Novels Now

Death on the River by John Wilson

Pages: 193
Ages: 15+
First Published: Oct.1, 2009
Publisher: Orca Books

Rating: 4/5

First sentence:

I pull back the thin blanket and swing my legs over the edge of the bed.

Acquired: Received a review copy through LibraryThing’s Early Review Program.

Reason for Reading: John Wilson is a Canadian author whom I have read a few books of and enjoyed. I also enjoy reading Civil War historical fiction.

This is a dark, merciless book which shows one side of war, its heinous toll on life, the bloody injured victims and those people whose characters will let them take advantage of the less fortunate in any situation. The story is that of a just turned 18 year-old, Jake Clay, who joins the Union Army because his brother whom he looked up to was killed in the war. Fresh in uniform he is involved in a battle in which he is taken POW and sent to the Confederate prison camp at Andersonville, one of the worst in history. Thus the story goes on to tell the tale of the prison inmates and daily life, through the eyes of young Jake, as he is taken under wing of an immoral Billy Sharp who knows how to survive at any cost.

A page-turning story and almost too horrible to believe it is based on truth. The author pulls no punches and there are many brutal, disturbing scenes. Though the author does write them in a stark matter-of-fact way without becoming needlessly gruesome in the details. They are true to life and there is one scene in particular that I don’t think I’ll ever forget. Jake is a realistic character and one who not only suffers physically but also suffers with his morals and that he cannot always remain humane in an inhumane world.

Certainly a unique Civil War story for teens, told through the eyes of a POW. The publisher’s recommended age is 12+, however I don’t agree with that. I think the book is more appropriate for older teens. Along with all the violence I’ve mentioned, the protagonist is 18 years old, and the language includes continuous use of the sh- word, along with every conceivable rendition of taking the Lord’s name in vain I ever thought possible. For older teens and grown-ups who like to read YA, I heartily recommend the book for an eye-opening look into a nasty piece of US history.

Trackers by Patrick Carman
Trackers, Book 1

Pages: 224
Ages: 10+
First Published: May 11, 2010
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Rating: 4/5

First sentence:

How far back can you go Adam?

Acquired: Received a review copy from Scholastic Canada.

Reason for Reading: I became a huge fan of Carman’s after reading the Atherton series and was excited to read another book by him.

A book entirely written as an interview, an interrogation. 15 year-old Adam is being questioned by someone to go back to the beginning and tell them what happened. We have no idea who is doing the interviewing, though the assumption is that is that it is high ranking officials, either military or government. Though whether that assumption is true I have not ascertained and part of me highly doubts. Right from the beginning we are teased with foreshadowing, told that something awful has happened and this foreshadowing continues throughout the book. Adam’s three cohorts are used as bargaining chips to keep him talking as he does not know what has happened to them, if they are well and if these “officials” also have them, as they claim.

Through this Q&A format Adam tells the story of how he, a computer high-tech savvy expert with multitudes of invented gadgets and access to any computer in the world meets up with three other teens of various abilities who join together to help the world by tracking down online hackers and fixing weak security systems while leaving behind anonymous notes. They call themselves “Trackers” and they also physically go out on test runs with the gadgets Adam has invented while he stays back at the control room running the operation. They get pulled into a dangerous game when Adam is contacted by an attractive female teen who challenges him to a cyber game he can’t refuse. Next thing he knows his system has been hacked, all his inventions and files stolen and now he is at the mercy of this young woman and a menacing man named Laslo who force him and his team to participate in criminal activities but Adam thinks he can outsmart them in the end. Obviously, due to the current interrogation, something drastically went wrong.

I loved this story. It was a page turner. Each of the four teens were exceptional individuals, from different backgrounds and each was extremely likable in their own unique way. I am very eager to get on with the story in book 2.

Trackers is very unique itself in that it combines video with text. Throughout the book, as the interview was progressing a file would be introduced and Adam would pull up a video that proved what he was saying was true. At this point the reader who has already been directed to a website inserts the password and has the opportunity to watch an actual video of the characters in action. There may also be other things for the reader to do such as examine items in evidence, schematics, etc. I must say this is extraordinarily cool. Unfortunately, I only have internet access on a PC shared with family members. I did watch the first couple of videos this way, but if I had had to read a bit then wait a turn on the computer before continuing to read on it would have taken me weeks to finish the book! Fortunately, for those not able to enjoy the instant gratification of the videos each is included as a written transcript as an appendix at the back of the book and this is the way I eventually ended up reading the book. It did not deter my enjoyment at all. A very exciting, unique, intriguing story!

Revolver by Matt Kindt

Pages: 192
Ages: 18+
First Published: Jul. 20, 2010
Publisher: Vertigo

Rating: 4/5

First sentence:

I do the same thing every morning.

Acquired: Received a Review Copy from the publisher.

Reason for Reading: Pure Plot. I love post-apocalyptic stories.

This is a dark, oppressive story from every angle and will not be for everyone. The art is done with stark, spidery sketches done in blue, black & tan which at first glance were quite different to what I’m used to but as the story progressed I felt they really added to the atmosphere of the plot and contributed to the stark, oppressiveness.

