Archive for Children's Literature
August 29, 2008 at 4:41 pm · Filed under Book Reviews, Children's Literature, Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror
My Teacher Flunked the Planet by Bruce Coville (Juvenile science fiction)
I bought a used copy of this book a couple of weeks ago, because I had very fond memories of it from my childhood. This was one of those books that I never owned, but which I regularly checked out of the library to re-read. Now that I’ve read it as an adult, I’m having trouble remembering why.
This book is the fourth in a series. My local library only had this one, so although I read each of the other books at least once, this is the one I loved, and the only one I really remember. It’s clearly intended for very young children, and I think it would be entertaining for the 6-8 crowd.
I’d forgotten how young I must have been when I liked this book, although looking back now, it makes sense. I very clearly remember that I had read this book many, many times before I ever found out what the word “flunked” meant, which shows how young I was. (For all my fellow word nerds, I’m pretty sure “flunked” isn’t a Canadian word, but it enters our vocabulary around the time we start watching American after-school specials set in junior high/high school. The Canadian word is “failed”, and to be even geekier, it’s not something you can do to someone–you fail the course, the teacher doesn’t fail you.)
Anyway, this series is great for younger kids, teaching them some environmental and social responsibility as well as telling them a sci-fi adventure story. I very clearly remember that this book was the first time I’d heard the radical idea that many people in the world were starving, not because humanity can’t produce enough food to feed them, but because we make political and economic choices to let them starve. The book has other important messages, but that one, and the story’s staunch anti-war attitude, are the ones that stuck with me.
Tags: 50 Book Challenge 2008, Bruce Coville, My Teacher Is an Alien
July 7, 2008 at 4:20 pm · Filed under Book Reviews, Children's Literature, Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror
92. The Trolley to Yesterday by John Bellairs (Juvenile fiction, fantasy) 183 p.
This is another John Bellairs novel I hadn’t read as a child, and I can’t say I missed anything. Professor Childermass, who teaches history, has often been moved to tears over the plight of the people of 15th-century Constantinople, some of whom took refuge in the Church of Holy Wisdom when the Turks besieged the city, and were slaughtered. When he discovers a time-travel machine in his basement, the Professor conceives a nutty plan to go back in time and rescue the people in the city.
I definitely am not the person to have patience with this book. Could any historian possibly be so concerned about the individual fates of the people in the period he studies? The whole premise of the book was absurd–and even the two boys, Johnny and Fergie, realized perfectly well what a ridiculous plan it was. This is one of those times when Bellairs’s books are just not readable for anyone over the age of eight.
Rating: 3 out of 10
Pages read: 27,031
Tags: 50 Book Challenge 2008, John Bellairs, Johnny Dixon
July 7, 2008 at 4:07 pm · Filed under Book Reviews, Children's Literature, Favourite Books, Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror
90. Artemis Fowl: The Lost Colony by Eoin Colfer (Juvenile fiction, science fiction, fantasy) 385 p.
Long ago, humans and fairies fought a war that drove the fairies underground, but there was one group who chose instead to take their island out of time, isolating it, but protecting it from humans. Now the demons are coming re-appearing, creating a threat to the secrecy and survival of all other fairies. And when it comes to saving fairy civilization, there’s no better team than Artemis Fowl and Holly Short.
In The Lost Colony, Artemis and Holly face a number of threats, including another child genius. Minerva Paradizo is only twelve, not much younger than fourteen-year-old Artemis, and just as intelligent. Worse, Artemis is finally feeling the effects of puberty, and may not be quite as focused as he usually is. This book is as good as any of the previous books in the series, and introduces some interesting new characters. Imp N°1 is my favourite, but I quite like Minerva as well, and I’m eager to see what Colfer will do with her in The Time Paradox, which is due to be released next week. In it, Artemis will face his most clever and diabolical foe: himself.
Rating: 10 out of 10
Pages read: 26,516
Tags: 50 Book Challenge 2008, A ~ Z Reading Challenge, Artemis Fowl, Eoin Colfer
July 7, 2008 at 3:51 pm · Filed under Book Reviews, Children's Literature, Favourite Books, Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror
89. Artemis Fowl: The Opal Deception by Eoin Colfer (Juvenile fiction, science fiction, fantasy) 497 p.
This is the fourth Artemis Fowl novel, following Artemis Fowl, The Arctic Incident, and The Eternity Code.
Opal Koboi, one of the villains from the The Arctic Incident, is once again on the loose, and this time it’s personal: she’s after Julius Root, Holly Short, and all the others, both human and fairy, who helped to foil her plot–including Artemis Fowl. The big problem? No one knows she’s escaped, she soon has Holly on the run from the law, and at the end of The Eternity Code, Artemis was mind-wiped to prevent him from ever divulging fairy secrets. Somehow, Holly has to find him, convince him that fairies really exist, and enlist his aid against one of LEPrecon’s greatest foes–all without being apprehended herself.
