Children’s Literature

The Titan’s Curse

1 Comment / 2007, Books in Bed, Children's Literature, Favorites, Sci Fi and Fantasy, Young Adult /

We’ve been looking forward to Percy Jackson and The Titan’s Curse for a long time. But, when I started reading it – I was afraid I was going to be very disappointed. It took me a few chapters to really get into it, that hasn’t happened with any of the other Percy Jackson books.

Thankfully, once the Oracle spoke things picked up and I read it just as quickly as I could – putting it down only when I had to get some work done. Now I’m back to being excited for the next one. Did Riordan announce the title of Percy 4 yet? Darn – not yet, but very soon.

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Anna Casey’s Place in the World

2 Comments / 2007, Books in Bed, Children's Literature, Fiction /

Yes, another book blog post. Sorry! Once I made it through Cellophane, the reading has just come so much easier. I don’t expect I’ll slow down since I’ve got two Harper Collins review books to read plus a bunch of A to Z list books due back to the library this month. So you non-readers just hang tight for a bit longer. (What do you want me to blog about that isn’t related to books? I’ll take requests, just this once. Carmen, don’t say ELFF Diet, I’m getting to that – I swear!)

So, about Anna Casey’s Place in the World it’s juvenile fiction (not even young adult fiction) and I have no idea how it landed in my ClubMom library bag. Did it win a Cybil? Did sassymonkey blog it? Did TW pick it up from the shelf while we were wandering around the stacks? Who knows, my library reading list is always a bit of a mystery and that’s ok.

The book was nice. A “problem book” but not an overwhelming problem book. There was a surprise involving Eb at the very end. I did not expect that. If you have a 10 year old reading the book, and your 10 year old is a sensitive being, you might want to read it first (or drop me an email and I’ll tell you what happens).

I love the neighborhood. I want to live in that neighborhood, homeless dudes and all! Does that neighborhood exist in the USA? If it does, are there any really big houses for sale?

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Fly By Night

1 Comment / 2007, Children's Literature, Fiction, Sci Fi and Fantasy /

Fly By Night feels a lot like an Edge Chronicle book but it’s a little too rambling in places. I found myself falling asleep or skimming in far too many areas and I’m betting kids are going to lose interest even more quickly than I did – unless they are patient with books or good at skimming in order to get to the good stuff.


I liked the characters. I liked the premise. I just wish it wasn’t quite so rambling, particularly at the end when the author was trying to tie it all up.


Not great but not bad either.

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Dairy Queen

1 Comment / 2007, Children's Literature, Fiction, GLBT /

Dairy Queen was a fun little young adult book. About cows! And girls playing football! And figuring out your place in the world, in your family, in your relationships. Who knew a 250 page book set on a dairy farm in Wisconsin could touch on so many themes?



Dysfunctional family but only mildly so. Lesbians in high school, who knew?! Farm girl falls for popular boy, popular boy falls for farm girl but that sort of thing never works out in high school so everyone gets hurt and of course it is farm girl’s fault for being – awesome. Girls should not be so awesome, it makes popular boys uncomfortable. Bah.


I liked it. I would have liked the last few chapters to be a little different but that’s probably just me.

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Tanglewreck

2006, Books in Bed, Children's Literature, Favorites, Fiction, Sci Fi and Fantasy /

Who knew Jeanette Winterson could write such a great young adult fantasy book, and it’s not gay at all! There’s not even any gender confusion. Weird, eh?

Tanglewreck is the story of the Timekeeper. The Timekeeper is important because time is totally screwed up. We never have enough of it, time is always flying, stuff like that. I mean it’s REALLY flying and we REALLY don’t have enough. That’s the problem and the Timekeeper is the solution.

Really a good book, your fantasy loving kids will enjoy it.

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The Edge Chronicles – Freeglader

2 Comments / 2006, Books in Bed, Children's Literature, Favorites /

I finished a book and almost forgot to blog it, that’s how tired I still am. Geez. OK the book, I finished it. The seventh in The Edge Chronicles series, Freeglader. If you haven’t picked this series up, and you have children 7-12 or an affinity for children’s literature, then you should give the series a try.