Sam is a lazy guy stuck in a dead end job, who is belittled by his domineering boss and is plagued by his materialistic girlfriend. One morning, on his way to work there is a 9/11 type attack on his office building in Chicago, in fact, airplanes are crashing into major cities all over the US. Later reports of ‘dirty bombs’ are reported and the US goes into a state of post-apocalyptic survival. Sam is busy that day helping others get out of the building and making himself useful ending up with his boss who is in a state of shock. Sam has also found himself capable of viciously standing up for his survival … no matter what. The next day he wakes up back in his regular life where the attack hasn’t happened. And so Sam continues to live opposing days (and whenever he has a nap) one in which he must fight for his life everyday but he feels he has purpose to his life and one in which the world is safe and his life is boring as dirt. He must eventually choose which world to stay in.

I quite enjoyed the story, there is a lot of deep thinking involved, philosophizing and reading between the lines but I enjoyed the brain stretch. The ending is surprising and comes with unsaid but understood conclusions. All 3 characters are cliched, and one could pick on the author for his representation of female characters but when 2 out of 3 characters are female it is unfair to say he chose to especially stereotype the women. However, these stereotypes may have been used on purpose as Sam is not a likable character and the cliched women types bring out his unlikable characteristics purposefully. I think the story is worth reading and quite clever in its eventual climax and ending. One is left with a lot to think about.

The Secret Fiend by Shane Peacock
The Boy Sherlock Holmes, His 4th Case

Pages: 244
Ages: 12+
First Published: May 11, 2010
Publisher: Tundra Books
Rating: 5/5

First sentence:

There have been many late knocks on the old apothecary’s door.

Acquired: Received a review copy through LibraryThing’s Early Review Program.

Reason for Reading: Next in the Series.

Shane Peacock has made it to the 4th book in this series and in my opinion the best one so far. I’ve been consistently rating the books a 4/5, knowing that Mr. Peacock had something more to give that was waiting for my full five rating and “The Secret Fiend” fits the bill. Oh, the case is a bit out there but then some of Doyle’s cases were also so I won’t hold that against an author who can hold it all together.

Sherlock, who has decided to wait until he has become a man to resume detecting, has been spending his time on his studies: academic, mental and physical, when a very close friend from childhood, Beatrice, arrives at his door saying she and a friend have been attacked. She tells a wild tale and will he come and help find her friend. One thing leads to another and Sherlock decides that this time the case has chosen him and he takes it on. Apparently, all over the East Side of London a figure who may be (or is just dressed like) the legendary character Spring-Heeled Jack is on the loose frightening women, leaving notes about chaos and finally seems to be the culprit in a gruesome murder.

Sherlock is older now, at 14 years-old his studies are quite academic and he sees his future ahead of him, but unfortunately feelings keep getting in his way, interfering with logical deduction. So he continues to struggle with giving up personal feelings. Holmes’ character has grown very much over the four books where he is now poised on the edge of the Sherlock Holmes character we know from the source.

Peacock presents us with a fast-paced, action packed, atmospheric and at times dark mystery. The usual character’s from the past books return but there are changing dynamics between friends and foes that are very different from earlier books. We get a good inside look into the political and social arena of the times as Disraeli, the first ever Jew, becomes Prime Minister. Peacock also throws a nod out to Robert Louis Stevenson in this book by having a secondary character known only as Louise for most part until eventually her last name is revealed to be Stevenson and further on we are told her father’s name is Robert.

I really enjoyed the mystery and was so involved in all the activities going on between Sherlock and the various characters, that while I had the suspects listed in my head I never bothered to try to figure out whodunit as I was having too much fun being wrapped up in all the other story threads. Peacock gives a major clue (to the overall story arc of the series) in this book that Holmesian fans will have solved in a heartbeat, but will make no sense to those who haven’t read (or watched) Holmes before. I was excited with this reveal as I had been guessing at it for the last couple of books now and it makes book five an even more eagerly anticipated read. This book (along with the others) is well-written and I don’t hesitate to recommend them to adults as well as teens.

Fever Crumb by Philip Reeve
Fever Crumb, Book 1

Pages: 385 pages
Ages: 12+
First Published: 2009 UK (Apr. 1 2010 US)
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Rating: 3/5

First sentence:

That morning they were making paper boys.

Acquired: Received a review copy from Scholastic Canada.

Reason for Reading: The plot was intriguing and this is my type of book.

A foundling baby girl found by the Order of Engineers, a male society, is taken into the fold and raised to be one of them. The baby came with a note stating her name is Fever and since Dr. Crumb found her it was reasonable that he was the one who took the main caregiver role. 14 year-old Fever is now being sent off to assist an archaeologist, Kit Solent, in his home but when she arrives there she starts having memories of the place that are not her own. Kit seems to expect something from her and the memories become stronger. When riots hit the city, people come after her looking to kill her. She must escape but whose memories is she taking with her?

This is the first book I have read by Reeve and I wasn’t aware that this was the beginning of a prequel series to another series he has already written until I had started the book. That information does not hinder the reading of this book at all, though I’m sure others who have read the Mortal Engines series will probably have insider information that I am unaware of that may make the reading experience more enjoyable.

