Totally charming and fun. I loved Elodie and her masteress the dragon detective Meenore (IT), and Count Jonty Um is my favorite ogre in a long time. T...moreTotally charming and fun. I loved Elodie and her masteress the dragon detective Meenore (IT), and Count Jonty Um is my favorite ogre in a long time. The whole book is just delightful.(less)
Fun, fast-paced MG fantasy adventure, with a fierce heroine and surprisingly edgy (and very believable!) cat magic and behavior. It has great world-bu...moreFun, 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, and I bet a ton of kids will LOVE this. I really liked it, despite that nitpick.(less)
There's so much to love in this book! Fabulous twelve-year-old girls squaring up to danger and solving mysteries! A heroine whose fantasy is to be a p...moreThere's so much to love in this book! Fabulous twelve-year-old girls squaring up to danger and solving mysteries! A heroine whose fantasy is to be a professor of Asian studies at Oxford! Her best friend, who plans to join the FBI! A wonderfully smart, ruthless and snarky new friend, met by the heroine when she becomes a social outcast! And it's all really funny, too.
I think if I were more of a mystery fan myself, I would have given this book 5 stars and loved every bit of it. Because I'm not really a huge mystery fan, the mystery plot actually had even more twists and turns than I needed, as a reader; the book could have been a tiny bit shorter, with fewer surprise twists to the mystery, and I would have found it even more satisfying. But that's a really personal, subjective point, and one that most mystery fans, I think, wouldn't agree with.
Regardless, I loved Kittscher's writing, I loved the humor and the characters, and I liked the whole book a lot.(less)
Lovely, serious fantasy novel for children. It's traditional in a good way - this would fit very nicely next to CS Lewis on the shelf, with the 21st c...moreLovely, serious fantasy novel for children. It's traditional in a good way - this would fit very nicely next to CS Lewis on the shelf, with the 21st century update of a strong (and even vegetarian! yay!) heroine. It's very different from the Magic Thief books, but just as good in a different way - less sparky humor, but really lyrical writing and magic that feels truly, deeply magical. I'm looking forward to sharing this with my son when he's older. (less)
Honestly, I wasn't sure that it would be fun for me, at first - in the first page, the casual sexism of the twelve-yea...moreThis book was just so much fun.
Honestly, I wasn't sure that it would be fun for me, at first - in the first page, the casual sexism of the twelve-year-old-boy hero got on my nerves, making me think, okay, maybe this isn't actually a book I'm going to enjoy...BUT I was so wrong about that. Not only are Vincent's sexist preconceptions about girls completely overthrown, but the girl who starts out simply as his unattainable crush, Polly, turns out to be a FABULOUS character, completely against all stereotypes.
Vincent lives in a world where superheroes and supervillains are everyday occurrences - and he's the president of the fan club for his local superhero, the awesomely powerful Captain Stupendous, who ALWAYS saves the day...until something goes suddenly, terribly wrong and Captain Stupendous's powers get transferred to an all-new, unsuspecting and unprepared recipient. Now muscle-free Vincent and his geeky friends have to scramble to train the all-new Captain Stupendous - Polly!
The whole book is filled with zingy humor and fast-paced action, as Polly/Stupendous battles massive robots of doom and Vincent and his friends search out supervillains' secret lairs. I'm guessing that anyone who grew up devouring comic books would love it even more than I did - but even without that background, I really loved it, too. Funny, sweet, and purely FUN. I can't wait until my son is old enough to read it!(less)
Pea and her sisters Clover and Tinkerbell are moving from their tiny, mold-ridden flat in Tenby, Wales, all the way to a beautiful new house in London...morePea and her sisters Clover and Tinkerbell are moving from their tiny, mold-ridden flat in Tenby, Wales, all the way to a beautiful new house in London, for an unusual reason: their mother, a sweet but flaky writer, has suddenly exploded into literary celebrity with her new series The Mermaid Girls! She's publishing under the pseudonym of 'Marina Cove'. That means that the girls are dealing not just with their lives turning inside-out, but with two disconcertingly different versions of their own mother: the "Mum" they've always known and the "Marina" that girls all over the country are suddenly obsessed with, who is glamorous and not at all the same.
