The Amazing Book is Not on Fire

The Amazing Book is Not on Fire: The World of Dan and Phil by Dan Howell & Phil Lester (Random House Books for Young Readers, 2015, 224pp.)

Take a walk on the silly side with Dan and Phil, a British YouTube duo who use the Internet to entertain millions with their videos. Using pictures, text conversations, interviews, and more, this pair chronicles their unusual career in a way that entertains as much as their online content. Fun stuff includes trivia, comedy sketches with stuffed lions, tips on hamster breeding, and how to make your own YouTube videos. Recommended for Grades 7-Up for some mild swearing.

Review: Surrounded by Sharks: A Spine-Tingling Adventure Tale (with No Character Development), by Michael Northrop

Surrounded by Sharks by Michael Northrop (2014; Scholastic Press, 2016, 224pp.)

Thirteen-year-old Davey makes the worst mistake of his life when he decides to ignore the “No Swimming” sign at the beach. Shortly after he wades in, he’s overtaken by a dangerous riptide and swept out to sea. Now he’s floating in the middle of the ocean—and about to come head to head with a hungry tiger shark! While the novel’s lack of character development brings much disappointment, the plot that accompanies the author’s spine-tingling premise does not. It’s action-packed from beginning to end, and will definitely appeal to reluctant readers in Grades 5-7.

Dawn of Spies

Dawn of Spies (Crusoe #1) by Andrew Lane (Adaptive Books, 2017, 320pp.) 

In this reimagining of Daniel Defoe’s 18th century classic of shipwreck and survival, Robinson “Robin” Crusoe, a merchant’s son, and Friday, the daughter of a pirate king, are finally rescued from a desert island after three long years as living as castaways. Shortly after they arrive in London, the writer Daniel Defoe offers to buy the rights to their amazing story. In normal circumstances, this close-knit pair of friends would be reluctant to open up to a stranger--however, circumstances have rendered them penniless, and they see no other choice but to agree to a meeting. Imagine their surprise when Defoe later reveals himself to be a spy for the government. He thinks their unique experiences will make them perfect spies, and wants to recruit them for service under King Charles II. Their first mission is to protect the king’s daughter, the Countess of Lichfield, from kidnapping by enemies of the Crown. Of course, despite the valiant efforts of Robin, Friday, and other members of the king’s spy ring, the Countess is kidnapped by masked men, and carried away in a hot air balloon. Things get even more tense when its discovered that she’s been taken by the Circle of Thirteen, an organization dedicated to taking down the entire empire at any cost.

Having already cut his teeth on the “reinvented classic” genre with his Young Sherlock Holmes series, Andrew Lane--for the most part--executes his premise well. I especially like what he did with the role of Friday. In the classical text, Friday is Crusoe’s male servant who swears subservience to the Englishman after the latter saves him from cannibals. In Lane’s work, Friday is Crusoe’s friend and equal, a strong and capable young black woman who is more than capable of holding her own. Although the fast-paced nature of the tale leaves little room for character development (which would have, in my opinion, made it a much better novel), its interesting premise and swashbuckling action sequences make this a good choice for fans of action/adventure. Recommended for Ages 13-15.

Meh

What Light by Jay Asher (Razorbill, 2016, 272pp.)

Sierra is always bummed to leave her friends behind when she and her parents leave for a month every year to tend their out-of-state farm in California. On her latest stay, she meets a cute boy named Caleb. Caleb is charming and gentle, a selfless young man who buys up discounted Christmas trees and delivers them to families in need. In any other scenario, Sierra knows the two would be a perfect pair—but alas, the couple already have two strikes against them! First, Sierra doesn’t believe in long-distance relationships. Second, Caleb once attacked his sister with a knife, an attack that locals still gossip about. Although Sierra accepts Caleb’s explanation that he was acting under extreme duress at the time, and that his sister has since forgiven him, all the townspeople, including her parents, still look upon him with suspicion. As Sierra passionately defends their budding relationship, she risks alienating both friends and family. Will their love survive, or will it prove to be simply a fruitless season fling?