I did enjoy the story. It is unique. Set in a future earth, so very far in the future in fact that our current time now is known as the Ancients and bits and pieces of our technology are traded and collected even when they are rusted pieces of junk. But anything that actually still works is highly prized and valued. Otherwise this future world is more or less of a medieval nature in culture and custom. Fever is a completely likable main character and I took to her right away. She grows as a person throughout the book starting off timid from a sheltered almost monk-like childhood. As she enters the world outside her boundaries she slowly gains confidence and a voice, strength, determination and becomes more in control of herself while shedding her timidity.

My main problem with the book was that the plot line was slow. It started off well and interesting and then just seemed to lag for me. It took me a lot longer than it should have to read the book. I never totally lost interest but I often wanted it to hurry up and “get on with it!” When the pace picked up and the plot was advancing I was hooked but my interest did come and go. The ending was fast paced and went in an unexpected direction. It feels to me that book two will take Fever to meet many new characters and I’m certainly interested in where all the threads that have been left hanging will continue so I will be reading book 2. I’m just hoping the pace will be more consistent.

Neil Young’s Greendale by Joshua Dysart. illustrated by Cliff Chiang. foreward by Neil Young

Pages: 160
Ages: 18+
First Published: June 15, 2010
Publisher: Vertigo
Rating: 3/5

First sentence:

On a warm spring day way back in 1985, two precious children were born to Edith O’Reilly and Earl Green.

Acquired: Borrowed a copy from my local library.

Reason for Reading: Long-winded reason follows. (LOL) When I heard that this graphic novel was based on an album I though that was so cool and I suddenly had imaginations of what could come next, the graphic versions of Pink Floyd’s “The Wall”, Queen’s “News of the World”, Meatloaf’s “Bat Out of Hell”. It is an awesome concept. Now I don’t like Neil Young as a singer {sorry} and have never heard of this album but was so intrigued with the concept and thought “Neil Young is Canadian so the book would qualify for the Canadian Book Challenge”; I might as well read it.

So here we have the Green Family going back to a great-grandmother living in the town of Greendale, America, population 20 to 25,000. When Sun Green (the main character) was born her twin Luna died in infancy. She is now a 17 year old teen. Her great-aunt Ciela Oaks married both Green brothers, leaving one for the other and eventually one day simply disappeared into the Botanical Gardens forever. Her daughter, Sea Green, also disappeared one day as a teen into the forest never to return. Now Sun is feeling strange, thinking of the past Green women and being followed by a man who obviously represents Satan. Bad things happen. Strange things happen.

Sun becomes an activist. An anti-war, anti-meat, anti-hunting, anti-big electricity companies, anti-oil drilling left-wing mouthy irritant. At this point, I know this book is not for me. I quickly started skipping over all the bubbles full of the political ranting, which was a large portion of text. Honestly the whole political part of the book could have been removed and it wouldn’t have made any difference to the story as the book really doesn’t go anywhere. The two plots, the girl’s political coming of age and the mysterious hippie, nature, environmentalist magical element of the Green woman and the fate of the Green women just kind of flop and end abruptly. And so will my review. Weird and so not my kind of story.

Live to Tell by Lisa Gardner

Detective D.D. Warren, book 4

Pages: 385 pages
First Published: June 13, 2010
Publisher: Bantam Books

Rating: 4.5/5

First sentence:

I don’t remember than night much anymore.

Acquired: Received a review copy from Random House Canada.

Reason for Reading: I’m a fan of the author and had read the previous book in the series.

This book had me from the beginning as it dealt with some of my favourite topics, mental health and psychiatric wards. Plus it was back to my favourite kind of thriller, that of the serial killer though this time with a twist: a mass murderer serial killer.

D.D. Warren is a great female character who can carry a book on her own. This time her partner Phil has a shadow, Alex, a former agent who has been a Professor at the Academy for years. D.D. compares Alex to George Clooney and he soon becomes her shadow and main partner throughout the crime solving. We start off by meeting a handful of severely disturbed children, mostly through abuse, who are living on an acute psychiatric ward. We also meet an 8yo boy who is also suffering from a multitude of psychiatric disorders and diagnoses and ultimately he is at risk of harming others but his mother has decided to take full responsibility for his care. This ultimately lead to her husband leaving her and taking their daughter with him for safety’s sake.

Warren’s case opens when a family is found murdered in their home. It looks like the father killed the kids, mother and then shot himself but then they realize it may be a murder case. Then another family is killed in their home. This time the father has obviously been posed to look as if he killed himself after murdering the family. Who killed these families? They seem to have absolutely no connections whatsoever so how could they possibly be related? Are they? For nurse Danielle this becomes all so real as it brings back the 25yo memory of the night her father shot and killed her mother and two siblings but left her as the lone survivor, on purpose.

As I said, I love D.D. as a character but I do think it a shame that the author has to write her as someone so obsessed with s*x. As a single women, D.D.’s constant inside chatter and vocal lamentations of when she will ever get *it* again are rather disturbing and unnecessary to this reader. But thankfully readers are not privy to anything more real.

Another fabulous read from Gardner. A page-turner and exciting. I had my eye on the wrong person for most of the book, which is always fun for me when I don’t figure it out right away. The reveal wasn’t terribly surprising in the end but the driving force and motive of the killer was a real shocker and well done. An incredibly engrossing story that not only thrilled but was fascinating with details on how children abused beyond the point of psychological return can be treated, cared for and most of all shown love.

