Epic by Conor Kostick, 2004
Eric’s mother has died in the arena, failing to win her appeal for a new solar panel and must now start over from scratch. Eric has recently died as well on adventures his parents fear are frivolous. On a whim, he recreates himself as a girl swashbuckler and uses all his start-up points on beauty. In this world where the population uses a virtual reality game to solve all conflicts and run the economy, such loses and choices are serious business. When Eric’s father is sent into exile, he and his friends take a path in the game that no one has risked for generations, defeating a dragon, accumulating great wealth, and threatening both the society’s ruling elite and the game’s own nascent intelligence in the process.
This book was written by a fantasy-game writer and is a great read, just as entertaining as Heir Apparent. I liked the plot and the relationships between the friends.
Something Rotten (A Horatio Wilkes Mystery) by Alan Gratz, 2007
There’s something rotten in Denmark, and it stinks bad. Denmark, TN, has a polluting paper mill that is owned by the family of Horatio’s best friend, Hamilton Prince. Now Hamilton’s dad is dead and his uncle has married his mother. Sound familiar? Horatio promises to uncover motives, means, and opportunities to understand what really has been happening in Denmark.
Other tags: Copenhagen River. Pollution. Olivia Mendelsohn, the tree-hugging, cute ex-girlfriend. Trudy Prince, mom. Rex Prince, dead dad who appears from beyond the grave (in a video). Claude Prince, the uncle. Ford N. Branff, the ex-flame of Trudy’s.
A clever take on Hamlet, with humor and suspense. YA mysteries are not my favorite genre and I like this one more in the abstract than I did while reading it.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Friday, September 12, 2008
Dead & the Gone, Red Glass
The Dead and the Gone by Susan Beth Pfeffer, 2008
A companion book to Life as We Knew It, this book covers the same catastrophic event of the moon being knocked out of orbit but from a different location – this time, New York City. Alex Morales, a senior who has worked hard to be top in his class, must try to take care of his younger sisters when both his parents are caught away from home when the disaster strikes.
Other tags: Puerto Rican American. Survival story. Catholic church.
This story is an interesting imagining of what life might be like should such an event occur, but I didn’t find it as gripping as the first book, maybe because the hardships are very similar. I liked it OK.
Red Glass by Laura Resau, 2007
International Reading Assoc. Award
This book covers the story of 16-year-old Sophie, a hypochondriac whose parents often help immigrants in need as they cross the Arizona border. When 6-year-old Pablo comes to live with them after his parents have perished, Sophie forms a close attachment as she reads him poetry and tries to make his smile. The next summer, she travels with her great aunt Dika, Dika’s boyfriend Mr. Lorenzo, Mr. Lorenzo’s son Angel and Pablo to Pablo’s hometown in Mexico and then on to Angel’s hometown in Guatamala. Along the way, she is able to let go of her phobias as she confronts real life-threatening dangers and inner strength to confront them.
It is a travel story of great growth, love, and friendship. It questions what makes a home, who is family, and how we become confident and complete individuals. I liked it OK.
A companion book to Life as We Knew It, this book covers the same catastrophic event of the moon being knocked out of orbit but from a different location – this time, New York City. Alex Morales, a senior who has worked hard to be top in his class, must try to take care of his younger sisters when both his parents are caught away from home when the disaster strikes.
Other tags: Puerto Rican American. Survival story. Catholic church.
This story is an interesting imagining of what life might be like should such an event occur, but I didn’t find it as gripping as the first book, maybe because the hardships are very similar. I liked it OK.
Red Glass by Laura Resau, 2007
International Reading Assoc. Award
This book covers the story of 16-year-old Sophie, a hypochondriac whose parents often help immigrants in need as they cross the Arizona border. When 6-year-old Pablo comes to live with them after his parents have perished, Sophie forms a close attachment as she reads him poetry and tries to make his smile. The next summer, she travels with her great aunt Dika, Dika’s boyfriend Mr. Lorenzo, Mr. Lorenzo’s son Angel and Pablo to Pablo’s hometown in Mexico and then on to Angel’s hometown in Guatamala. Along the way, she is able to let go of her phobias as she confronts real life-threatening dangers and inner strength to confront them.
It is a travel story of great growth, love, and friendship. It questions what makes a home, who is family, and how we become confident and complete individuals. I liked it OK.
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