Princesses, Fairies and Basilisks

Lechermeier, Philippe. The Secret Lives of Princesses.
Nominated for the Cybils by Danielle Smith.

Have to say first that I think this book is misplaced. It's a massive 14"x14" or so, heavily illustrated... it's a picture book. This is further evidenced by its lack of continuous narrative. The pictures and accompanying descriptions of different sorts of exotic princesses are interesting, but there's no plot, no character development, and I think putting it even in grades 2-4 is pushing it.

I really don't like picture books. I may be the only person who doesn't.

Iggulden, Conn. Tollins: Explosive Tales for Children.
Nominated for the Cybils by Matthew H.

This comes perilously close to being a picture book, but since it weighs in at 172 pages, I guess it's not. Tollins are small, fairy like creatures that live in a little village called Chorleywood that is experiencing growing pains due to the increase in factories. When one Tollins is accidentally put into a firework, with their kind are enslaved and used in more fireworks, which singes their wings off and relocates them, but seems not to kill them. In order to break this enslavement, one of the Tollins talks to humans, which is against their rules, and gets thrown in prison. Eventually, everything is worked out.

Strengths: The pictures are cute, and there's a vague early 1900s history being played out.
Weaknesses: I expected more from the author of The Dangerous Book for Boys. I thought more things would explode. Just wasn't what I thought it would be. Boys may be reluctant to read about fairies, even if they are scowling and devious.

LeFevers, R.L. The Basilisk's Lair (Nathaniel Flood: Beastologist)
Nominated for the Cybils by Nell Clark.

In this second book in the series (the third is also a nominee), Nathaniel and his Aunt Phil are called to investigate the escape of a basilisk. They must travel from Cairo to Bamako (in the Sudan), a trip which is complicated by the presence of Nathaniel's gremlin, Greasel, who incapacitates motors of all kinds in order to drain their oil. (This is set in 1928, so planes are involved as well.) Along the way, the pair learn more secrets of the basilisk, and also that someone else is following their trail and trying to get the creature as well.

Strengths: This is a tightly constructed story with pleasant, well-developed characters. While a little young for middle school, it's a great series for 3-4 graders, packed with history, adventure, and monsters.

Weaknesses: The pictures didn't add to this for me. I would have rather seen them done in Sean Ashby's wonderful woodcut style.

MANY, MANY thanks to Ohio LINK. My local library and libraries throughout Ohio have been keeping me well supplied with books.

Unicorns and Cats

Coville, Bruce. The Last Hunt.

Nominated for the Cybils by Beverly Wrigglesworth

As with Dark Whispers, this final volume of the Unicorn Chronicles is heavy duty fantasy stuff, and a massive 605 pages, complete with a huge appendix on characters. I have problems following plots when so many characters are involved over so many pages, but basically, the unicorn killer, Beloved (who is angry because her father was killed by a unicorn) has invaded Luster with a bunch of Hunters to do her bidding, and is about to cause the destruction of the world. However, her granddaughter (who somehow has human and unicorn blood) tries desperately to save the world and is aided by Great Powers toward this end.

Strengths: Nicely done high fantasy, this will be greatly enjoyed by students who are really into unicorns, magic and the like. The brown ink is a nice touch.

Weaknesses: The casual reader would be completely kerflummoxed by this, which is too bad, since the first two books in this series are more accesssible. I wish that Coville would write more of his shorter, funny books for middle grade readers. This verged on YA.

Diamand, Emily. Raider's Ransom.

Nominated for the Cybils by Jen Robinson

Lilly lives in a fishing community with her grandmother and a seacat, who has chosed her and is greatly coveted by the others in the community, who don't think Lilly deserves the cat even though it has chosed her. The setting at first appears to be in an English community in the mid 1800s, but is actually set in the 23rd century when ecological problems have caused much of the earth to flood. When Lilly's grandmother is killed by raiders who also kidnap the prime minister's daughter, and Lilly's town is blamed for this, Lilly decides to try to save the day by herself. She is aided by an urchin named Zeph, and the chapters alternate between the two as narrators. Lilly is helped by a "jewel" that turns out to be a computer that has survived the collapse of technology.

Strengths: The characters are likeable, the environmental message is one of which we need more, and there is a lot of adventure.

Weaknesses: The technology is inserted in a rather strange way, and the interpolation of modern phrases into the 19th century lingo is jarring. The emphasis on the importance of the cat at the beginning of the story made it difficult for me to get into the story.

Squirrels and Futuristic Dystopia

Tellegan, Toon. Letters to Anyone and Everyone.
Nominated for the Cybils by Katie Connor

The Squirrel's Birthday and Other Parties.
Nominated for the Cybils by Derry Wilkins

These very attractively illustrated books do not strike me as fantasy or science fiction, but the animals do talk. They remind me more of Winnie The Pooh or the works of Beatrix Potter. Both of the books include short vignettes. The first book largely involves letters being written between squirrels and ants and elephants, and the second has a variety of parties with the same characters. Both involve a lot of cake.