The Opal Deception is another fun, fast-paced adventure. Despite the handicap of remembering nothing he once knew about fairies and fairy technology, Artemis is at his brilliant best, and Holly is as tough and competent as ever.
Rating: 9 out of 10
Pages read: 26,131
Tags: 50 Book Challenge 2008, A ~ Z Reading Challenge, Artemis Fowl, Chunkster Challenge 2008, Eoin Colfer
July 7, 2008 at 3:38 pm · Filed under Book Reviews, Children's Literature, Favourite Books, Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror
88. Artemis Fowl: The Eternity Code by Eoin Colfer (Juvenile fiction, science fiction, fantasy) 309 p.
This is the third in the Artemis Fowl series, preceeded by Artemis Fowl and The Arctic Incident. It easily matches the quality of the first two books, with a similarly frenetic plot, fun characters, and interesting world-building. It’s written for children, so the characterization, though good for this type of novel, is not notably complex or nuanced.
After his experiences with the fairies and his father’s sudden growth of a conscience, Artemis has decided to go straight. As soon as he transacts one last shady deal. Unfortunately, that deal leaves Butler, his bodyguard and friend, on the edge of death, and endangers the entire fairy world. Artemis must once again team up with his old nemesis, Lower Elements Police Reconnaisance (or LEPrecon) officer Holly Short, in order to save her world.
As usual, Artemis and Holly make a great team, and the inclusion of Juliet Butler and Mulch Diggums just makes the story better.
Rating: 9 out of 10
Pages read: 25,634
Tags: 50 Book Challenge 2008, A ~ Z Reading Challenge, Artemis Fowl, Eoin Colfer
July 7, 2008 at 3:24 pm · Filed under Book Reviews, Children's Literature, Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror
87. The Chessmen of Doom by John Bellairs (Juvenile fiction, horror) 155 p.
This is one of the later books in Bellairs’s Johnny Dixon series, and one I never read as a child. I don’t know if it just isn’t as good as the others, or if the fact that I have no nostalgia for the story makes a difference, but I didn’t like it as much as most of Bellairs’s work.
When Professor Childermass’s brother dies, he leaves a cryptic rhyme and a series of instructions in his will, leading the Professor, Johnny, and Fergie to stay in his broken-down mansion for the summer. While there, they have some msyterious and sinister experiences, and uncover a malign plot to end the world.
These books, unlike some of the other juvenile and young adult fiction I read, are really strictly for children. Although they aren’t a bad way to occupy an idle hour, there’s really nothing in them that would appeal to an adult whose never encountered them before, except perhaps the charm of the 1950’s setting. As a child, Bellairs’s books scared me and my roommate (and childhood best friend) to death, but no one over the age of ten would feel the slightest twinge of anxiety. They’re ideal for seven- or eight-year-olds, though!
Rating: 6 out of 10
Pages read: 25,325
Tags: 50 Book Challenge 2008, A ~ Z Reading Challenge, John Bellairs, Johnny Dixon
July 7, 2008 at 3:05 pm · Filed under Book Reviews, Children's Literature, Favourite Books, Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror
86. Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer (Juvenile fiction, science fiction, fantasy) 280 p.
This is the first in the Artemis Fowl series, and a re-read for me. I enjoyed re-reading the second book, The Arctic Incident, so much that I went back and read this as well.
I don’t have much to say about this book that I didn’t say in my review of The Arctic Incident. I will say that I particularly enjoy Artemis’s portrayal here, where he is an evil mastermind who has never had to encounter the results of his thoughtless, self-centered cruelty. For an adventure story aimed at 9-12-year-olds, Artemis Fowl does a good job of looking at the question of good and evil, because it makes it obvious to kids that evil isn’t just about setting out to harm people, it’s about not caring about the consequences of your actions. And unlike many child protagonist, Artemis gets the chance to grow and change throughout the books.
(Harry Potter, for example, grows up but rarely, if ever, seems to learn from any of his mistakes. This is, at least in part, because he and everyone around him seem to subsribe to an ends-justify-the-means philosophy which is more-or-less antithetical to the point Eoin Colfer is making in his stories. In case you couldn’t tell, I agree with Colfer.)
I love the plot, characterization, and world-building that Colfer does in this book, so it’s no surprise that it’s one of my favourite children’s novels. It’s also a favourite among many of my ten- and eleven-year-old students.
Rating: 9 out of 10
Pages read: 25,170
Tags: 50 Book Challenge 2008, Artemis Fowl, Eoin Colfer
July 7, 2008 at 2:44 pm · Filed under Book Reviews, Children's Literature, Favourite Books, Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror
85. Artemis Fowl: The Arctic Incident by Eoin Colfer (Juvenile fiction, science fiction, fantasy) 277 p.
This is a re-read for me. I remembered enjoying the two Artemis Fowl books I’d read, but I’d forgotten just how good they are.
