Cinders and Sapphires

Lady Ada is returning from India, where her father has left his government post in disgrace, only to discover that he is remarrying with little notice.  While on the ship, she meets a young man that makes her swoon and begins to show her that India might not be the beautiful place she remembers.  Rose is a housemaid at Somerton, Lady Ada's home, but her beauty and composure hint at greater things and her mother holds quite the secret.  Lady Ada's new family, the Templeton's, are a very interesting group.  Simon seems to be an Oxford playboy, but he's is hiding a very dangerous secret.  Michael is a troublemaker who wants nothing but to see the world, but his mother wants him close to home.  Charlotte is cruel and conniving and will do whatever it takes to see herself lifted up and her enemies trampled.

Add to this full story the antics of the household staff and their backstabbing, side stories, and dreams and this is one series that is sure to last for quite some time.

The only thing that could have made this book better would have been a cast list and a pronunciation guide.  The cast of characters is absolutely huge.  While the main characters are Ada and Rose, there are dozens of others that will have some role over the course of the series, and with each chapter coming from a different narrator, you can become confused pretty quickly.  My best guess is that there were at least seven different narrators.  That's a lot of different points of view.  I have a feeling that this will be like a soap opera in that some books will focus on different plot lines and characters while almost ignoring the others.

Also, because this book is set in England, I could have used a pronunciation guide.  I had a professor in library school that did a short lesson on British pronunciations and I remember that he wrote Featherstonehaugh on the board and asked us to pronounce it.  The whole class said "Feather-stone-ha".  He told us it was "Fan-shaw".  See how a pronunciation guide would help?  It would completely change my reading.

I think that Cinders and Sapphires could have some appeal for adults.  It's a quick, full period drama with plenty of deceit and action.  Also, I get the feeling that the adults in the story are not just furniture, but they will have important roles in the series, so it's not only the kids that get to have all of the fun.

I can't sign off on this review until I mention the obvious-it's Downton Abbey for the YA set.  Not that I've ever watched the show, but you can pretty well tell that was the intention.  Give this to readers that long for a more refined type of drama.

Happy Reading!

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day!  This is the day to celebrate your sweetie and maybe your sweet tooth too.  But I'm looking forward to a night off from the kitchen and plenty of time with a good book.  In lieu of presents this year (did you hear that honey, IN LIEU OF PRESENTS), my hubby has agreed to make dinner and wash the dishes, so that means that I get a whole night of reading.  Plus, since my hubby will be otherwise engaged, he also can't watch Game of Thrones, so I won't have to ignore battle cries all night either!  Bonus!

So, what should I do with all of this newfound free time?  I'm thinking that a Kindle book purchase is in my future tonight.  But what to buy?

First up, Paper Valentine by Brenna Yovanoff.  What?  Too obvious?   Really this book has nothing to do with Valentine's Day, but rather it's all about a killer on the loose.  Very romantic, I'm sure.

For a little more romance, then try the new Heist Society book from Ally Carter, Perfect Scoundrels.  I know that I said I was getting tired of this series, but I say that about every series.  Katarina and Hale are supposed to get a little closer on this heist which could make things very interesting.










And now for something completely different!  The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angelberger.  Not because it has anything to do with Valentine's Day, but because I've wanted to read it for ages.

 


And this little dark book would be great for all those boycotting Valentine's Day.  The Love Curse of the Rumbaughs comes from the interesting mind of Newbery-winner Jack Gantos.  It combines love, family, and taxidermy-not necessarily in the order.









Finally, I own The Fault in Our Stars by John Green and it's been sitting on my shelf for months, but due to the depressing nature of the book, I'm not allowed to read it.  It is a subject matter not approved for Tiffany, according to my hubby.  But if you can't cry your eyes out on Valentine's Day, when can you?  True, it would ruin Valentine's, so not tonight, maybe not ever.  



What to do, what to do?  I'm thinking The Strange Case of Origami Yoda, personally.  I've been on a full YA bender lately and a little middle grade fiction is the perfect thing to cut through the drama.  And who wants drama on Valentine's Day!  I just want chicken alfredo and a clean kitchen.  Did you hear that honey, that's all!  And a Kindle book and two hours of uninterrupted reading.  That's not too much to ask, is it?

