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Claws
by
Mike Grinti (Goodreads Author),
Rachel Grinti (Goodreads Author)
In a contemporary fairytale as irresistible as catnip, one girl discovers that some magic cuts deep... Emma's sister is missing. Her parents have spent all their savings on the search. And now the family has no choice but to live in a ramshackle trailer park on the edge of the forest, next door to down-and-out harpies, hags, and trolls. Emma wonders if she'll ever see Hele...more
Hardcover, 256 pages
Published
September 1st 2012
by Chicken House
(first published May 3rd 2012)
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In modern-day America where magical creatures of many kinds roam (some of them dangerous to humans)Emma's older sister Helena has gone missing. Their parents will do anything to find her, even move into a rundown trailer park next to where the crags (magical beings) hang out. The first sign that anything is different is the talking cat who already lives in their trailer. Before long Emma is up to her neck in magic and danger, determined to find her sister.
I'm far from being the target audience f...more
I'm far from being the target audience f...more
This is one of those surprising books that didn't go quite as I expected. Most middle grade fantasy fic I'm familiar with tends to take place in a purely fantasy world (often with castles and pseudo medieval settings) for instance The Star Shard or it takes place in a modern world where fantasy is unexpected but shows up like: Cold Cereal. But rarely have I seen this contemporary urban fantasy setting that is fairly common in adult fiction in stories for kids.
Emma and her parents have just moved...more
Emma and her parents have just moved...more
Emma's sister Helena has been missing for several months. Her father can't handle this and has had to close down his Vietnamese restaurant and move the family to a decrepit trailer out near the woods, which is where the crags live. Crags refer to any magical creatures like trolls, dwarves, hags, etc., and Emma's father thinks that by living nearer the creatures he stands a better chance at getting information about his daughter. Emma would like to help, and when a magical cat named Jack shows up...more
4.5
When I borrowed this book from library looking for easy and quick read I didn't expect that I will be hooked. What a pleasant surprise!
Set in world that is very familiar to ours, (think of Alternative Universe) with one major difference magic and magical creatures (and magical persons) are real and live with humans. Emma's world is a bit too much similar with ours and that the main reason why I can't give 5 stars. I will explain why. In a world where magical creatures are real and live with...more
When I borrowed this book from library looking for easy and quick read I didn't expect that I will be hooked. What a pleasant surprise!
Set in world that is very familiar to ours, (think of Alternative Universe) with one major difference magic and magical creatures (and magical persons) are real and live with humans. Emma's world is a bit too much similar with ours and that the main reason why I can't give 5 stars. I will explain why. In a world where magical creatures are real and live with...more
Months after 12-year-old Emma Vu’s older sister, Helena, disappeared, her family is falling apart. Emma’s dad closed the family restaurant and dwindling finances forced them to move into a dilapidated trailer park full of crags (magical creatures such as dwarves, ratters, hags and cats). Emma’s only friend is an old, scruffy one-eyed cat named Jack, who gives her the Heart’s Blood for a pride of cats. Usually this is given to cats, not humans, as whoever has the Heart’s Blood becomes the leader...more
There have been books about young magicians; books about vampires and werewolves in High School. This is a tale of crags. A world populated with fairies, child eating hags, harpies and magical cats.
Emma’s sister Helena has gone missing. Her father, in his despair can’t concentrate and the family loses his restaurant and their home. They end up moving to a caravan park on the outskirts of the enchanted forest.
Emma starts having problems at school and wants to help find Helena. To do this she is g...more
Emma’s sister Helena has gone missing. Her father, in his despair can’t concentrate and the family loses his restaurant and their home. They end up moving to a caravan park on the outskirts of the enchanted forest.
Emma starts having problems at school and wants to help find Helena. To do this she is g...more
I got a preview copy to read and reveiw for SciFiPulse.net and I enjoyed this much more than I thought I would. Intended for middle school readers, it could be enjoyed by girls and boys, as well as their parents. I wanted to read something that I hadn't read before, and this book more than satisfied that need. A young girl, who lives in a world where normal and fantasy creatures live side by side searches for her missing sister with the help of a cat named Jack, who seems to want something more...more
When Emma's sister Helena goes missing her parents do everything they can to try and find her, resulting in the family losing everything. They are forced to move to the edge of the city where crags (magical creatures) live. Emma has her heart set on finding her sister and with the help of Jack, a talking cat, the adventure begins.