Artemis Fowl is a twelve-year-old criminal mastermind. Smarter than just about any human, in Artemis Fowl he became the first human to realize that an entire civilization of non-humans–faeries–live under the Earth’s crust, with technology far more advanced that anything humans have yet invented. Keeping themselved secret for their own protection, they weren’t happy to be discovered–or to have one of their Lower Elements Police Reconnaissance (or LEPrecon) officers held for ransom. The relationship between Artemis Fowl and the faerie world is not exactly cordial.
That’s why when LEPrecon discovers a smuggling operation that seems to involved both faeries and humans, Artemis is their first and only suspect. Although he turns out not to be involved, the faeries do need his help–and luckily for them, Artemis is willing, because he needs something in return….
Artemis is a fantastic creation. He is as believable a character as any twelve-year-old evil genius can be, and he offers great opportunity for character development, of which Colfer takes full advantage, allowing him to mature and become less socipathic over the course of the books. This is the second book in the series, and although Artemis has learned from some of his mistakes, he still has a generous helping of selfish callousness.
Colfer’s conception of faeries and faerie society is one of the most imaginative and fun of any I’ve ever read. Most stories fall strictly into either science fiction or fantasy, and even those that blend the two usually keep the science and fantasy elements strictly separate from each other. The whole idea of a culture clash between old-fashioned, magical elves and a rational, techonologically-advanced human society is a familiar cliché to any reader of urban fantasy.
Colfer turns that whole idea on its head. His faeries are not only magical; they are also far more advanced in science and technology than humans–in essence, they hold all the cards. The only things that give humanity the edge are (a) our ruthless willingness to exploit or kill anything or anyone in order to achieve our goals, and (b) our sheer numbers. Unable to compete with humans without going to what they consider to be unthinkable lengths, Colfer’s faeries have elected to move underground, out of sight of humanity, in order to live their lives in peace. All this is just mostly in the background, though. Most of what makes the books so much fun to read are the tight, fast-paced, action-packed plots. As Colfer puts it, the series is “Die Hard, with fairies.”
I enjoyed this book quite a bit (so much so that I went on to re-read the first in the series, and then to buy and read the next three as well), but keep in mind that it is written for the 9-12 age group, so there’s a much higher proportion of stereotyped characters and bathroom humour than you might find in an adult novel. This is definitely a series to save for when you’re in a frivolous mood.
Rating: 10 out of 10
Pages read: 24,890
Tags: 50 Book Challenge 2008, Artemis Fowl, Eoin Colfer
May 4, 2008 at 4:11 pm · Filed under Book Reviews, Children's Literature, Favourite Books, Historical Fiction, Mystery and Suspense, Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror
69. Mairelon the Magician by Patricia C. Wrede (Children’s historical fantasy) 312 p.
Seventeen-year-old Kim survives on the streets of London by dressing as a boy and earning money any way she can. When she’s offered a whole five pounds to snoop around in a magician’s waggon, she takes the job even though she knows there’s something dodgy about it. She doesn’t expect to be caught by the owner, who turns out to be a real magician—and she certainly doesn’t expect him to offer her a job.
This book seems to be set just after the Napoleonic Wars, in the same time period as Sorcery & Cecilia, although aimed at a younger audience. The plot also has a lot in common with that book, with a number of characters caught up in the search for a magical artifact. Mairelon the Magician is an entirely enjoyable romp through Regency England, and I’m looking forward to picking up a copy of the sequel, The Magician’s Ward.
Pages read: 19,947
Tags: 50 Book Challenge 2008, Magic and Malice, Patricia C. Wrede
April 22, 2008 at 4:02 pm · Filed under Book Reviews, Children's Literature, Favourite Books, Historical Fiction
61. Goodnight Mister Tom by Michelle Magorian (Children’s historical fiction) 382 p.
I first read this book when I was about twelve, and again a few years later, and I loved it both times, so a used copy for $2 seemed like a very good deal. Goodnight Mister Tom is a brilliant children’s book set at the beginning of World War II. It was first published in 1981, but Michelle Magorian did a lot of research into the events, people, speech, and even the clothes of the period.
Even before Britain declared war on Germany, children from the country’s inner cities were being evacuated to country towns and villages, to escape the bombings that would accompany the outbreak of fighting. In Goodnight Mister Tom, one of these evacuees is nine-year-old Willie Beech, a small, underfed, silent boy who is billeted with the crotchety old Tom Oakley in the village of Little Weirwold.
Under Tom’s care, Willie begins to enjoy life, even making a few new friends, including the delightful Zacharias Wrench (”My parents have a cruel sense of humour.”) Although I love Will, Zach, the bold and well-spoken son of two actors, is one of my favourite fictional characters. His exchanges with some of the other characters, particularly the taciturn Tom, are some of the funniest parts of the book.
Goodnight Mister Tom is one of the best kids’ books I’ve ever read, and one of the few that I’ve loved every bit as much on re-reading as an adult. I’ve never tried any of Magorian’s other books—something I’ll have to remedy as soon as possible!
Pages read: 17,279
Tags: 50 Book Challenge 2008, A ~ Z Reading Challenge, Michelle Magorian
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