Fiction Addict

Genre: Children, Young Adult

Publisher: Scholastic Press

Publication Date: March 2010

Reviewed by Shaun Stevenson

I walked through the shelves of a local bookstore tonight and literally gasped out loud when I saw Lord Sunday sitting on the shelf. I quickly glanced up to make sure no one had heard me, and then I raced down to the checkout counter. It was all I could do to keep myself from speeding home to read the book, which I had not expected to release for a couple more weeks. And now, after two years of waiting, the final chapter in Garth Nix’s The Keys to the Kingdom series has finally arrived.

Since quite a bit of time had passed since I had read book six, Superior Saturday, I was a bit confused jumping into the storyline again. And Nix really does start blasting right into things. Arthur Penhaligon is still struggling against the forces massing against him and threatening to completely destroy everything he knows and loves. Waves of Nothing ravage the very foundations of the House, the other universe related directly to Earth, which is also crumbling under the throes of an epidemic that might just eat away at every living person left. And as the final battles culminate, it all falls to Arthur to save them all from dissolving into the black Nothingness.

The pacing here is quick and Nix almost leaves the reader breathless as they fly through one near death escape after another. Everything almost started to blend together as I kept waiting for the final mysteries of the series to be resolved. And Nix drags things out to the very bitter end before revealing the secrets behind all seven books in the last few pages. I don’t want to go too deeply into the plot here, as it would really spoil things, but after I closed the book I almost had the feeling that Nix needed a quick way to wrap things up. The rather nihilistic ending did draw things to a definite close, and there was definitely a tremendous climax leading up to the end, but somehow, it just all seemed suddenly over. In the end, I was satisfied with the way things turned out, but it just felt like he could have done a bit more .

All said, this fantasy series is definitely worth the investment. Some of the earlier titles are simply great storytelling. And Lord Sunday is necessary to the end of it all and for wrapping it up. Readers who have enjoyed the series thus far will enjoy the ending, but new-comers should definitely pick up the first book, Mister Monday, and start on through to the end. Fans of books like Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan, or The Seems by John Hulme and Michael Wexler, would definitely enjoy this fantasy romp through imaginative lands and epic battles. And, at least new readers won’t have to wait two years for the final volume.

Genre: Children

Publisher: Candlewick Press

Publication Date: September 2009

Reviewed by Jaci Miller

In the city of Baltese, orphan Peter Augustus Duchene visits a fortuneteller and asks questions about his dead sister. There he learns she lives, despite the lies he’s heard all his life, and that an elephant can lead him to her. In another part of town, a magician longing to perform real magic accidentally causes an elephant to fall through the roof of the opera house where he is performing. As Peter seeks his sister, his story and that of several townspeople (the woman crippled by the falling elephant, the police officer who arrests the magician, the elephant caretaker and others) knit together in a tapestry of love, magic and healing.

The Magician’s Elephant by Newbery-winner Kate DiCamillo possesses a simple story line, yet is surprisingly complex. Initially, the plot comes across as being too simple, but as the book progresses, DiCamillo develops her story with a deceptive depth. Magical and mystical, the soft-focus, grayscale illustrations enhance the book’s mysterious and cinematic flavor. There is an emotional darkness to the book that can be a bit lonely, but DiCamillo uses this to express how one event can lead to healing for all.

While mid-elementary children might struggle to appreciate this book given its less overt action, older children and tweens will recognize the merits within.

Review copy provided by Candlewick Press.

Genre: Children’s

Publisher: Candlewick Press

Publication Date: 2009

Reviewed by Jaci Miller

The animals in the zoo are all sick! How did it happen? In a delightfully gross picture book, Felicity Floo Visits the Zoo by E.S. Redmond, a young lady named Felicity goes to the zoo. But her sniffly, snuffly cold goes with her. As she meets the various critters in the park, she leaves behind a trail of goo on each of the animals, all because she doesn’t have a tissue.

This rhyming book cautions children to practice good germ control while enchanting them with rhymes. Amazingly, every rhyme in the book rhymes with “goo,” yet the rhymes never feel forced. Each fits naturally into the flow of the story. The unique illustrations feature ink and watercolor mediums in muted tones. The vibe of “sick” appropriately permeates the illustrations.

Felicity Floo is good clean fun, especially in cold and flu season.

Review copy provided by Candlewick Press.

Genre: Children, Young Adult

Publisher: HarperCollins

Publication Date: April 2008

Reviewed by Jaci Miller

As a freshman in high school, Will Tuppence has come to count on certain things in life:  the peskiness of his little sister, Tabby, steadfast friendships with Mi-Su and BT, the invincibility of protons. When he hears of a recent discovery—that protons can decay—Will’s neatly ordered world begins to unravel. Suddenly he sees Mi-Su as a female, rather than merely a friend. BT becomes competition. And the five-year-old neighbor boy who pines after Tabby plays psychiatrist to frustrated Will. But a terrifying accident leaves Will pondering what truly matters. Skateboarding, anchovy pizza and Friday night Monopoly take a backseat as he learns the meaning of real love.

