of the plan, and adventures ensue.

We've seen the basic plotline a million times, but Meg is a very likeable heroine with some great lines, and there are enough surprises and humorous bits in the book to make it quite an enjoyable read. Without giving too much away (I hope), I was pleased with her mother's decision, and while certain twists (like that involving a certain prince) may be a bit predictable for the fan of fractured fairy tales, they are not any less enjoyable. Great pleasure read for just about any girl over the age of 8 (I gave it to my mother to read next!)

Retro Tuesday: Chains, by Laurie Halse Anderson, reviewed by Miss Ami

As the Revolutionary War begins, thirteen-year-old Isabel wages her own fight...for freedom. Promised freedom upon the death of their owner, she and her sister, Ruth, in a cruel twist of fate become the property of a malicious New York City couple, the Locktons, who have no sympathy for the American Revolution and even less for Ruth and Isabel. When Isabel meets Curzon, a slave with ties to the Patriots, he encourages her to spy on her owners, who know details of British plans for invasion. She is reluctant at first, but when the unthinkable happens to Ruth, Isabel realizes her loyalty is available to the bidder who can provide her with freedom.

Okay, not really retro, since it was published in 2008. Out long enough, however, that we SHOULD be checking out the promised sequel, Forge, by now. It looks like we will have to wait until October of 2010, unfortunately. Two years??? Come on, woman, enough with the Vet Volunteers, Sal has been stuck on that icy river long enough!

Sorry, put that down to pregnancy hormones. Or the fact that I just spent 300 pages engrossed in the lives of these very real characters, and now I have to wait to find out what happens to them.

"Real" is an excellent way to describe the entire book: with as much historical fiction as there is out there about the American Revolution, I don't think I've seen too many set in New York, which gives it a fresh angle. The best part, however, is the characters. They are all allowed to be real people, neither all good nor all bad. Decisions of which side to be on are not always made simply, and not always for the most altruistic motives. The Patriots are not always portrayed as saints, nor the British as evil, and the way both sides treated - and took advantage of - slaves and former slaves is not glossed over.

After you read this one, and while you are waiting for Forge, check out Anderson's blog, which we just added to the ones we follow. Somehow, even though I was terribly shy myself at one time, it always comes as a shock to hear the authors of such fantastic books declare themselves introverts! It always seems like they should have a personality as strong and forceful as their work.

Retro Tuesday: Prom, by Laurie Halse Anderson

Continuing my browse along the YA shelves, I came to Laurie Halse Anderson. Okay, I've read Speak, read Catalyst, read parts of Wintergirls (couldn't get into it)...wait, Prom? "Ashley Hannigan doesn't particularly care about the prom...finds herself roped into...making the prom happen..." Huh? Laurie Halse Anderson wrote a frou-frou YA novel?

Not exactly. The jacket description does not quite give the true tone of the book. It is definitely not as dark as some of her other books, but much, much smarter than her "Vet Volunteers" series, which we will not discuss here. A quote from Chapter 3 (which starts on page 1 - these are some seriously short chapters):

"Every kid who was in that fifth-grade class with me was graduating, except for the three who were in jail, the two who kept having babies, the one who ran away, and the two crack whores."

Okay, not "Princess Diaries" material. This isn't a tomboy-turns-prom-queen story, and while things do turn out a little too patly (is that a word?) at the end, there was enough real life and humor to have me sneaking reads in between lunch hours. Ashley doesn't HATE prom, she can see that it is important to several of her friends and understands why it is, she just has no real use for it herself. When a couple different disasters strike, it is mostly her concern for her friends that results in her helping with, then basically organizing the entire prom which she has no intention of actually attending.

Most of the characters are rather two-dimensional, but entertaining. Ashley's intelligence and her insight into how to deal with the people around her, from administrators to custodians to crazy Russian grandmothers, doesn't quite explain why she puts up with the loser boyfriend for so long - but then, that might be the most realistic part of the story. Of course, dear readers, none of US have ever stuck with a hot guy longer than we should have, but we've shaken our heads at other mismatched relationships, haven't we? It happens.

Not one of Anderson's best, but an entertaining read. We'll be passing it on to the teen at home once she finishes the huge stack of books she got for Christmas (i.e., tomorrow).

Retro Tuesday: The Absolutely True Story of a Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie, reviewed by Miss Ami

We've decided to start a new weekly feature, called Retro Tuesday. As hard as it may be to believe, some librarians have not read every single book in their collections. Occasionally we run across a book that is new to us, and worth commenting on, but not exactly a recent publication. We are going to take Tuesdays to review some of these books, in the hopes that they still might be new to someone else. If not, you can just leave us a comment saying "I can't BELIEVE you hadn't read that yet! Some librarian you are!"

A recent move further from work means I can't just run home on my lunch hour, which gives me some forced reading time here - bonus! I have started browsing through the YA shelves in order, so our first book will be:



Originally published a few years back, I have seen this one mentioned on a few blogs lately, another incentive to pick it up. I am so glad I did! How can a book be so hysterical and so terribly sad at the same time?

Junior was born with several strikes against him: in addition to being from a poor Native American family that seems to have given up hope, he has a host of medical problems that, if they don't kill him, will at least ensure he is picked on pretty much every day of his life. All this comes in the first chapter, which as I said, somehow manages to be blunt but funny at the same time.

"Do you know what happens to retards on the rez? We get beat up. At least once a month. Yep, I belong to the Black-Eye-of-the-Month Club."

Maybe that's not funny. Maybe it's just awful, and if a non-Native person had written it as pure fiction, let's face it, it wouldn't have made it all the way to the publisher. But (and I have to say fortunately), it was written by Sherman Alexie, who not only is Native American, this is a mostly autobiographical book. (Check out a brief summary of his life here) If he can be brutally honest and still laugh at himself, who are we to argue? (I have to ask, though, did that blocked jump shot REALLY happen?)

People who have never been trapped in the cycle of poverty (or abuse or drug abuse or whatever) find it very easy to say, "If they would just do xyz..." Sure, for you, if you were suddenly thrust into that situation, it might be very easy to find your way out. That is the way you have been built. When people are born and raised into a particular life, however, there is nothing built into them that even allows them to really believe that possibility exists. Sherman shows both the hopelessness felt by most of those around Junior, while making us fall in love with this young man who somehow, with everything else he has lost, has still managed to find and hang onto a hope of something better.

All this sounds very deep and heavy, which is really not doing justice to the book. Page 176 (hardcover 2007 edition) made me laugh so hard I had to stop and read half the chapter aloud to my teenage daughter, who immediately called 'dibs' on reading the book next. Junior's determination and hope are what you come away with in the end, as well as a huge amount of respect for Junior and many of the other characters. Highly recommended, and very glad I picked it up.