Strengths: These are very pretty, pleasant books that would make a nice baby shower gift for someone whom you know already possesses the entire Potter collection.

Weaknesses: I don't see any elementary or middle school students picking these up, but they are too sophisticated for the emergent reader category. They seem like the sort of book that parents read aloud to infants. Also, they both seem to have been published in 2009, but I don't know exactly what month.

Anthony, Joelle. Restoring Harmony.
Nominated for the Cybils by El

Molly's family is surviving in British Columbia in a world where only the government has any oil. Her mother is pregnant and not doing well and the only local doctor has died in an accident. Molly and her father decide that she should go to Portland, Oregon to check on her grandparents, because her grandfather was a doctor who could potentially help her mother, and her grandmother may be ailing or dead. Molly starts her perilous and illegal journey to the States armed only with her trusty violin. When she finally finds her grandparents, she finds that they are not doing well, and surviving because of the kindness of a neighbor who feeds them from his garden. Molly tries to earn money by busking in a local market, but finds that a crime syndicate runs the market as well as much of the local economy. Luckily, the nephew of the Boss takes a liking to her. However, when Molly witnesses the syndicate beating up the neighbor who supplies food, she is no longer allowed to leave Portland. Upon reflection, Molly and her grandfather decide that the only option is for them all to leave and return to the farm to take care of Molly's mother, so they take the 1959 car that her grandfather has kept in the garage for years, get help from the nephew, and start their adventure back to Molly's farm.

Strengths: This dystopian view of the future (2041) is a little more believable than some. Oil runs out, food is scarce but available, and people need to fend for themselves. Molly was a fun character, and the brief romance lightened the mood a bit.

Weaknesses: I liked this better when it was mainly the dystopian vision; the introduction of the crime syndicate changed the story entirely, and I didn't like it as much. The cover, with a girl in a tank top with a violin case, makes the book seem like it would be about some other topic.

Halt's Peril

Flanagan, John. Halt's Peril.
Nominated for the Cybils by Elliot.

Had to skip The Kings of Clonmel because I am a nice librarian and let the students have it first, so I missed a little bit having to do with the evil Tennyson, who apparently killed Halt's cousin, King Ferris, and is terrorizing the local population and making them turn over their valuables to him. Will spends quite a bit of time looking for this character, practicing his menacing looks and grabbing-people-by-the-collar, and then there's a lot of Tolkien-esque tramping about in the woods until Halt gets wounded by an enemy arrow tainted by poison, so Horace and Will have to hunt down Malcolm to get an antidote. More tramping in the woods. They finally locate Bacari, the Genovesan who shot Halt, get the antidote, cure Halt, and finally dispatch Tennyson...or do they? I'm betting that he will be back in the tenth and final book The Emperor of Nihon-Ja, which is due out on April 19, 2011.

Strengths: This is still a page turner-- something about Flanagan's style keeps each chapter on an upswing and makes me want to know more. The characters continue to develop, and their loyalty and friendship is enjoyable.

Weaknesses: Not much happened. I love this series, but this felt a bit like a filler. Maybe it was setting up a lot of things for the last book (like Artemis Fowl last night), but I missed the battle strategy and the shades of gray of right and wrong that was so clearly evident in previous books.

Artemis, Zombies and Houses... Oh, My!

Artemis Fowl: The Atlantis Complex (Book 7)
Nominated for the Cybils by Brandon.

Having just read Colfer's story on how Artemis is based on his brother's dealings as a child, I picked this up with new interest, but I've always struggled with this series and still have a hard time reading it because there really isn't any good side. Granted, Artemis does seem to be weakening-- he's spending his entire fortune on an ecological project to save the world, and the fairy Holly thinks it is because he is suffering from a condition that usually afflicts fairies who are evil. There are a lot of characters brought into this story whom I thought I should know and didn't; it's been a while since I read the other books, and avid readers will have a better handle on the back story than I do. This didn't have quite the action and adventure (nor the travel) of the previous books, and it seems like a lot of ground work was being laid for the next book, which will be the last one.

Strengths: Artemis certainly is given a lot of room to grow and develop here, which was somewhat lacking in the other books, and I like him a little more since he isn't as evil.

Weaknesses: Okay, Disney Hyperion. Really? We're on book seven of eight and you redesign the covers? Like I'm going to go out and replace the other 10-12 books I have with the old covers. Grrr. Yes, the new cover is pretty, but really annoying! Oh. The writing. Younger fans may complain about not as much action.