Worse yet, the original three "mermaid girls" of Marina's books were based on her own daughters...and the one based on Pea has now turned evil AND died! What does that mean?
It just makes sense for glamorous author 'Marina Cove' to have a beautiful house in London...but now Pea, Clover and Tinkerbell (all strong and fabulous personalities!) have to find new identities of their own as London girls. As Pea hunts for a new best friend to anchor her in her new home, she runs into one hilarious catastrophe after another, cycles through various different possible identities of her own (to try to fit in with different best-friend candidates), and finally comes to a conclusion:
Really, Pea thought, there was no such thing as a normal family; just yours, and everyone else's.
And that really sums up the loveliness - and the quirkiness - of the book in so many ways. Really, my only criticism of this entire delicious novel is its title - Pea's Book of Best Friends sounds a little bland to me, and doesn't give any hints of the total wackiness, charm and hilarity of Pea's family and their new friends and acquaintances.
Here's what I really want to say: If you love The Penderwicks, Ballet Shoes or Hilary McKay's Casson Family series, READ THIS BOOK! You will love it, I promise. I really, really did.
It's not often that I come across a book that fills me with this kind of missionary zeal - but I read it with such utter delight, I want to give copies of it to everybody I know. It's just that kind of book!
I cannot wait for the next book in this series!(less)
It is such a pleasure to read such a funny series, with so much heart underneath the humor.
My favorite Swanburne-ism from this book: "As Agatha Swanburne once said, 'To be kept waiting is unfortunate, but to be kept waiting with nothing interesting to read is a tragedy of Greek proportions.'"
I loved Ordinary Magic SO MUCH that it just makes me want to dance every time I think of it. Last night I tried talking about it to Patrick, but I was...moreI loved Ordinary Magic SO MUCH that it just makes me want to dance every time I think of it. Last night I tried talking about it to Patrick, but I was burbling so much - and I had to keep stopping to make squealing noises of excitement! - that it was hard to be coherent about it.
I love it THAT MUCH.
Ordinary Magic is an MG fantasy novel set in a secondary world that feels very 21st-century - just another modern MG setting except that, oh, yes, people use magic for almost everything...and it was only 6 years ago that the new king finally made it officially illegal for the very rare non-magical humans (Ords) to be bought and sold.
Unfortunately, he wasn't able to make bigotry illegal, and a lot of criminal adventurers have no interest in the law, and plenty of motivation for kidnapping child Ords. So, when a twelve-year-old's magic is officially Judged, on his or her twelfth birthday, if they're found to be an Ord, they're viewed by the majority of society with distrust and horror. A lot of parents give them away (or sell them, despite the law), they're all in immense danger...
...and so a new school has been set up to try to keep them safe and teach them life skills - both marketable skills, for trying to find real jobs as adults, and self-defense skills, to protect them against kidnappers and the various terrifying magical creatures, like red cap goblins, who consider Ords to be their favorite snack.
Rubino-Bradway does a great job working with the awful realities of how social bigotry works, using a fantasy setting - without ever making it a direct parallel to any real-world bigotry, she makes the way people behave very emotionally true, and the danger is intense and real.
But what makes this book, and what made me LOVE it from page one, is the voice, combined with the fabulous characters and the sheer charm and fun of it all.
Abby Hale is a 12-year-old who finds out in Chapter One, with shock and horror, that she's an Ord. So, that's the fantasy element to her character. However, and more importantly, she's also the youngest in a big, noisy, loving, annoying, wonderful family, all of whom - combative though they might be in other circumstances - come together in her defense when her magical Judgment puts her in real life-threatening danger.
The family members are all just fabulous, every one of them distinct and funny and great, and the dynamics are spot-on perfect. I loved them all so much, I wondered if it would be disappointing when she headed off to school...
...but it totally wasn't, because I loved her school, and much more than that, I LOVED the characters there, including Peter, an extremely smart, grumpy, stand-offish boy (for completely understandable reasons) who becomes the perfect focus for a very, very sweet romance subplot. (It's muted, as is totally appropriate for their age, but still totally sigh-worthy, and I can't wait to see it develop in later books.)
This book is just plain fun to read in every way, and that includes fabulous magical action scenes, intense excitement - and simple charm, which it has in spades.