I have to admit, I really expected more from the author who wrote Thirteen Reasons Why. That novel, which explores the reasons why a teenage girl killed herself, contains a romantic subplot that’s thwarted before it really can even begin, all because one of the potential lovers has already committed suicide. The insurmountable reasons that keep What Light’s two lovebirds apart? An endless line of naysayers spouting simple-minded prejudice. Also, Sierra’s personal wariness of long-distance relationships—but that’s easily overcome once she realizes her feelings for Caleb. VERDICT: In this season’s banquet of literary morsels, consider this a sweet but sugary snack. Hand to those looking for a simple, seasonal romance, while those looking for a meatier story should look elsewhere. With no drug use, swearing, or sexual content present, I’d recommend this for romance lovers, Ages 13-15.

Escape from Witchwood Hollow

Source: Publisher Website

Escape from Witchwood Hollow by Jordan Elizabeth (Curiosity Quills Press, 2014, 180pp.)

In Arnn, New York, there is a very bad place called Witchwood Hollow. In 1760, Lady Elizabeth Clifford fled there to escape her pursuers when she was accused of witchcraft. In 1850, naive teenager Albertine took a short-cut through the woods to get to her father’s house—only to never find her way out. Fast-forward to 2001: high schooler Honoria has come to Arnn after the tragic death of her parents. When she hears about the legend of the woods and the dreadful witch who lives there, she becomes intrigued, and decides to find out more—yet  little does she know that her quest could very well become her undoing…

Escape from Witchwood Hollow is a quick read, barely 200 pages in length. Now, as a fan of horror films, I was delighted with the premise, and the foreboding atmosphere that accompanied the story was great. However, I never really got a sense of who the characters were as people, and I also have somewhat mixed feelings about the ending. These two things ultimately made my reading experience a little disappointing, but I would still recommend it to readers ages 14-up.

Define "Normal"

Source: Author Website

Define “Normal” by Julie Anne Peters (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2000, 196pp.)

Hoping to spice up her college application with some extracurricular activities, Antonia volunteers to peer counsel one of her troubled classmates. Unfortunately, the school sees fit to pair her with Jazz, a scary, tattooed goth girl who looks like she eats kindergartners for breakfast. It seems the two girls couldn’t be more incompatible—yet, they actually have more in common than either of them realize. For example, both have trouble at home, though in differing degrees. While Jazz struggles to maintain her “goth” identity against her parents’ wishes, Antonia struggles to care for her severely depressed mother, as well as parent her two preschool-aged brothers. As the story unfolds around these two well-developed protagonists, the author addresses the elusive definition of “normal,” and encourages her teen readers to think twice before dismissing a peer based on physical appearance. There was no “objectionable” material like swearing or violence, though there is a very intense scene where Antonia’s mother is institutionalized for her depression, and her children are sent to live with a foster family until she “gets better.” At 196 pages, it's a quick read that will appeal to younger teens (ages 13-15) interested in realistic/urban fiction, and those seeking solace for troubled home situations.

Legacy

Source: Publisher Website

Legacy (Legacy #1) by Ellery A. Kane (BalboaPress, 2014, 254pp.)

In 2041, our world has been laid bare by desolation and war. Cities lay in ruins. The United States is a military state, with armed government thugs (called Guardians) patrolling every sidewalk, and government-sponsored companies like Zenigenic churning out mood-altering pills. In the middle of this there is Lex Knightley, a young woman whose mother invented the anti-fear drug, Emovere. Although her mother was once a high-ranking forensic psychiatrist at Zenigenic, Dr. Knightley has since resigned from the company  after she discovered Emovere has devastating side-effects. Now a sympathizer for an anti-government group, Dr. Knightley sends daughter Lex to make contact with the so-called Resistance. Lex ends up spending a month at their headquarters, making friends and learning more about the past connection that she shares with a mysterious, troubled youth named Quin. While at first Lex thinks she's among friends, she soon begins to realize that neither the Resistance, nor the government they fight against, is entirely trustworthy. With the help of Quin and a group of ex-Resistance fighters, Lex sets out to find the truth about what's really going on in the world.

Overall, Legacy's plot is engaging, and has a sound (if not entirely original) premise. In regards to the characters, they could all definitely have been fleshed out a bit more, but this does not retract from the story's quality too much. Recommended for Ages 15-Up.

No Alligators in Sight

No Alligators in Sight by Kirsten B. Feldman (Self-Published, 2013, 233pp.)

