Museum of Thieves by Lian Tanner

Museum of Thieves (The Keepers Trilogy, book 1) by Lian Tanner, 2010.

Audience: Grades 4-7

My Rating: 4* of 5

Summary: Goldie Roth, an impulsive and bold twelve-year-old, escapes the oppressive city of Jewel, where children are required to wear guardchains for their protection, and finds refuge in the extraordinary Museum of Dunt, an ever-shifting world where she discovers a useful talent for thievery and mysterious secrets that threaten her city and everyone she loves.

Comments: I'll admit it was the cover art that pulled me into this book. It was slow to hook me, but finally did once Goldie arrived at the Museum. Interesting concept, characters, creatures (loved Broo the dog!), and conflicts that can be abstractly connected to events in our own recent history. Henson productions could nail this story on film!

Read-alikes: City of Lies by Tanner (book 2 in this series, due out Sept 2011), City of Ember, Alice in Wonderland, Books of Elsewhere, Coraline.

Dash & Lily's Book of Dares

Dash & Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan, 2010.
Audience: Grades 8 & up
My Rating: 4.99999* of 5
Summary: Lily has left a red notebook full of challenges on a favorite bookstore shelf, waiting for just the right guy to come along and accept its dares. But is Dash that right guy?
Comments: The Nick & Norah magic is back! Plus Christmas in NYC as a feel-good bonus backdrop! Would have been perfect if not for a Cohn chapter that was unpleasantly and obviously more Norah than Lily. Lexiphile Dash is on the verge as unbelievable as a teen unless you were one or knew one yourself.
Read-alikes: Nick & Norah's infinite playlist, Naomi and Ely's No Kiss List, Will Grayson, Will Grayson by Green/Levithan

The Strange Case of Origami Yoda

The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger, 2010.

Audience: Grades 4 through 6

My Rating: 4* of 5

Summary: Sixth-grader Tommy and his friends describe their interactions with a paper finger puppet of Yoda, worn by their weird classmate Dwight, as they try to figure out whether or not the puppet can really predict the future.

Comments: Fun, relevant Middle-School read that is perfect for Wimpy Kid fans (though it has more boy-girl crush content than the Wimpy books).

Read-alikes: Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, Big Nate series

Awards: 2011-2012 Bluebonnet nominee

The Cabinet of Wonders (audio)

The Cabinet of Wonders by Marie Rutkoski, 2008. Narrated by Lorelei King.
Audience: Grades 4 through 7
My Rating: 3* of 5
Summary: Twelve-year-old Petra, accompanied by her magical tin spider, goes to Prague hoping to retrieve the enchanted eyes the Prince of Bohemia took from her father, and is aided in her quest by a Roma boy and his sister.

Comments: Pacing was off for me--too slow until the final few chapters when it seemed everything resolved in a hurry. The magical elements are well done and appealing. Well read by King.

Read-alikes: Kronos Chronicles series, Ella Enchanted by Levine, The Princess Academy by Hale

Awards: 2010-2011 Bluebonnet nominee

Wolf Brother (Chronicles of Ancient Darkness) by Michelle Paver

Wolf Brother (Chronicles of Ancient Darkness) by Michelle Paver. Recorded Books, 2005. Narrated by Ian McKellan.

Audience: Grades 5 through 8

My Rating: 4.5* of 5

Summary: 6,000 years in the past, twelve-year-old Tarak and his guide, a wolf cub, set out on a dangerous journey to fulfill an oath the boy made to his dying father--to travel to the Mountain of the World Spirit seeking a way to destroy a demon-possessed bear that threatens all the clans.

Comments: Read me a story, Gandalf! What reader could do better by this skillfully written adventure? Paver gives just enough detail to create the world, but not so much to slow the pace. The same goes for her explanation (or lack thereof) of the complex beliefs and practices of these ancient clans; we discover only what unfolds naturally in the story which is just enough to begin mapping this world while leaving the reader wanting more. I'm super sensitive about animals in books so I made a co-worker tell me what happens to Wolf right away.

The Lost Hero (aka The Lost Editor) audio

The Lost Hero (aka The Lost Editor): Heroes of Olympus, book 1 by Rick Riordan. Narrated by Joshua Swanson.

Audience: Grades 4 through 7

My Rating: 2* of 5

Summary: After saving Olympus from the evil Titan lord, Kronos, Percy and friends have rebuilt Camp Half-Blood where the next generation of demigods must now prepare for a chilling prophecy of their own.

Comments: Isn't it a shame when a good author goes viral and becomes "above" editing? That appears to be the case for Riordan as evidenced by the dull heft of The Red Pyramid and this, his latest whopper. The Lost Hero begins with all the excitement, interesting characters, and snappy pacing that made the Percy Jackson books such a success, but soon bogs down under sluggish scenes and overdone dialogue (no fault of the talented narrator, Swanson). Lost Hero would be a fantastically fun read if it were missing about 150-200 pages of redundant writing. Trim the fat, Rick, and I'll be a fan once more. As it is I'm done with your books for a good, long while.

Read-alikes: Percy Jackson and the Olympians series; The Red Pyramid

Rant: Bury Dumbledore!

BURY DUMBLEDORE!

If you haven't seen Harry Potter 7.1 yet, there may be spoilers ahead (though if you read the books, no surprises).

Shame on you, Steve Kloves and David Yates. Shame on you, J.K. Why, oh, why would you even consider the omission of Dumbledore's funeral on film? Are you really telling me that the horribly executed and in poor taste wands-in-the-air moment in movie 6 is all we get as a send-off for one of the most important characters of this series? I hoped you had chosen to open movie 7.1 at Dumbledore's funeral--a fitting choice to give closure to his death and launch the action of Deathly Hallows. No such luck. AND you add insult to injury by dedicating 5+ minutes of screen time to Dobby's death and burial? Nothing against Dobby, he was a good Elf, but you can find precious screen time to bury an Elf and not the Godfather of this story? Shameful. As filmmakers, Kloves/Yates, you should have seized the opportunity to use Dobby's burial scene as a catalyst for Harry to flashback to images of Dumbledore's funeral, seamlessly transitioning the audience and poignantly juxtaposing these images to the final scene of the film. And you, Rowling, you can't stand up to the movie eggheads and insist your beloved fans see your beloved Dumbledore given a proper burial? Shame, shame, know your names.

I can only hope you have the sense to put this scene in HP7.2. To close this series' final screen adaptation without burying Dumbledore would be a huge omission. Fans of the books can forgive a lot, but this is an Unforgivable.

Disappointed,

Bonnie