Emerald Atlas (galley)

Emerald Atlas (galley) by John Stephens pub April, 2011 from Knopf.
Audience: 5th-7th grade
My Rating: 3* of 5
Summary: Kate, Michael, and Emma have been in one orphanage after another for the last ten years, passed along like lost baggage. Yet these unwanted children are more remarkable than they could possibly imagine. Ripped from their parents as babies, they are being protected from a horrible evil of devastating power, an evil they know nothing about.
Comments: Thank you, Cindy B., for loaning this ARC of Stephens' debut novel. Pacing was off for me and several aspects seemed too Harry Potter-ish to be original. Some compelling characters, though, in Dwarf, Witch, and Gollum-esqe categories. The climax was confusing and relied upon the reader remembering a detail from much earlier in the book; in general the time-travel "rules" were fuzzy to the point of disbelief. The late appearance of the true antagonist (very a la Voldemort) showed promise for the next two installments.
Read-Alikes: Harry Potter series, Series of Unfortunate Events

Bruiser by Neal Shusterman

Bruiser by Neal Shusterman, 2010.

Audience: Grades 7-12

My Rating: 5* of 5

Summary: Bronte: There's a reason why Brewster can't have friends—why he can't care about too many people. Because when he cares about you, things start to happen. Impossible things that can't be explained. I know, because they're happening to me.
Comments: While Unwind may have some of Shusterman's best writing, Bruiser is his best novel to date. Multiple voices are written masterfully, the suspense sets in quickly and does not relent, characters are interesting and worth following...in short, everything works and works very well. All told, Shusterman uses a super-human character to show the best, worst, and always flawed faces of humanity.

Awards: 2011 Lone Star list

Read-alikes: If I Stay by Foreman, Unwind by Shusterman, Hero by Moore

If the Witness Lied by Caroline B. Cooney

(This book has been nominated for Tayshas. I wrote something about it for a book discussion we had this morning, and thought I'd repost it on the web, per the suggestion from my coworker Larissa.)

Jack, Smithy, and Madison once had two parents. Then their mom became pregnant and was diagnosed with cancer. She chose to have the baby and forego chemo, which ultimately brought about her death (after she gave birth to the healthy baby, Tris). The father struggles to take care of the four kids alone, and is initially grateful when his sister-in-law offers to move in with them and help take care of the family. Then a freak accident happens – toddler Tris manages to shift the family’s car out of park and run over the dad, killing him. With the dad gone, the aunt takes over running the family, and creates changes in the house, slowly getting rid of any evidence of life before her arrival. After the dad's death, Madison moves in with her godparents and Smithy goes away to boarding school. Jack is left at home, needing to protect his brother Tris. When the aunt decides to bring the media into their home to broadcast the life of Tris, Jack knows that he must keep his brother out of the spotlight and away from the scheming aunt. Smithy becomes suspicious of the details of her dad’s death, because the only witness to the accident was her aunt, who seems to be intent on breaking the family apart.


Thoughts (may contain spoilers!):
Another good book by Caroline Cooney, a mystery/suspense master. What's up with the cover that has nothing to do with the storyline? Once I got started reading, I didn't want to put it down. The teens are smart and resourceful. The ending might work out a bit too easily, but I enjoyed the ride getting there. It's interesting that the two girls return home on literally the same day, both compelled to fix their family. Does that imply that they were being led by supernatural forces (the spirits of their parents wanting justice), or was their motivation the effect of experiencing the anniversary of their dad's death and the need to be near family? Perhaps the timely return of the sisters was a bit unrealistic, but overall I think this is an interesting read. For teens, grades 8 and up.

One False Note

One False Note (39 Clues series, book 2) by Gordon Korman. 2008.
Audience: 4-8th Grade
My Rating: 2*s of 5
Summary: Amy and Dan Cahill are in the lead to find thirty-nine clues that safeguard a great power, and are in possession of a coded sheet of Mozart's music that will help them find the next clue while their relatives follow in close pursuit. (Does not include game cards.)
Comments: I was really disappointed with this book. Between the series hype and the author's reputation, I had high expectations that this flat action story fell far short of. It reads like the screenplay to Da Vinci Code probably did or any given transcript of "The Amazing Race." This might be a good thing, though, for this age audience and espeically boys/reluctant readers? I might also feel differently had I read book 1 and/or checked out the other branches of this multi-media series.
Awards:
Read-alikes: Maze of Bones by Rick Riordan, The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin

Half Magic

Half Magic by Edward Eager, 1954.

I stumbled upon this and couldn't put it down. For a juvenile book written 50 years ago, it is remarkably timeless. It reads with a dash of playful sarcasm that remided me of Peter Pan or Dahl. The four children (three girls, one boy) foil each other nicely and their magical adventures pull the reader along. Even the moral of the story, as well as the satisfying wrap up, are handled so delicately as to make it a pleasure to read.

What a pleasant surprise I found in Half Magic!