When 13-year-old Lettie is caught shoplifting, her father sends both her and her younger brother to live with their estranged mother for the summer as punishment. Their mother Gertrude, who left the family when her children were very young, is now living in Florida and married to control-freak Orlando. It’s a recipe for disaster as the head-strong Lettie clashes with both adults, all the while struggling to figure out where she fits in as a teen who’s much too old for her age. Although the novel starts out slow, Lettie’s journey as a character is well-developed, and should appeal to fans of realism and coming-of-age fiction. Recommended for Ages 14-16.

Sets the Bar High for Other Books by Estes

The Sun Dwellers (The Dwellers/Country Saga #3) by David Estes (Self-Published, 2012, 398pp.)

The Sun Dwellers finds Adele, Tristan, and the gang setting off on a mission to kill the egomaniacal Sun Dweller President Nailin and end a war that is wreaking havoc in the Lower Realms. By the end of the story, there will be more death, more innocence lost, and an awesome secret revealed that changes everything.

What can I say? It’s a good book. The pacing is quick, the tension is almost painful, and the ending climax is pretty epic. That said, like the other books in this series, it isn’t great. The author gets a little heavy-handed at times about the socioeconomic disparities between the Sun Realm and the Lower Realms, and certain supporting characters remain as flat as they were the moment they entered the story. That said, it’s still a very good end to The Dwellers Saga, and sets the bar pretty high bar for its sister series, The Country Saga. Recommended for Ages 15-Up.

Romeo + Juliet: 2014

Source: Author Website

Anyone But You (Twisted Lit #3) by Kim Askew & Amy Helmes (Merit Press, 2014, 224pp.)

In this third installment in the “Twisted Lit” series, the authors pay due to Shakespeare’s best-known play, Romeo and Juliet, by modernizing it and setting it in 20th century Chicago. Anyone But You follows two love stories separated by decades of history: in 1933, young Nick Monte struggles to thrive despite anti-Italian sentiment, while 80 years later, Gigi Caputo, daughter of impoverished restaurateurs, is forced to decide between familial duty (obeying her parents by dating the son of a snobby venture capitalist), or following her own heart (which is telling her to pursue her crush, Roman Monte). By entwining two stories of prejudice, thwarted love, and family, the novel succeeds by virtue of honoring the spirit of the original story rather than the letter, allowing the authors to explore modern, relevant ideas while still keeping the story fresh. Recommended for readers ages 14-Up.

The Chosen One

The Chosen One (Teravinea #1) by D. María Trimble (Self-Published, 2012, 210pp.)

Twenty years ago, in the Kingdom of Teravinea, dragons and their human riders once filled the skies and served the royal House of Drekinn. After a violent coup, the ruthless usurper Galtero seized power and exterminated the royal family and the dragons, causing the dragon riders to flee into hiding. Now, school children are taught that dragons were nothing more than mythical creatures—but  15-year-old Amàne soon finds out otherwise when an odd-shaped rock she finds on the beach hatches into one of these noble reptilian steads, and “links” with her. Shortly after she confides in a trusted family friend about her discovery, former dragon riders start making themselves known and start training Amàne and her dragon, Eshshah, for a battle that will unseat the wicked usurper and restore power to the House of Drekinn. Amàne, the narrator of the tale, is a strong heroine, with enough flaws to make her human, but enough good qualities to make her likable. The plot is a tad bit simplistic (evil king must be dethroned), but I get the feeling that the author intends to focus more on Amàne’s evolution as a character rather than Teravinea’s politics. Recommended for younger teens, and fans of Anne McCaffrey’s The Dragonriders of Pern.

A Sensitive Fable About Grief and Loss

One Stone Left Unturned by Marianna Heusler (Wild Child Publishing, 2013, 230pp.)