Ordinary Magic comes out on May 8th of this year. I read an e-ARC through Netgalley, but I will DEFINITELY be buying a published paper copy to read and re-read, and I cannot wait for its sequels. I have no idea how many there will be - selfishly, I hope for TONS. This is my very favorite MG fantasy discovery in a very long time, and so far, this and Jenn Reese's Above World are my two very favorite MG novels of 2012.
I read and adored this (under the American title, Dealing With Dragons) in middle school, and because I loved it so much, I was nervous when I got it...moreI read and adored this (under the American title, Dealing With Dragons) in middle school, and because I loved it so much, I was nervous when I got it for Christmas this year - what if it didn't stand up to re-reading as an adult? I finally started it last night...and I am SO glad I did!
The first half of the novel was SO deliciously funny as it poked fun at various fairy tale conventions through witty characterization and great lines. While I didn't love the (more plot-driven) second half quite as much as the first half, I really did enjoy the whole book so much. Cimorene is a fabulous heroine, I loved her relationship with her dragon, Kazul, and the various character interactions were all just great, particularly the dynamics among the other princesses and the very flustered knights who tried to "rescue" Cimorene - much to her disgust!
Utterly delicious, like a fabulous chocolate truffle. I haven't laughed so much over a book in a very long time!
I was a little uncertain at first about whether the extremely-knowing narrative voice might become a little grating over time - but I was totally wrong about that. A few chapters into the book, I was giggling uncontrollably. Then midway through, I had a sudden emotional clench when something scary happened - and I realized to my shock just HOW emotionally attached I had become to the adorably wolfy Incorrigibles along the way. I cared quite desperately about them and their welfare by the end, even as I continued to laugh at the wonderful humor.
My only very small complaint about the book is that I really wish there had been more resolution of at least one of the storylines at the end of this first book in the series...but it just makes me even more eager to read Book 2 (which is already out, hooray) straight away. (less)
Merrie and I have known each other for a while, and I LOVE her short stories, so when she sold her MG novel The Princess Curse, I was thrilled for her...moreMerrie and I have known each other for a while, and I LOVE her short stories, so when she sold her MG novel The Princess Curse, I was thrilled for her - and also incredibly impatient to read it!
Luckily, I enjoyed it every bit as much as I'd hoped. It's a retelling of "The Twelve Dancing Princesses" with a strong, smart (non-princess) heroine who has big (but totally plausible and intelligent) dreams and is willing to do whatever she has to to achieve them. I love girls like that, in fiction and in real life!
It's got strong friendships and complicated family relationships. And - just to make it even more exactly my kind of thing - it's set in a meticulously researched and well-grounded historical Eastern European setting.
In other words, I loved it, and I strongly recommend it! (less)
This book made me so, so happy. I love the Penderwick family, and I loved this book at least as much (and maybe even more than) Book 1. It was funny,...moreThis book made me so, so happy. I love the Penderwick family, and I loved this book at least as much (and maybe even more than) Book 1. It was funny, absorbing, and delightful - one of those books that really seems to glow with life and joy. I loved it!(less)
I was incredibly lucky - I got to read this book multiple times in manuscript form, and it is AWESOME. Super-fun science-fiction adventure for kids, w...moreI was incredibly lucky - I got to read this book multiple times in manuscript form, and it is AWESOME. Super-fun science-fiction adventure for kids, with genetically-engineered mermaids and girls with wings AND incredible fighting skills. Deep, important friendships and sweet first romance. This book has everything, and I love it so much.(less)
I really wish this book had been available when I was a kid devouring Nancy Drew and Agatha Christie novels - I would have absolutely loved it. And as...moreI really wish this book had been available when I was a kid devouring Nancy Drew and Agatha Christie novels - I would have absolutely loved it. And as an adult, I still adored the 11-year-old heroine, Suzanna Snow, who is brave and smart and curious and prone to getting lost in her own thoughts (and accidentally burning the food she's supposed to be cooking in her family's hotel kitchen). The 1904 New England setting is also beautifully done.(less)
I loved this book. Catherine's voice was so strong and so utterly engaging from the very first page. She's stubborn, grumpy, rebellious, short-tempere...moreI loved this book. Catherine's voice was so strong and so utterly engaging from the very first page. She's stubborn, grumpy, rebellious, short-tempered, and incredibly lovable. This was such a fun book, and I adored being swept into her medieval world, complete with captive bears that must be saved, shaggy-bearded suitors that must be somehow disposed of, and older brothers that must be taught their proper place. I can't wait to read more Karen Cushman novels!(less)
This book was so much fun. A magical adventure set in a fantastic, alternate version of contemporary London, it's told in the alternating POVS of Bart...moreThis book was so much fun. A magical adventure set in a fantastic, alternate version of contemporary London, it's told in the alternating POVS of Bartimaeus the djinn (our hero) and Nathaniel the boy magician who summoned him (the anti-hero). Nathaniel's sections weren't as fun or compelling as Bartimaeus's sections, but the overall story was still so good, and the writing had so much verve, that I enjoyed them all the same...and Bartimaeus was absolutely FABULOUS. His voice - smug, self-serving, amoral and hilarious - really made the book for me.