Ice Cold by Tess Gerritsen
Rizzoli & Isles, book 8

Pages: 322
First Published: June 29, 2010
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Rating: 5/5

First sentence:

She was the chosen one.

Acquired: Received a review copy from Random House Canada.

Reason for Reading: Next in the series.

Tess Gerritsen consistently writes a series that aims to please her fans. Ice Cold is no exception. Placing her main characters in a new location freshens things up a bit and Gerritsen has given us an exciting new plot. This was a page turner for me and one of my favourites in the series.

Maura goes away to a medical convention where she meets an old friend from college and skips out early to join him and his friends for a short ski trip before they all must fly home. They get lost on a remote road, stranded in a blizzard and end up in an abandoned village called Kingdom Come where it appears that everyone has simply vanished in the middle of making/having dinner. Later Rizzoli receives news that Maura’s charred remains have been found at the bottom of a cliff in an SUV in the mountains. Full of grief, one thing does not sit right with Jane about the accident so she goes out to see for herself where it happened and she and Gabriel are lead into a world of revelations about Maura and other events that have been happening in the area.

It was great to have Gabriel back as a main character, since he’s been left out of the last couple of books. Jane was great in this book! She is such a great character. Maura on the other hand I’ve never particularly liked, but at least she didn’t spend this whole book moping about her stupid choice of relationship. Mope and whine she did, but she was pretty busy with her part in the plot. The plot is something has been done a lot lately in other books, but it was a new type of adventure for Rizzoli and Isles. The ending has a double twist and I loved how it finally turned out. Another great entry in Gerritsen’s series, that was exciting, page-turning and one of those can’t-put-it-down books! Looking forward to next summer’s book Ms. Gerritsen!

Whiter Than Snow by Sandra Dallas

Pages: 292
First Published: Apr. 30, 2010
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Rating: 4/5

First sentence:

No one knew what triggered the Swandyke avalanche that began at exactly 4:10 P.M. on April 20, 1920.

Acquired: Received a review copy from the author’s internet publicist.

Reason for Reading: I’ve always wanted to read a Sandra Dallas book and the plot of this one was particularly intriguing.

This is a beautiful story. It’s what I call a light read. I picked the book up one evening and when it was time to turn out the light saw I had read three-quarters of the book. The story is simple and quite straight-forward but Dallas has written it in such a manner that the reader becomes emotionally involved in the characters by the time the already mentioned tragedy unfolds. She brings to her characters redemption, love, forgiveness and perhaps a look into God’s mysterious way.

The story opens with an avalanche on top of a mountain in a tiny mining village and nine children coming home from school are caught in the slide. We are told four survived. Then each of the following chapters focuses on a child’s or siblings’ parents or in some cases parent. These historical vignettes can go as far back as the grandparents but most concentrate on the parent(s) and the one great or many small sins they have hidden in their lives. Each ends with the birth of the children or sometime in their early life. So we never really get to know the children, only through how they are thought of by others. Then comes a point when the story picks up with the avalanche and we watch the town come together to deal with the rescue and tragedy that is their fate.

The reader is in a position now to know how each family will react if it is their child(ren) that die and the reader is also vested in who could best handle the situation and perhaps who most needs redemption through the experience of death. Each person with a buried child has a reason to think they are being punished for their past sins and each also has reason to be forgiven. How it works out for the families in the end is very satisfying both for those who lost their children and those whose children lived. A beautiful story and a page-turner. I will certainly be adding Sandra Dallas to my list of authors to read.

Confessions of a Prairie Bitch: How I survived Nellie Oleson and Learned to Love Being Hated by Alison Arngrim

Pages: 300 pages
First Published: June 15, 2010
Publisher: IT Books
Rating: 5/5

First sentence:

I always envy people whose detailed memories extend back to the womb.

Acquired: Received a review copy from Harper Collins Canada.

Reason for Reading: I’m a big fan of LHOTP. I read Melissa Gilbert’s memoir and was anxious to find out more and very excited when I saw Alison had a book out.

Alison Arngrim’s narrative is a pleasure to read. Just by reading the title we get a glimpse of what kind of attitude we can expect to find inside the covers. Arngrim is also a stand-up comedienne and with that knowledge it explains the easy going narrative style full of humour that made this book such a fun read.

Alison starts by telling of her childhood, brought up in an unconventional family, and of her s*xual abuse by her older brother. The meat of the book, though, concerns her life growing up on the Prairie and she provides fans with what was so sadly lacking in Melissa Gilbert’s book. We get a behind the scenes look at the filming and the actors. Alison is funny and no holds barred without being catty or dishing dirt. Yes, she tells what people were really like, if they were generally not liked she says so. She has many funny and sometimes just strange anecdotes to relate about the seven years she played Nellie Oleson. I really appreciated her tone. She talked about every major character on the show, all the children, and the adults that Nellie would typically have scenes with. So unfortunately Mr. Edwards, one of my favourites, was only mentioned briefly in passing. I was thrilled that Alison spoke of Jonathan Gilbert frequently and so fondly since Melissa had reduced him to a few sentences in the middle of her book. Melissa Sue Anderson gets the short end of the stick as worst personality on the show. Mary was always my favourite and I was startled that Melissa mentioned her in passing only three times in her book. Alison refers to her many more times and while never being mean or nasty does relate many instances which let us know why she was not fond of her and she outs Gilbert’s opinions of her as well. I would love Melissa Sue’s view of this but apparently her book doesn’t address any of this and is getting bad reviews so I’m not sure if I’ll read it or not, at this point. The Little House cast were Arngrim’s family and when she left the show she felt a real sense of loss without them in her day-to-day life. She and Melissa Gilbert became great friends on the show and remain so to this day.