Augusta Ashford’s life has become considerably more difficult since her grandmother, Elvira, developed Alzheimer’s. Augusta is already picked on on a regular basis, and now she has to defend her grandmother’s peculiar antics to her bullying mother. Elvira has a habit of taking things that aren’t hers, the most recent of which is a precious tourmaline she found in the basement of a ruined Catholic church—but it isn’t any ordinary stone. Augusta soon discovers that the stone has miraculous healing properties. Meanwhile, almost 100 years earlier, we learn that the young princess Tatiana Romanov also owned the stone, and used it to ease the symptoms of her younger brother’s hemophilia while in her family was held in captivity. Interweaving the two stories of the doomed czar’s family in Russia, and the American teenager, Augusta Ashford, One Stone Left Unturned is both a fresh, suspenseful take on the Romanov murders, and a sensitive fable about grief and loss. Recommended for Ages 12-15.

Interesting Start to a Series, But Still Needs Work

Shadow (The Rex Deus Dynasty #1) by Olivia Cooper (Self-Published, 2013, 113pp.)

Orphaned when her adoptive parents both die within months of each other, 18-year-old Angelina Hathaway is a high-school dropout who works a satisfying, if low-paying, job at a restaurant. Enter Guillermo, a mysterious young man who contacts her with information about her birth parents: unbeknownst to her, her parents were high-ranking members of the Rex Deus Dynasty, an organization dedicated to protecting the lineage of Christ—of which Angelina is the last direct descendant. After she’s almost killed in her apartment by a mysterious assailant, the Rex Deus Dynasty whisks her away to a remote compound in Mendocino, California, where they provide her with a lavish lifestyle and opportunities to complete her education. She is allowed to come and go as she pleases; the only non-negotiable factor in the deal is that she must marry another of the blood and produce as many children as possible. Certainly not the worst fate imaginable, especially since her proposed future husband, Guillermo, is fairly attractive—but to a modern girl like Angelina, the proposition is more than a little creepy. Then, when one of the organization is mysteriously murdered by the same assailant who attacked her before, Angelina realizes that not even her new “friends” can ensure her safety.

Shadow is an interesting variation on a somewhat original premise (Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene!), but at only 113 pages, I finished the story with the impression that both plot and characters were left underdeveloped. So, while I recommend it as an interesting start to a series, I feel that it could still use a little more work. Recommended for Ages 14-Up.

Kadamba of Gentle Humilaith

Kadamba of Gentle Humilaith (Cosmic Library #2) by Mirti Venyon Reiyas (CreateSpace, 2012, 132pp.)

This second stand-alone installment in Reiyas’s Cosmic Library series deals with the effects of the malicious Thorn Virus spawned by the mischievous kinkas, a malignity which is gradually suffusing the universe—both people and things—with ill-will and unscrupulous behavior. On planet Ethera, Kon Fu-Zed, the ambitious director of an aerospace travel company, has plans to develop the previously untouched continent of The (pronounced “thay”) into an animalline-hunting theme park. He also can’t wait to try out his brand new invention, the “Whe-pin,” a devastating weapon which would be the nightmare of any endangered species. He appoints Tahdi Bellevue, an employee, to lead a surveying expedition. But when Tahdi lands on The, he meets Neelaiyahay, a half-tiger, half-human being who opens his eyes to the ecological consequences of Kon Fu-Zed’s plans. In the end, Tahdi and Neelaiyahay must defeat not only the physical manifestation of the thorns (which are clogging up inter-dimensional gateways), but convince Kon Fu-Zed that razing everything green to the ground is not beneficial to anyone in the long run.

As I finished Kadamba, my initial reaction was: “Well, that was okay. Things certainly happened, but at the same time, the events weren’t very...dramatic.” Then I  remembered seeing something on the author’s website about the name she has assigned for this particular genre: “Positive Young Adult Romantic Adventurous Fantasy.” Ah, I thought. That explains it. The Cosmic Library series is one that keeps the conflict on a juvenile reader’s level while exploring interesting ideas. There are no cars and trucks exploding, nor people massacring their families and then setting themselves on fire. The series shuns violence, and instead choses to focus on the importance of choosing the path of positive thinking over that of negative (if you’ve ever taken a yoga class, you’ll know what I’m talking about).

Now, some of the best psychological fiction has no “action,” but instead mediates on the characters’ internal struggles. In this regard, however, Kadamba loses some points. Although I liked the relationship between Tahdi and Neelaiyahay, I didn’t feel like I got to know them, or the other characters, as well as I could have. Recommended for Ages 12-14, and for adults who are tired of the graphic violence in the media.

Click on cover for image source.