Bolger, Kevin. Zombiekins.
Nominated for the Cybils by D.M.Cunningham.

When Stanley picks up a Zombiekins doll at a tag sale held by the town witch, he thinks it will be a pleasant change from his sister's sickly sweet toys, but he fails to heed the witch's warning that he should follow the instructions. Stanley also doesn't pay enough attention to the fact that the zombie doll eviscerates his sister's other stuffed animals, and takes the toy to school, where it goes into overdrive and starts turning the other students and teachers into zombies. Luckily, the witch provides an antidote, tragedy is averted, and the stage is set for the zombie doll's other adventures in an upcoming sequel, They Came from Under the Bed.

Strengths: The illustrations add to the story nicely, and younger students will enjoy the worm eating and other grossness.
Weaknesses: This goes over that cartoony, goofy line and makes it too young for my middle school students, and it's like Captain Underpants with zombie dolls. I love Captain Underpants, but I would not consider it Great Literature. Maybe we will call it The Pilkey Line. Thoughts?

Llewellyn, Tom. The Tilting House.
Nominated for the Cybils by Amy Baskin.

Because Josh's father doesn't make a lot of money working in an art museum, and because he is drawn to the weird decorations of an old creepy house, Josh's family moves in to the Tilton house even the the floors are uneven and the place is infested with rats... that talk. In a series of anecdotes, we find out more of the mysteries of the house, which include a light switch that makes the house invisible, a box of powder that makes a neighbor dog grow huge, and a hidden statue that brings all of the mysteries together and allow the family to stay in the house.

Strengths: Stays on the middle school sidegoofy, even with the father buying a duplex next door for the talking rat. Stories are pleasantly creepy, and definitely original and fresh. The woodcut-like illustrations add a nice touch.

Weaknesses: I wanted a creepier reason for the house being the way it was, and expected either more mystery or more blood and gore, somehow. Something darker.

Horowitz, Anthony. Bloody Horowitz.

This is worth buying if only for the one story, The Man Who Killed Darren Shan! There are 14 short stories in this, and several share a common theme of obnoxious children who meet bad ends. The thing that I liked most about them was that they had some very unexpected, twisted endings: My Bloody French Exchange was brilliantly creepy, and The RoboNanny was fun because I did not see the ending coming at all. There is enough blood and gore to make R.L. Stine fans happy, and Horowitz even comments on what most adults think of that sort of thing in the first story Why Horror Has No Place in Children's Books. These would make some excellent read alouds for Halloween!

Strengths: Anything by Horowitz will be picked up, and readers will not be disappointed in this offering.

Weaknesses: Blast you, Penguin Putnam!! Why the horrible paper-over-boards binding without a dust jacket! This is why my Horowitz Horror and More Horowitz Horror are being held together by tape. If you are going to publish good stories, at least put them in a binding that will last a year or two. And what's with the horrible cover?

Queens and Vampires

Moss, Jenny. Shadow.
Nominated for the Cybils by Sally Beringer.

Shadow has been with Queen Audrey for as long as she can remember, suffering the indignity of sleeping on the floor, doing menial tasks, and not even having her own name. She is somehow supposed to protect the queen, who has been prophesied to die before her 16th birthday. When Audrey does die, there is nothing Shadow can do to save her, but she is about to be blamed for the death, so Sir Kenway, who was in love with Audrey, spirits her off to the forest in search of a witch who can protect her. While there, Shadow learns the mystery behind her identity, and also realizes that only she can protect the kingdom from the various problems that are plaguing it.

Strengths: The writing flows very smoothly, the story makes sense, and there is a strong sense of place.

Weaknesses: Shadow was too limp a heroine for my tastes. Her romance with Kenway seeemed somehow... icky. He pushed her around a bit too much. I saw the twist in the plot coming. This read more like a YA book to me, not that anything was inappropriate. There was more introspection about identity than action.


Meyer, Stephenie. The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner.

Bree is a newborn vampire who hangs around with other new vampires who are having trouble controlling their thirst and who are given free range to go about marauding and killing humans. Bree seems to have a little more sense of humanity and propriety, but it's not enough to save her. I am SO glad that I only bought one copy of this. Sure, it will get checked out, but fans of Twilight like the book for the romance, and this is pretty short on that. Instead, we have some gruesome feeding going on. Yuck. Definitely keep this one away from 5th graders who are bound and determined to read the series.

Guy Sunday

Scieszka, Jon, ed. Guys Read: Funny Business.
Mr. Scieszka really needs to get to work writing a middle grade novel (Spaceheadz was just too young for my group), but while we're waiting, I can try this collection of short stories by various authors out on my boys. My favorite story by far was by Eoin Colfer, and detailed how one of his brothers was the inspiration for Artemis Fowl. Other notable stories include Kid Appeal, by David Lubar, which could easily be developed into a book with Dwight Howtzler as the main character, and Unaccompanied Minors, by Jeff Kinney, that shows that the Wimpy Kid author could well put his talents to other uses whenever he gets tired of that series.