Amidst many literary voices clamoring for attention, Jerry Spinelli’s Smiles to Go shushes many of them. A coming-of-age tale that feels effortlessly true, Smiles offers an authentic voice to which young people will relate (“Yeah, that’s me”) and with which adults will reminisce (“Yeah, I remember that”).

This is Spinelli’s playground—the arena where he enters the psyche of the young. He speaks to them on a personal level while simultaneously entertaining them. The book’s genuine perspective makes the reader wonder, “Surely Jerry Spinelli is, himself, still 15 years old!” Plenty of humor, honest characters and short chapters make this a friendly book for reluctant readers. But while these traits may draw readers, the book’s truthfulness will hold them. Indeed, it is the most honest book I’ve read in a long while.

Review copy provided by Harper Collins.

Genre: Children

Publisher: Puffin

Publication Date: 2007

Reviewed by Jaci Miller

The Grandson has grown up with his grandmamma’s tales of witches, their wicked ways and their horrifying hatred of children. She has told him these tales to prepare him for the inevitable day when a witch will try to eliminate him, in the same way witches try to do away with other children. But the Grandson never expects to encounter a whole room full of witches and when he does, he must find a way to foil their evil plan to destroy all of England’s children.

The Witches by Roald Dahl plays upon children’s love of the fantastic and their fascination with the frightening, but in an empowering, child-centric fashion. Children will sit on the edge of their seats, itching to learn more about the unique, and yet still familiar, world Dahl has created. Of course, the tale needs to be prefaced with an affirmation that the book is indeed pretend, since readers are told multiple times that witches do exist despite what any adult says. But once this is handled, Dahl treats readers to a plot line of magic and heroism, legends and oral history. This simply told tale is a Dahl classic.

Genre: Children

Publisher: Puffin

Publication Date: 2007

Reviewed by Jaci Miller

Young Matilda Wormwood just doesn’t belong in her crude family—they’d rather be watching television and selling lemons at their used car lot. A gifted, extraordinary child, Matilda teaches herself to read and multiply while still a toddler. When she begins kindergarten, she finds a kindred soul in her teacher, Miss Honey, who embraces the child’s special gifts and offers the girl the affection she has never known. But the child-hating headmistress, Miss Trunchbull, is determined to make school a misery for Matilda and all the other children of Crunchem Hall Primary School. When a shocking truth surrounding The Trunchbull and Miss Honey comes to light, Matilda is determined to help her beloved teacher.

Although Matilda is a kindergartener, the vocabulary of the book is better suited to upper elementary ages. But Matilda is so mature that older children will be able to identify with her. The book is replete with justice themes that children will immediately recognize and appreciate. Matilda sees the injustices perpetrated by the adults around her and takes matters into her own hands with pranks, payback and use of magical powers.

In his classic style, Roald Dahl infuses Matilda with absurdity (a headmistress who whirls little girls by their pigtails), the fantastic (telekinetic powers that terrify said headmistress) and liberal doses of sheer kid power (every move Matilda makes)—a combination that has endeared his work to children for years.

Genre: Children

Publisher: Puffin

Publication Date: 2007

Reviewed by Jaci Miller

Mr. Fox has been stealing from Farmers Boggis, Bean and Bunce. So the three revolting farmers set out to trap and kill Mr. Fox and his family. Only when the family is surrounded and starving, without food or hope, does Mr. Fox reveal just how fantastic he is. In Fantastic Mr. Fox, Roald Dahl creates a compelling read for children as they follow the adventures of the Fox family and their battle to survive the farmers’ onslaught.

Dahl is a master storyteller who specializes in simple, straightforward, plot-based tales. No complex plot lines or subplots here. Just true, basic storytelling at its best. Children will root for the Foxes and hold their breaths, waiting to discover how the family escapes from a frightening situation.

The one problematic component of the story is the treatment of Mr. Fox’s stealing—it is deemed fully acceptable, and even explained in the text as such, because it is done for the sake of saving the Fox family from starvation. But, Dahl never deals with the original, frivolous stealing that triggered the farmers’ witch-hunt. He portrays the natural consequences of stealing as unjust to the thief. A film version of the book is now in theaters and it will be interesting to see how the film handles this tricky area.

Regardless, the tale is an exciting one that reads exceptionally well to younger elementary audiences and is an excellent transition from picture books to chapter books. It just needs to be paired with intentional conversation regarding the thievery element.