I was incredibly excited when I won Claws by Mike and Rachel Grinti from Waterstones a few weeks ago. Although this book is aimed at those that are about ten years youn...more
I was incredibly excited when I won Claws by Mike and Rachel Grinti from Waterstones a few weeks ago. Although this book is aimed at those that are about ten years youn...more
Wow! I loved this clever, original fantasy. In a world where magical creatures called crags are loathed by humans and their children banned from attending human schools, twelve-year-old Emma and her parents have moved to a trailer right on the edge of the Forest, where all the crags live. Emma's older sister has disappeared. Some say she ran away, but Emma and her father believe Helena was kidnapped, and the crags might know where she is. While Emma's father pursues his missing daughter, Emma ta...more
I loved the story! Especially since I understood the few Viet phrases in there. It's exciting, thrilling, and definitely pulls you in. I never got that much into a book before I started reading this! Afterwards, I finally started to read more often. Emma is courageous and daring, showing how much she cares for Helena. Although Helena didn't want to return home (twist right there!), she pulled her big sister away anyways. I think I would've done the same for my sister too. Jack's back-story (whic...more
Claws is a great fantasy read. It is about being different and those dark spaces I remember from being a kid--being rejected, afraid, learning to trust myself and others, and a lot more of that complicated business of growing up.
The adults of this world just don't have the foggiest idea of how to deal with what has happened to their world. Magic has intruded, and the magical creatures who came with it are almost all rejected by society--all except the fairies. Emma's older sister has disappeare...more
The adults of this world just don't have the foggiest idea of how to deal with what has happened to their world. Magic has intruded, and the magical creatures who came with it are almost all rejected by society--all except the fairies. Emma's older sister has disappeare...more
Full Review/Discussion @ the My Precious Blog Website: www.thecallawafam.blogspot.com
Claws
BY MIKE AND RACHEL GRINTI
AMAZON| GOODREADS
Publisher: The Chicken House (September 1, 2012)
Length: Hardcover, 256 pages
Format: E-Arc
Source: Netgalley.com
Genre: Contemporary, Fairytale, Fantasy, MG
Series: No, Stand Alone Novel
Completed: August 2012
Challenges: 2012 DAC, 2012 Ebook Challenge, 2012 YA/MG Fantasy Challenge, 2012 Outdo Yourself Challenge
SUMMARY
When Emma sister turns up missing, their family reloca...more
Claws
BY MIKE AND RACHEL GRINTI
AMAZON| GOODREADS
Publisher: The Chicken House (September 1, 2012)
Length: Hardcover, 256 pages
Format: E-Arc
Source: Netgalley.com
Genre: Contemporary, Fairytale, Fantasy, MG
Series: No, Stand Alone Novel
Completed: August 2012
Challenges: 2012 DAC, 2012 Ebook Challenge, 2012 YA/MG Fantasy Challenge, 2012 Outdo Yourself Challenge
SUMMARY
When Emma sister turns up missing, their family reloca...more
A ROYAL book (Readers Of Young Adult Literature) that I reviewed. I will give this to the middle school library, it's a little too young for high schoolers. Magic, faeries, talking animals, etc., etc. Emma sets off to save her sister who disappeared a year ago. Her family has done everything to try and find her, to no avail. Finally, they move to the edge of the magic forest and Emma meets Jack the cat who tells her he can help her find her sister. And the adventure begins.
Jan 30, 2013
Jennifer
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
chi-fantasy,
chi-adventure
Great fantasy world building for kids. I thought it was smart and liked the whole “ghettoizing” of magical creatures. But the naughty talking cats win the day. Good for 3 grade+ - 6th grade, there are a few scary”ish” parts. I think Fabelhaven fans would like this. This did not feel like your typical formulaic fantasy and had many unique aspects (even if it is a little bit predictable). But you know it is predictable the way fairy tales are so maybe the better word is archetypical.
Dec 11, 2012
Tessara
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
young adults, middle grade readers, readers of urban fantasy
Shelves:
pnba-f2012
I thought it was very clever to give history on the world through the chapter openers; each chapter opens with a fact from CragWiki.
The urban fantasy setting was a lot of fun, with all of the mythical creatures (called 'crags') that we know of, with an interesting twist. It definitely reflects the sort of modern, constantly hooked-in reality that a lot of young people experience today, and I feel like it will really connect with them.
The urban fantasy setting was a lot of fun, with all of the mythical creatures (called 'crags') that we know of, with an interesting twist. It definitely reflects the sort of modern, constantly hooked-in reality that a lot of young people experience today, and I feel like it will really connect with them.