Solid

Solid (Solid #1) by Shelley Workinger (CreateSpace, 2010, 236pp.)

Seventeen-year-old Clio Kaid and about ninety-nine other teens have just received the shock of their lives: they are not ordinary kids at all, but the products of an top-secret government experiment that altered their genes before birth. After this rather embarrassing admission, the Army has invited the test subjects to a secret government training facility where they can explore their new-found super powers. Everything’s pretty hunky dory at first, but soon, things begin happening that lead Clio and her friends to suspect that the Powers That Be may have ulterior motives.

It’s an interesting premise, if not exactly a highly original one. The plot didn’t grip me as much as I had hoped, and the characters don’t undergo much development, partly because they don’t have enough to do. However, now that the setting and main characters have been established, I would still be interested in seeing what else this series has to offer. Recommended for Ages 13-Up.

Click on cover for image source.

For Fans of the Parallel World Premise

Have Book – Will Travel by Kfir and Yonatan Luzzatto (Pine Ten, LLC, 2012)

(Warning: Spoilers Ahead!)

Whether it’s off to Narnia through the magic wardrobe or falling down a rabbit-hole into Wonderland, transport to parallel worlds has always been a favorite in fantasy. In Have Book – Will Travel, the method of transportation happens to be a book – specifically, one Book of Dreams found by two friends, Darla and Max, in the storage room of an old fortress. Read a line aloud, any line, and within seconds, you’re in another dimension.

Plot-wise, the novel chronicles the adventures of Darla and Max as they flit from world to world. Max and Darla only visit two unnamed parallel worlds. The first, only briefly touched on, is ruled by gentlewomen who consider men to be second-class citizens. Upon the teens’ arrival, Max is thrown immediately into prison to await execution. After a few chapters spent trying to rescue Max, the two escape into a second world, one somewhat similar to their home world except for a few tweaks in the laws of physics. To be more exact, it’s not uncommon for people to find their spirits separated from their bodies, either by fever (you literally go out of your head from sickness) or, in Max’s case, dropping from the sky and landing on some poor unfortunate below – only to realize once you’ve gotten up and dusted yourself off that you’ve somehow knocked yourself out of your body and into that of the other person (whoops!).

Personally, I found the “Book of Dreams” premise to be a neat idea, but one that is not as fully explored as I had hoped. The two alternate worlds are not equally developed, which makes the flow of the story feel somewhat unbalanced. In all, I would recommend this for younger teens interested in Phillip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy or C.S. Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia, both of which employ the “parallel world” premise.

Click on cover for image source.

Tess, Terrorists, and the Tiara

Source: Goodreads

Tess, Terrorists, and the Tiara by Terry Baldwin (Middleton Books, 2012, 135pp.)
 
Fifty years ago, Tess’s grandmother became the last winner of the Miss Land of the Free pageant. Today, Grandma’s health is declining due to Alzheimer’s. Deciding to make the most of her remaining years of cognizance, Grandma decides to give her diamond tiara—the one she was crowned with—to her granddaughter. The problem is, she has two: Tess, 13, and Brianna, 16. In order to make the decision fair, she and Grandpa invite the sisters to participate in a contest during their summer visit. Whoever earns enough “Helpful Points” before school starts will win the tiara.

Poor Tess thinks her chances of winning are dismal. Her pretty older sister is smart and competent, while Tess, on the other hand, has been described by friends and family as sweet but scatter-brained, constantly distracted by an over-active imagination. Here is where the story incorporates not only “Tess” and the “Tiara,” but “Terrorists” as well. After reading an article in National Geographic about the frightening, misogynist nature of Muslim extremists, Tess notices one of the neighbors clad head-to-toe in a dark cloak, and recognizes it from the article as a burka. Putting two and two together, Tess fears that the neighbors are terrorists who are targeting her grandmother—Miss Land of the Free herself!

Baldwin’s short novel isn’t not so much about a girl encountering a different culture or religion as it is a cautionary tale about judging people at face value. It’s certainly a nice message to teach children. However, I feel that the story would have been better served if it had shown Tess exploring another culture’s traditions and values than simply act as an exercise in tolerance. Recommended for Ages 9-13.

This review can also be found on my Children's Review Site here.