The memoir then ends up with Alison’s life after the Prairie. Going on to her activism for AIDS, her two marriages (the second which has been successful) and her determined and relentless campaign on changing the laws on incest which at the time gave those perpetrators a loophole of not having to do any prison time. This involved her having to go public with her abuse on the Larry King show in 2004.

A very satisfying read. I always have a nonfiction book on the go and usually read a chapter, perhaps two, at night before settling in to read my current novel. But Confessions was written in such an easy, fun, narrative style that I couldn’t put it down after two chapters and read it as quickly as a novel. A great insider’s peek behind the scenes of the filming and especially the personalities who made up The Little House on the Prairie.

The Water Seeker by Kimberly Willis Holt

Pages: 309
Ages: 13+
First Published: May 11, 2010
Publisher: Henry Holt
Rating: 5/5

First sentence:

Jake was known as the dowser.

Acquired: Received a review copy from Macmillan.

Reason for Reading: I love frontier life western historical fiction and the dowsing aspect caught my eye.

It seems strange to call a book with just over 300 pages an epic story but that really is the best way to describe “The Water Seeker”. It is the story of a family starting with the meeting of the mother and father and ending with their child married, with his own youngster. The main character is a boy who we meet at birth and he grows to manhood, but for the most part of the book he is a young teen and in a way this is his coming of age story. But even though the boy may be considered the protagonist, his father shares that position equally, plus the story is just as much about the adults who surround the boy and their lives that I often forgot I was reading a YA book. Which makes me recommend the book as much to adults as to teens.

Amos Kincaid’s father, Jake, is a dowser but he hates the “gift” that was passed down to him from his father and only does it when times are hard. Otherwise he is a trapper and loves the life. Amos’ mother died at his birth and he was sent to be raised by his Uncle and Aunt, with his father coming to visit each year for a few months when the trapping season is over. Eventually, the boy grows and the father comes back, with a wife, and they set off with a group going along the Oregon Trail. The story deals with very real life and death. Death much more so and Amos experiences guilt, jealousy, anger, joy, happiness and ultimately love before the journey west is complete.

I loved this book, one of the best I’ve read this month. All the characters are so real. Some are filled with the pioneer spirit and others are bitter over the hardships dealt them in this life. We see how tragedy can break a man to nothing but a shell of his former self and we see how the same tragedy can make another pick herself up and continue on because of her love for life. The book is filled with tragedies, heartbreak, illness and despair. Pioneer life was tough no matter how much spirit you had. But we follow a family made up of unique individuals who rise above each hardship creating a magnificent epic novel. I’d love to see “The Water Seeker” up for some awards this year; it’s truly worthy. A great historical.

Salem Brownstone: All Along the Watchtowers by John Harris Dunning. Art by Nikhil Singh

Pages: 96 pages
Ages: 15+
First Published: July 13, 2010 US ( Oct. 2009 UK)
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Rating: 4/5

First sentence:

There are those who love the rum and unusual, the uncanny, the macabre.

Acquired: Received a review copy from the publisher.

Reason for Reading: I was immediately taken with the publisher’s eerie plot summary.

This is a beautiful book. Oversized like a large picture book with decorated cloth covered boards, it feels like a treasure in your hands. Upon opening the book, the story grips you right away as if something by Poe. Then turn the page where the artwork starts and immediately Gory comes to mind and the further one gets into the story with the mixture of art and text their is a very strong Tim Burton vibe going and I actually started imaging the story being filmed with Johnny Depp as Salem Brownstone. The artwork is truly masterful. Each frame is so detailed, this book could take many readings and each reading would reveal something you had missed the previous times through. How do I describe the art? Outlandish, eerie, macabre, bizarre and just outright fiendishly freakish (in a good way!).

Salem Brownstone, a grown man, who hasn’t seen his father since he was six receives a telegram that his father has died and left him his mansion and the contents and he must come claim it ASAP that evening at 9pm. Upon arrival Salem finds an old creepy Victorian house and notices a sign announcing a circus nearby. Once inside he discovers his father was a magician and dons the cape, when he hears a noise. As he investigates he happens upon Cassandra Contortionist who has been waiting for him. She has a scrying orb that belonged to his father that she must pass on to him. She takes him down to the circus for further explanation and it is here he learns that he must take over his father’s role in keeping the world safe from the evil creatures of another dimension.

This is a macabre story and certainly not going to be for everyone but if you like Poe or Lovecraft then this will be along your tastes. The atmosphere is very dark and heavy, the story is very creepy and when you think you’ve seen it all something even creepier happens. I was engrossed with the story and the whole book itself. A wonderful Hallowe’en read. From the ending, there are hints that Salem may appear in a sequel.