What will you be reading this Valentine's Day?

Happy Reading!

Scarlet

Scarlet is searching for her grandmother who has been missing for over two weeks, but the police in Rieux, France have stopped their search saying she simply ran away.   When Scarlet returns home, she finds her estranged father tearing the house apart looking for something.  He has been tortured by her grandmother's captors and now he is trying to find the information they want to save his life.  With this knowledge that her grandmother is in danger, Scarlet enlists the help of an unlikely source, a street-fighter named Wolf, to help her find her grandmother and bring her back safely.

Meanwhile, Cinder, the Lunar turned cyborg, is busy escaping from prison with vain and pompous, Thorne, and trying to reach Dr. Egar in Africa.  But she decides she needs to make a stop first, in France, to find the woman that helped rescue her from Luna.

Marissa Meyer does a fantastic job with this new retelling of Little Red Ridinghood, and further adding to the Lunar Chronicles.  The chapters alternate between Cinder, Scarlet and occasionally Emperor Kai.    Cinder is still trying to come to terms with her Lunar heritage and her gift.  The guilt that she feels when controlling people is very well drawn.  The reader also gets the sense that Cinder is a very reluctant hero.  She never knew her true identity, and now so much is expected of her and that is very frightening.  On the other hand, Scarlet is a fiery character that will do anything to protect those she loves, and she is anything but reluctant.  The reader can only hope that Kai will make the right decision and that book 3 will somehow end well for him.

Fans of Cinder will be very pleased with this sequel.  It builds well on the previous action and adds a few more elements for book 3.  There are a couple of short stories that take place on Luna available from Amazon and I think that I will check those out soon while I wait for the finale of this series.

I know that it convoluted, but I love the fairy tale retellings with a sci-fi flare.  I also loved the different headings moving into each part of the book.  I thought those worked well as foreshadowing.

And now, a brief rant.  How is it that February is the shortest month of the year, yet it is the busiest?  It's been a crazy month so far, and unfortunately, it's far from over for me.  Sorry about the lack of posting.  I am probably the only person that actually cares that I post four-five times a week, but I am really trying to stay in a routine.

I hope that your February is flying by and that you have plenty of time for good books.

Happy Reading!

Passive Reader's Advisory

I'm currently taking an online class through ALA and one thing that we were asked to share were passive programming ideas.  I took things one step further with a fun passive reader's advisory activity.

The image above shows an example of a flyer that I created to get kids into reading.  I would pick a book, any book, write up a little blurb and then use a substitution code for the title.  As you can see the code is written at the bottom for those interested in solving the title.  Then I'd wait for kids to start asking me for the book.

Usually, I didn't make it too hard.  I would display this sign on a shelf row end cap, and display the book on that same end cap, but the flyer worked so well that I sometimes had to place holds for the books.

Also, I liked to make this seem like some mysterious person was recommending these books.  I sometimes said things like-your teacher doesn't want to you read this book-or-this book is so funny you might laugh so loud the librarians will shush you!  Stuff like that makes kids want to read the book.  Also, the mystery and codes make the books seem almost forbidden.

I usually displayed little known funny or exciting books this way.  Or, if I accidentally had two copies of a book I would try to get them out a little more with this method.  My favorite book that got this treatment was The London Eye Mystery.  It was a oops-2-copies book, but a great read.  A boy walks onto the London Eye and his cousins wait below for him after the ride is over, but he never gets off.  Where did he go?  You're hooked already!  Well, I put together a code flyer for it, and both copies were checked out immediately.  Then I had a young man come to the desk and ask about it.  I coyly asked him how he heard about this book, and he said in a "duh" kind of voice-that flyer over there tells all about it.  Ha!  The flyer works!

So, if you are tired of boring book displays that practically shove books into patrons faces, try this sneaky approach.  You'll find that they are willing to work for it.

Happy Reading!

