Monday, June 28, 2004

Wizard's Holiday--Diane Duane

I read So You Want to be a Wizard many, many eons ago when I was a kid and loved it. I had no idea that it was a series! I didn't find out until I became a YA librarian and since then I've read them all.

Wizard's Holiday is the latest one and is just as good as the others. It's a perfect blend of fantasy and science fiction--when one thinks of wizards one automatically thinks of Gandalf or Harry Potter and fantasy. But in Duane's universe, wizards are more scientific--they can manipulate the world but only within the laws of science.

In this particular installment, Nita and Kit are on "holiday" on a distant planet. Nita's younger sister Dairine signed Nita and herself up for an excursus--a wizard vacation--but was not authorized to do so. As punishment, she was not able to go, but the excursus was approved. So Nita took Kit along instead. In exchange for Nita and Kit (and Ponch the dog), three aliens were sent to Earth for an excursus and stayed with Dairine and her dad. Since wizards never really get a vacation, both sets of visitors wind up getting involved in a lot more than they anticipated...

I love all of these books. I hope Duane continues writing them.

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Reading: ?
On My Nightstand: So many, I can't even list them all

Wednesday, June 23, 2004

Midnight Blue--Pauline Fisk

Very interesting story--once you get to it. I'm afraid most kids wouldn't stick with it long enough. Once it gets going, it's good and makes you want to finish.

Bonnie is living alone with her mom Maybelle for the first time. But it doesn't last long. Her possessive domineering grandmother, Grandbag, soon moves in since they couldn't possibly get along without her. Bonnie escapes her grandmother's tyranny by running away--in a hot-air balloon that takes her to a parallel world. Once there, she finds happiness, battles her demons, and discovers some creepy stuff. Will she go back to her own world? And if she does, what will she find?

It's good, but I'm not sure if it's Top Shelf yet. If kids respond to it, I'd go with it.
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Reading: don't know yet
On My Nightstand: tons and tons

Thursday, June 10, 2004

The Supernaturalist--Eoin Colfer

These are my notes from my Top Shelf notebook, since I am incapable of forming complete sentences right now:

Typos. Needs better editing.
The story itself is okay. It has action and some character development. I don't hate it. It's not as bad as Prophecy of the Stones, but I really don't know why teens like Colfer so much.
I won't fight against it if someone wants to include it on the list, but I'm not writing the annotation either.

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Reading: Daughters of the Moon: Goddess of the Night -- Lynne Ewing
On My Nightstand: the whole damn series

Tuesday, June 01, 2004

Messenger--Lois Lowry

Those of you who've read The Giver and Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry will not be disappointed with her latest installment, Messenger. Messenger ties both novels together--the Leader in Messenger's world is from The Giver, and Matty and Kira are from Gathering Blue. This new book is set in a different village, in a time not long after Gathering Blue takes place.
The basic premise is that there's a new utopian village where people are treated nicely and everybody has a role in society and a "true name." Naturally, something starts to go wrong--people start trading their souls for material goods, the forbidden forest becomes evil, and the once-welcoming villagers want to build a wall and not let anymore foreigners in. It's up to Matty to save the day.

I enjoyed this book. I know some people wanted more of a link with the Giver and wanted more questions answered, but this wasn't Jonas' story. It was Matty's story. It does answer the big question from the Giver (did Jonas survive?).

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Reading: Don't know yet
On My Nightstand: Truth About Forever--Dessen (which has been there forever)

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