Countdown by Deborah Wiles
The Sixties Trilogy, Book One

Pages: 388 pages
Ages: 11+
First Published: May 1, 2010
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Rating: 5/5

First sentence:

I am eleven years old, and I am invisible.

Acquired: Received a review copy from Scholastic Canada.

Reason for Reading: I enjoy historical fiction but the amount of photographs and media images in the book was what intrigued me the most.

If anybody had told me I was going to absolutely love a book that’s main historical setting was the Cuban Missile Crisis I would have said “Sorry, I don’t even read that kind of political book” then the next thing I’d say would be “BTW, what is the Cuban Missile Crisis?”

The book takes place over the last few weeks in October, 1962 and is somewhat autobiographical using the author’s personal life and memories to tell the story of growing up in the sixties. Taking the author’s place is Franny Chapman, an ordinary girl with a little brother who can do no wrong in her parents’ eyes. It’s the story of Franny’s life; her best friend is starting to avoid her and becoming friends with a girl whose mother is divorced who Franny is not allowed to have anything to do with. Her uncle, great uncle really, lives with them as he raised her father, but he is slipping into dementia, calls everyone soldier and is embarrassing the whole family to the neighbourhood. Franny’s father is in the Air Force and always going off on trips seeming never to be there when the worst family crises arise. Franny’s older sister, who is in college, is up to something mysterious, something she has disagreed with their mother about, and then one night she just doesn’t come back home.

The background is the height of the cold war. The children are inundated with the “duck and cover” routine should a nuclear bomb hit. They have practice drills and watch in class movies to make sure that instinctively they know what to do. The Bay of Pigs has ended and there is talk of the Russians attacking with a nuclear bomb. Then President Kennedy comes on the TV and explains the situation in Cuba involving the Russians and nuclear missiles aimed at the United States. The media quickly label this the Cuban Missile Crisis. Also spread throughout the book are the rumblings of the beginning of the Civil Rights movement. As the book ends, I believe the set up has been made that the background of the second book will be Civil Rights.

The story is just simply fantastic. I read the book in a day as I just couldn’t put it down. The relationships between all the children were very real and the attitudes and lifestyle of the sixties shone through making the story very authentic. A very unique aspect of this book, which has been called a “documentary novel” is that in the middle of the ongoing story it will suddenly turn to a non-fiction essay on a person who has been mentioned. These are very interesting and flow right along with the story feeling perfectly natural in their placement. We learn of both Jack and Jackie Kennedy this way, along with Harry S. Truman, Pete Seeger, Fannie Lou Townsend Hamer and others.

What makes this book truly amazing though is the combination of text with photographs and graphic media. Every so often, there is a graphic section which enhances the story telling through photographs, quotes, headlines, cartoons, posters, song lyrics and much more. These follow the storyline and political events are introduced through the graphic media before it becomes a part of the textual story which really enhances and makes clear the understanding of otherwise potentially difficult topics. But the photos also just immerse you in the culture and era with sports events, space accomplishments, popular singers and stark photos of reality.

I’ve never read anything quite like this before and think the combination of text and media has been put together brilliantly and with a compelling, well-written story this is a fantastic book. I am eagerly await the second book!

Manifest by Artist Arthur
Mystyx series, book 1

Pages: 248
Ages: 13+
First Published: Aug 1, 2010
Publisher: Kimani Tru
Rating: 3.5/5

First sentence:

“I can’t hear you. I can’t hear you,” I repeat, talking to myself.

Acquired: Received a review copy from the book’s publicist.

Reason for Reading: The sounds of a Paranormal YA Ghost Whisperer with an added twist plot was enough to make me want to read it.

This is a book that I enjoyed more the further I got into it. I find that while I’m reading I often rate a book as I go along. This was a two at the beginning, a solid three by the middle and pushing a four and a half by the end so to sum it all off I’ve gone with an overall three and a half. Krystal can see dead people, hear them, have conversations with them and now they are asking her for help. Ricky Watson, a very cute boy, for a ghost, wants Krystal to find out who killed him and he won’t stop pestering her until she agrees to help him. Two other kids at school are trying to corner Krystal into meeting them somewhere secret when they find out Krystal has the mysterious ‘M’ birthmark that both of them also have. This may all be very exciting to some but not Krystal as she is in the middle of glooming over her parents divorce, her mother’s moving her from NYC to hicktown Connecticut and her subsequent marriage to Gerald who seems to hate Krystal almost as much as she hates him.

When I first started reading I really did not like the character of Krystal. She was full of angst, self-importance, rude to her mother and everyone else for that matter, whiny and basically a grating narrative voice to have to read. Krystal’s attitude remains the same for a good part of the book but fortunately the plot was exciting enough to keep me reading. There is a mystery to solve and the three teens set out to solve who killed Ricky; popular belief is that the crew he hung with had something to do with it but Ricky wants their names cleared and the real killer found. The story becomes more involved when Krystal meets another ghost in the boiler room, a crying girl who has had her head bashed in and thinks there may be a connection to Ricky’s death.

The plot was a fun read and I ended up reading the book in an afternoon. Little bits of information are leaked as the book progresses though I knew who the culprit was early on. This plot line is closed by the end of the book. In amongst the solving of the mystery, is a plot line where the teens found out about their birthmarks and powers, this, again, is an intriguing story arc and one that will continue through the series. They learn enough in this volume but there are many more questions to ask and so much more to know. The dynamics of the group of three who are from very different backgrounds is also explored and grows.