We’ve all agreed that the first book was the best, the second was pretty good, the others sort of ho hum but only in comparison to the first two. This last one, much better. It tied up all of the loose ends from the other books. Gave a lineage, so to speak, showed us what happened to the missing sky pirates and librarian knights. It was a good way to tie things up. Which makes me wonder if this is the last in the series. I think it probably should be. Not because I’ve not enjoyed reading the books, I have. It just felt like an ending to me, tying up the loose ends, explaining all of the missing pieces – the end, happily ever after and all that stuff.

Oh darn, I just read a review on Amazon and it appears there are more books, though they seem to fit into some of the other segments we have already read. Interesting. Weird. I’m not sure I want to backpedal my way through those. I hate reading a series out of order and I’m afraid that is what this is going to feel like… ah well, they are quick and easy reads, I’ll probably give them a try if they become available at our library.

Oh what the heck, let’s have a little Edge Chronicles fun while we’re here….Looks like I’m Twig, that’s a bit of a surprise actually. I thought maybe Cloud Wolf.

#1 Twig

#2 Cloud Wolf

#3 Maugin

#4 Slyvo Spleethe

#5 Cowlquape

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Robinson Crusoe

2 Comments / 2006, Books in Bed, Children's Literature, Classics, The Moonstone /

Or maybe I should have titled this “The Legacy of The Moonstone” since I read Robinson Crusoe simply because I loved Betteridge and Betteridge worshipped RC.

Upon reflection and upon finishing RC, I think I was duped once again by The Moonstone. I believe I would have been happier with my simple childhood memories of RC. I do not remember the section in the middle, where RC was so damn fixated on “the Savages” from my childhood. (Please don’t suggest I read an abridged copy, I didn’t. I hate abridged copies and have always refused to read them.) I think I simply skimmed over that tedious bit as a child and moved along to the good part – since I was sorely tempted to do so last night.

Also upon reflection, I did appreciate picking up RC again and reading it with an eye for what Betteridge found so appealing and helpful. I wish Wilkie Collins had written a book of short stories about Betteridge’s life with the answers from RC included in each story – the moral of the story, according to RC or some such thing. That would have been interesting.

Enough with The Moonstone, sorry it has sort of taken over my life. I can usually keep it in check, but sometimes it just slips out!

Robinson Crusoe – long and tedious in the middle. The lack of “chapters” didn’t help it any. The end, back to civilization, it was all rushed and not worth reading and should have been a book of its own rather than a jumble of 10 pages.

I don’t think I can quite convince myself to read The Further Adventures of… or anything Selkirk – though if Skeeter insists, I will obey. After all, she read The Moonstone with me.

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A Pony For Linda

1 Comment / Books in Bed, Children's Literature, Favorites /

When Michelle was little, little, little she fell in love with a book at the school library. The book was called A Pony For Linda and it looked just like this.

She would check it out from the library and pretend to “lose it” so she wouldn’t have to take it back to the library. When that didn’t work because I would always “find it”, she started just renewing it every week.

At the end of the school year, the librarian called me upstairs and asked me if Michelle would like to keep A Pony For Linda and just bring us a brand new book to take its place on the shelf. Michelle was thrilled. The librarian was also thrilled since she was getting a brand new book and Michelle always had that old book checked out so nobody could read it if they wanted to. I can’t remember which book Michelle picked out to exchange for her much loved green covered pony book.

We still have A Pony for Linda. And it still makes Michelle smile.

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The Prophet of Yonwood

2006, Books in Bed, Children's Literature, Don't Read This /

Well, I was disappointed. That pretty much covers it. Prophet of Yonwood is a prequel to the much loved by me People of Sparks and City of Ember. I don’t care much for prequels as a rule but I found this one particularly disappointing.

The story takes place long before people went “underground” so it isn’t much of a prequel. It’s also full of propaganda and while the message it sends regarding religious zealots and fear is an important one, it just comes off as condescending. I can’t imagine what kids would think about this book. Kids who’ve read Sparks and Ember will probably be more disappointed than those who haven’t read them.

Just skip this one, people. Read the other two and let’s hope Duprau gives us a better story next time.

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Percy Jackson – Sea of Monsters

2006, Books in Bed, Children's Literature, Favorites, Sci Fi and Fantasy /

I can’t even begin to tell you how much I enjoyed Sea of Monsters. Ignoring the fact that I’d have enjoyed just about anything after the horrors of Vanity Fair, Sea of Monsters was terrific. Great fun for kids and grown ups and an excellent sequel to The Lightning Thief. I can hardly wait to see what happens next.

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