The book was big and fat and satisfying, like the best kind of Victorian novel. (In some ways the style kind of reminded me of Wilkie Collins.) I cannot wait to read Books 2 and 3!
A delicious ghost story with a wonderfully creepy atmosphere and a great heroine - I loved Iris's strong, true voice so much, and reading about her an...moreA delicious ghost story with a wonderfully creepy atmosphere and a great heroine - I loved Iris's strong, true voice so much, and reading about her and her best friend really took me back in time to my own early teenage years. A really lovely book, which I wish I could have read as a kid.
The third book in the fabulous Magic Thief series builds to an incredibly exciting climax that finishes the trilogy arc perfectly. The endin...more4.5 stars!
The third book in the fabulous Magic Thief series builds to an incredibly exciting climax that finishes the trilogy arc perfectly. The ending was beautiful and poignant and just right.
I'm really hoping to read more Conn adventures in the future!(less)
I loved this - such a lovely blend of fairy tale magic (and even structure, in many ways) with a beautifully-done Regency-era setting. (And a differen...moreI loved this - such a lovely blend of fairy tale magic (and even structure, in many ways) with a beautifully-done Regency-era setting. (And a different kind of Regency setting than the norm, since this one is really about the servants rather than the masters!) As a huge fan of Caroline Stevermer and Patricia Wrede's Sorcery & Cecilia series, it was a fun added touch for me to recognize a few side characters, but that part certainly wasn't essential to the book - anyone could pick this one up and enjoy it perfectly well without having ever read her earlier books.
My only regret was that I'd bought this one on my Kindle. Now I have to buy a second, paper version so that my son can enjoy it for himself when he's old enough!
There are three or four really fabulous stories in this collection, and the rest are solidly entertaining. The only one that didn't really work for me...moreThere are three or four really fabulous stories in this collection, and the rest are solidly entertaining. The only one that didn't really work for me was the final story, a spin-off from one of her series of novels which I hadn't read in about 20 years, so I felt I was missing some important back-story - but even that story had some really funny moments. A fun collection overall.(less)
I absolutely loved this. I usually avoid modern sequels to classic novels, but I snatched up this one as soon as I saw it because Hilary McKay is one...moreI absolutely loved this. I usually avoid modern sequels to classic novels, but I snatched up this one as soon as I saw it because Hilary McKay is one of my very favorite authors, so I trusted that it would be worth reading. It's the sequel to A Little Princess, which I hadn't read for 24 years and didn't remember at all. Luckily, you don't need to have read (or remember) the original novel to enjoy this sequel, because it stands perfectly on its own, funny and quirky and really lovely. I adored all the characters, really enjoyed the period feel to it, and laughed an awful lot.(less)
Enormously fun and with a really engaging heroine. Perfect for 10-12 year-olds - I just wish it had been written early enough that I could have read i...moreEnormously fun and with a really engaging heroine. Perfect for 10-12 year-olds - I just wish it had been written early enough that I could have read it at that age!(less)
This novel starts quietly but builds to absolute hilarity - by the end I was laughing out loud and cheering for the heroine and her whole family and c...moreThis novel starts quietly but builds to absolute hilarity - by the end I was laughing out loud and cheering for the heroine and her whole family and circle. It's quirky in exactly the best way, and as well as being perfect for kids, it would appeal to any adults who loved Little Miss Sunshine!(less)
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