Krystal’s home life is an ongoing issue through the book and it just plain annoyed me. I’m not cold-hearted. I appreciate the drama of the situation, but it is one of those things where if everybody had just told the truth at the beginning there would not have been all this hatred and misery for so long. Toward the end there is some kind of resolution, and Krystal seems to lose her angst and bad attitude but we’ll have to wait until book two to find out for sure. Because Krystal aside I really liked all the other characters, especially Sasha and I’m quite excited to find out what the next book will bring.

Celtic Treasure: Unearthing the Riches of Celtic Spirituality by Liz Babbs

Pages: 80 pages
First Published: Sept 1, 2009
Publisher: Lion Hudson
Rating: 4/5

First sentence:

I keep a box of ‘treasures’ in my attic.

Reason for Reading: I am Catholic and am interested in the early Church, especially the Saints.

Well, honestly, I didn’t know what to expect from this book. What was Celtic Spirituality? Was it some new age thing or Christian? Upon opening the little book I was immediately met with Scripture and St. Patrick’s Breastplate along with stunning photography of Christian ruins from the 1st millenium in Ireland and Scotland. This is a lovely, hand-sized gift book printed on quality paper. A delight to read and look at. The book is about the history of the Celtic Christians in the first millennium and though it is never mentioned this is, in other words, the early history of the Catholic Church in Ireland and Scotland. Everything that is mentioned, the history, the saints, the prayers, the places, the way of life are all from the beginnings of the Church in this part of the world, when the Celts were converted to Christianity. The book is full of scripture and Saint’s prayer’s (my favourite part), and even quotes from C.S. Lewis and Chesterton. The author herself has written her own prayers and poems which are very nice and full of Christian love. A nice book.

When I was finished I googled one of the modern day communities mentioned in the book that practiced Celtic Spirituality, just to know what it was. It’s not something I’m interested in but I’m happy we share the same history. My church is decorated with Celtic crosses on it’s outside architecture as our patron saint is Saint Patrick and we have his Breastplate inside the church.

Dark Life by Kat Falls

Pages: 297
Ages: 11+
First Published: May 1, 2010
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Rating: 4/5

First sentence:

I peered into the deep-sea canyon,hoping to spot a toppled skyscraper. Maybe even the Statue of Liberty.

Acquired: Received a review copy from Scholastic Canada.

Reason for Reading: I’ve read a couple of other books about permanent settlements on the sea floor and find the concept quite interesting.

It is the future and an experimental colony on the sea bottom is flourishing. Ty was the first child born sub-sea and it’s the only life he knows. When Gemma comes from Topside looking for her brother she joins him in a journey to safe the colony from a force that seems to be out to get the pioneers. A band of Outlaws are attacking pioneer homes, killing their livestock, invading their homes and deflating them, plus Ty and Gemma have evidence they might have killed someone. Things are taken to such a point that Ty and other sub-sea children must reveal a dark secret they have been keeping.

This was a fun read. I read the book in a day and carried it with me everywhere. The descriptions of underwater life sound plausible to this layman. The way the community is set up is very intriguing and makes one want to visit such a place. I’ve always thought that underwater living would make a much more sensible next step than colonization of another planet. Ty has a whole family who play a part in the book’s plot but Gemma is the one who brings the popular orphan theme into play. I found Ty to be a bit of a whiner, disrespectful to his parents and authority so I never particularly liked him but, nevertheless, the book did have an easy to read, pleasant narrative with a sense of humour. The plot becomes quite involved as we have Ty and Gemma searching for the Outlaws, the Outlaws running amok with the pioneers and the government eventually gets involved leaving the colonists in a worse situation than before. Be prepared as the secrets are revealed make this a compelling read.

My Name is Mary Sutter by Robin Oliveira

Pages: 364 pages
First Published: May 13, 2010
Publisher: Viking
Rating: 5/5

First sentence:

“Are you Mary Sutter?” Hours had passed since James Blevens had called for the midwife.

Reason for Reading: I’m very interested in this time period especially involving stories of women. The doctor angle grabbed me right away.

Mary Sutter is a twenty-ish young woman who is an experienced midwife. She comes from a long line of maternal midwives. Her twin sister was trained for a while too but she was pretty, flighty and not interested in midwifery while Mary, on the hand, was not satisfied with midwifery. She wanted more, she didn’t want to nurse, she wanted to be a doctor and was determined to become one, no matter what. Medical schools would not accept her application, she could find no doctor to apprentice her. Then the Civil War happened and she snuck onto a train full of male “nurses” (really any volunteer who would go, mostly drunks) being sent to the front. Thus begins Mary’s apprenticeship and journey from charwoman to doctor.

The historical setting is wonderfully done. It is genuine yet the war aspect, meaning the political/tactical aspects of war are kept to a minimum. We’re given enough information to know and understand what is going on but not bored to tears with a “war book”. Medicine is the focus of this book. For the first part of the book we experience childbirth in the 1860s. The complete use of midwives for this situation unless something horrible goes wrong and then a doctor is called in with his dreadful chloroform and forceps. Mary is known as the best midwife in Albany, even better than her mother, now that she’s grown older. Then we see how a doctor (a male) gets his license as a surgeon: a year of apprenticeship with another doctor and then 6 months of courses at a college where he would be lucky if he even got close enough to a body to touch it.