Absolutely fabulous fairy tale about a Vietnamese girl named Emma who is dealing with a missing sister, moving to a trailer park full of "crags" and trying to maintain a grip on life. Set in a world filled with mythological beings, Emma encounters a cat who teaches her cat magic...she and her pride of cats search for her sister, battling magical creatures along the way. Inventive, well written. A must for cat lovers of all ages.
This book was exciting, but kind of confusing. I mean, they never actually told that the world was magical. They walked past their snake man neighbor and acted normal!!!! It took me a few chapters to realize that it was a magical world.
It started out nice with a few oddities here and there, but the whole story ended up being very dark...and I like that.
The faries were a nice touch, and the fairy party was a great climax.
It started out nice with a few oddities here and there, but the whole story ended up being very dark...and I like that.
The faries were a nice touch, and the fairy party was a great climax.
Jan 04, 2013
Stephanie
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
mg-fiction,
books-for-kat-readers
Fun, fast-paced MG fantasy adventure, with a fierce heroine and surprisingly edgy (and very believable!) cat magic and behavior. It has great world-building and a really interesting magical system.
Personally, I sometimes wished that it wasn't all quite so fast-paced - it occasionally felt a little breathless to me, without taking any time to really fill out the heroine's character, which is why this is a 4-star rather than a 5-star review for me - but that's purely down to subjective preferences...more
Personally, I sometimes wished that it wasn't all quite so fast-paced - it occasionally felt a little breathless to me, without taking any time to really fill out the heroine's character, which is why this is a 4-star rather than a 5-star review for me - but that's purely down to subjective preferences...more
In a world full of strange things like magic cats, fairies, and trolls Emma lost her sister. Emma`s picked on because of her interest for magical creatures and without Helena she has no one to consult for help. But when a magic cat named Jack appears and says she can help her find her sister she`s more than willing. But some choices can lead to trouble which this one did.
Dec 15, 2012
Jenn
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
middle-grade,
sf-and-fantasy
Wonderfully unique and vibrant world!
Set in an alternate present where magical creatures ("crags") live among humans, this story follows Emma, a young girl whose family has been struggling to recover since Emma's older sister went missing. When her family moves into a crag neighborhood, Emma quickly becomes involved with a pack of talking cats. Oh, but these aren't any talking cats! There's nothing cute or fuzzy about them -- they're ambitious, powerful, and downright dangerous. As Emma becomes...more
Set in an alternate present where magical creatures ("crags") live among humans, this story follows Emma, a young girl whose family has been struggling to recover since Emma's older sister went missing. When her family moves into a crag neighborhood, Emma quickly becomes involved with a pack of talking cats. Oh, but these aren't any talking cats! There's nothing cute or fuzzy about them -- they're ambitious, powerful, and downright dangerous. As Emma becomes...more
Mar 10, 2013
Suzanne Eastman
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
children-s-literature
A little wierd, and that's OK, but unfortuatly there were parts not well explained. I really liked the idea behind where the book could have gone, the setting, etc. and wanted the story to be great...but...it just didn't grab my attention as it maybe could have.
Jan 11, 2013
Stephanie
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
young-adult-novels,
fantasy-magic
When I realized that the main character was only 12 I was a little worried that I wasn't going to like this book, but once I read a few chapters I was hooked. I would recommend this book as a quick fun read to any magic fantasy lover.
This book really impressed me I picked it up because I like cats and noticed the cat on the cover. however I usually do not care much for magical creature stories but this was really good and very ecpexciting the kind of book that hard to put down.
My 10-year-old son really enjoyed this book and asked me to read it. It was a good story and quick read. The ending was a little rough as I think it could have been given a few more pages, but maybe you just had to ponder it more?
Oct 11, 2012
Flowerchick
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
my-favorite-books
I really love this book!I think this is a great book for preteens.I you like magic you will love this!
A great book for all cat lovers who like fantasy and magic who like being scared a little.
Good read, Nice adventure, Just some awkward situations to me. :\
For younger kids (maybe 8 to 11). The story is fairly simplistic, but it has more adult themes at the end. It certainly didn't go where I expected, and I am sure I would have enjoyed it more as a kid! As it was, a tight and somewhat dark story rife with elves and magic.
Read it to my 8 year old and we loved it.
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| Claws! | 1 | 7 | Jan 02, 2012 06:29pm |