The Ghost of Crutchfield Hall

Florence is an orphan who has been sent to live with a long-lost uncle in the English countryside, but something is not right about the estate.  Her cousin James is ill and stays in his room all day and her aunt is still in mourning over the death of Sophia, James' sister, which was nearly a year in the past.  Soon, Florence starts feeling watched and she starts to see and come under Sophia's influence.  Before she knows is, Florence is doing Sophia's bidding, and it is certain that Sophia was not the girl that her aunt described.  How can Florence stop a ghost from continuing to hurt her family?

Mary Downing Hahn has found a formula and she sticks to it.  I remember reading Wait Till Helen Comes when I was young and being scared out of my mind.  That's actually how I booktalk it to readers.  Once they learn I couldn't sleep for a week because of it, they can't wait to read it.  Hahn's books are just spooky enough for young readers that they are appropriately scared, but can't quite make out the ending.  Now, adults can see this coming from a mile away, but Hahn doesn't write for adults.

While this book is completely predictable, I would still recommend it to young readers.  The English countryside is well described and everyone gets exactly what they deserve in the end, so readers will feel good about the action.  Although, the ending does leave a little room for Sophia to come back-not enough for a sequel, just a enough to keep readers thinking.

The nice thing about Hahn's books is that they age well.  Add a spooky new cover and it's ready to go for a whole new generation of readers.  Also, her books are strangely addictive.  I knew from the beginning what would happen, but yet, I kept reading to see exactly how Sophia got what she deserved and see what other wicked characters were taken care of as well.  Also, young readers love to be spooked, but by tidily handling all of the bad guys, Hahn makes it so that everyone can sleep well at night.

In short, if you have a fourth grade readers that likes to be scared, but you don't want them to have nightmares, steer them toward anything by Mary Downing Hahn.

Happy Reading.

I'm not neglecting you!!

I promise that I am not neglecting you.  I was away for nearly a week tending to some family business and now I am back to a flurry of work and emails and review books and general craziness.

The good news is that my time away actually turned into a great time to read for long stretches at a time.  There was lots of just waiting around for something to happen.  So now I have several books ready to be reviewed and posted.  Now I just need more than 2 minutes to be able to post.

I miss writing everyday, so I hope I will be back with greater consistency by next week.

Until then, enjoy an unhurried day for me!

Happy Reading

Tuesdays at the Castle

Celcie is the youngest of four children and daughter of the King Glower the Seventy-Ninth.  She lives in an enchanted castle with her family and on Tuesdays it seems that the castle decides to change and shift as it sees fit.  It will add extra hallways, change rooms, rearrange the floor plan, and if it does not like someone, it will make it known by shrinking rooms and locking doors.  The family must respect the castle and learn to understand it's judgement.

When Celcie's parents leave to attend her brother's graduation from a wizarding college, they are ambushed as part of a traitorous plot and declared dead.  Representatives from neighboring kingdoms arrive at the castle to pay their respects and diplomacy starts to strain as Rolf, Celcie's brother, is crowned king and more plots are set into motion.  Now, the children must use the help of the castle to protect their family and their home.

This is a delightful story.  Celcie is quite the hero.  As the youngest, she can be child-like, brave, sensible, and impulsive in turns.  She is the one that the castle loves best and her relationship with the castle is endearing.  The castle itself is a character all its own, and many readers will find themselves wishing that they could visit Castle Glower.  Rolf, the future king, is both a fine leader, and loving and silly brother, while Lilah is very concerned with manners but she is also a kind sister.

Readers will also be struck by the pranks that the children pull on the Council and their enemies.  Those pranks, both aided and unaided by the castle, sound like a good deal of fun, although hopefully readers will realize that these types of pranks are best left in books.

This is the first in a projected series, however, it stands perfectly on it's own.  This would make an excellent addition to any reader's choice award book list, as it is easily accessible for readers from grades 3 through 5, but the interest level could stretch it an extra year.  Plus, this is a lovely book for adult readers to read with their children, or if they are just looking for a fun adventure to help them feel young at heart.

Happy Reading!