Women of course were not doctors at this time. In fact, only certain kinds of women, would be nurses. No self-respecting girl from a reputable home would become a nurse. When Dorothea Dix put out her first call for nurses wanted during the Civil War she was only allowed by the government once her call described the type of woman wanted as over thirty, hard working, plain looking, wearing black or brown with no jewelry, sober and “can exercise entire self-control”.

The history of medicine as it grows through the War is fascinating as they know little of diseases and infections. There is one surgeon who gets laid up by having his hands burnt who is already a proponent of microscopy who goes around collecting samples so he can perhaps learn more from this tragedy. The descriptions of the wounded, the unsanitary conditions in the makeshift hospitals and non-stop amputations is sickening.

Mary is a determined figure who sets out to do what she wants to do. But at what price? She has many decisions to make along the way. What we want to do and feel compelled to do may not always be the right thing to do and Mary often has to look back on her past decisions and wonder. This makes Mary a real, flawed character who though she is an admirable woman of her time fighting for her rights and those of women everywhere is also someone who has to make choices, some right, some wrong, to get where she wanted to go and she ruminates upon this often.

The final component of the story is a love triangle involving three men with Mary at the centre. Plain, tall, certainly not attractive Mary, has three men in love with her. Mary knows she is plain, her mother knows she is plain and each of her suitors definitely mentions she is plain but there is something that attracts them to her, especially her determination and loving nature. Which of the three she ends up with may be a surprise but I was overjoyed.

A fabulous read, compelling, hard to put down. I did find it somewhat of a slow read, not for any bad reason, but simply I had to slow down my natural reading pace to simply take it all in. Riveting!

Nick of Time by Ted Bell. Illustrations by Russ Kramer
Nick McIver, book 1

Pages: 434 pages
Ages: 11+
First Published: Sept. 1, 2009
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Rating: 5/5

First sentence:

“Hard a’lee, me boys!” shouted Nick McIver over the wind, “or be smashed to smithereens in the jaws of Gravestone Rock!”

Reason for Reading: I have the second book, but thought I had better read the first book, well … first. I read this aloud to my son, as he loves seafaring adventures.

Set in 1939, just before war is declared, on the smallest of the Channel Islands. Nick’s father is lighthouse keeper and a secret spy for politician Winston Churchill reporting back any German U-Boat activity in the Channel waters. A strange man called Billy Blood kidnaps Nick’s dog Jipper and thus starts a seafaring adventure that will cross time. Billy Blood is a pirate of Admiral Lord Nelson’s time and not only has he taken Nick’s dog, he has also kidnapped Lord Hawke’s two children. Lord Hawke, Nick and his friend Gunner go back in time with a time machine device of Hawke’s which Blood just happens to have the only other existing one. While there they must help Nelson’s fleet out of a dangerous situation that only Nick can guide them through. Meanwhile, back at home, Nick’s younger sister, Kate, has been left with Commander Hobbes to take some vital information about a special U-Boat to England unbeknownst that said U-Boat is hot on their trail.

Rip-roaring adventure from beginning to end in the fashion of “Treasure Island” and in the same vein the illustrations are a handful of full-page drawings as one would find illustrative plates in an old copy of “Treasure Island”. A gripping story with Nick certainly in the lead as main character. He is an independent twelve-year-old, though respectful to his parents, who was born with the sea in his blood. He spends as much time as possible out in his boat sailing the waters in good and bad weather, even mapping a route through a dangerous coral reef into a cove. His hero is Admiral Lord Nelson and he thinks of him every time he starts to feel discouraged in life. His sister, Kate, is only seven and maintains her position well, despite being cute and funny she is smart as a tack and manages to save the situation at the last minute many times.

We both loved this book. The story is engaging and the shared time between the two time periods is very exciting. The chapters alternate with one set of characters in 1805 then back to the present with the Nazis in 1939. All of the main characters are likable and each has a sense of humour which adds a light tone in between the action scenes. The story is realistic and the battles scenes in 1805 are not for the very young or sensitive as battle wounds are described in full, and blood and violence are shown in their proper place in war, though never unnecessarily or gratuitously. The pirates, and well most adults, do use a small amount of language using the British curse words bloody/bleeding frequently and taking the Lord’s name in vain quite often. Since I was reading aloud, I was able to say the words about half the time as they applied, something really was bloody in the battle and I spoke the Lord’s name in a way that the character was now calling upon Him rather than swearing, the other half of the time I edited it out. But these are two small complaints in a book aimed at this age group.

I just love finding books that are definitely aimed at boys, there are of course many girls who enjoy this type of action and they have the character of Kate to identify with, but I appreciate when the male/female characters are brother/sister thus eliminating the awkward love angle or the even more annoying battle of the sexes angle. Kate and Nick are especially a nice team as they are loving family members, far enough apart in age that Nick is Kate’s parent-in-absentia figure and Kate adores her big brother.

A wonderful book with family values, adventure, really bad guys (pirates and Nazis) and an edge of your seat action set in exciting historical times. Looking forward to Book 2 in the series.