Strengths: Funny writing, snippets from well-known authors, good cover.
Weaknesses: It's really hard to get students to read short story collections. No idea why. I even put all of my story collections into the fiction section, but they are still a hard sell.

Higson, Charlie. By Royal Command.
James spends a lovely few weeks learning how to ski with his classmates in the Alps, and even though an idiotic classmate almost gets him killed on the slopes, it's a good diversion after his recent adventures. When he gets back to Eton, however, he discovers more intrigue. Since it involves the lovely young Roan, a maid at the school, he doesn't mind at first, but when he uncovers a plot to assassinate the king, he has to decide which side he will be on. It's hard for James to see the world as black and white; even though Roan is on the wrong side, he thinks she is a good person, and he gives up everything to escape with her. This is supposed to be the last book in the series, but the ending was so open that it just doesn't seem like it should be.

Strengths: Wonderful sense of place and time. Bond's world and the people in it are lovingly described. There's also a lot of action and adventure, which is why my students like these, but I loved the depiction of a private school in pre-War Britain.

Weaknesses: This same attention to the details of the period make the first novel, Silverfin, slightly difficult for students to get into. I encourage them to perservere.


Myklusch, Matt. Jack Blank and the Imagine Nation.
Nominated for the Cybils by Morning Light Mama

Orphaned Jack is at the evil St. Barnaby's Home for the Hopeless, Abandoned, Forgotten, and Lost and is being punished by being made to bail out the dank basement when he is attacked by a zombie robot right out of one of the comic books he loves to read. He is then whisked off by Jazen Knight, who claims to be from the Department of Departmental Affaird, and taken to the Imagine Nation, a community of super heroes and others with extraordinary powers. It turns out that the robot was a Rustov, and Jack is infective with a Rustov virus, but for some reason, it's not killing him. Even though he is infected, he is put on the path to study at the prestigious School of Thought and given a series of tests, even while he is trying to degeat the evil Smart, who is trying to get him removed from the Imagine Nation. Jack manages to find out a little about his heritage, learns about his powers, and helps to save the Imagine Nation... for now. Sequels are probably forthcoming.

Strengths: Errs just on the right side of goofiness for middle school students, and has lots of fun gadgets. Explosions happen regularly, the villians are deliciously wicked, and the whole story moves along nicely.

Weaknesses: Bad cover art. Some serious editing would have made this a more cohesive story. It rambled a bit, and the variety of evil doers was a bit hard to follow at times. This is a hefty 450+ pages, which makes it a little difficult for third graders, who would probably like the story.

Feeling Blue

Wells, Rosemary. On the Blue Comet.
This is a gorgeous book. The cover is shiny, the paper is a heavy, brilliant white, and the full plate illustrations are highly evocative of children's books of the 1930s.

Which was deliciously appropriate, since we meet Oscar Ogilvie in 1931. His father has been working in Illinois for John Deere, and the two have been collecting trains to take their mind off the death of Oscar's mother, but when the economy worsens and Mr. Ogilvie loses his job, things change. The father heads to California to find work, and Oscar goes to live with his sour and demanding aunt. While she is off giving elocution and music lessons to the more fortunate, he befriends as out of work teacher, who helps him with his homework in exchange for food. Eventually, however, the aunt finds out, and Oscar has to meet Mr. Applegate at the bank where he works as a night watchman-- the same bank where Oscar's beloved trains have ended up on a Christmas display. When a bank robbery goes terribly awry, Oscar finds himself on a train to California, in the company of a college athlete named Dutch who is headed out west to become a movie star. All Oscar wants to do is find his father, but when he realizes that it is suddenly 1941 and he is ten years older, he realizes that there are strange forces of time travel at work.

Strengths: The writing was beautiful, the historical story was compelling, the characters were charming, and the whole book just made me sigh with pleasure.

Weaknesses: Can't see this appealing much to students. I may bring this one to school to see what the students think of it, but it might be a hard sell.

Lord, Cynthia. Touch Blue.
Tess lives on a small island off Maine. Since her best friend's family has left, the island no longer has enough students to keep a school open, which would mean that Tess' mother would lose her teaching job and the family would have to move to the mainland. To try to avert this, families on the island agree to take in foster children. Tess is excited that an older boy will be placed with them, and plans excursions and activities for him (while realizing that he will need some time to adjust) but is disappointed when Aaron arrives and is nothing at all like she imagined. He does warm to her father, a lobsterman, a bit, but pines for his mother. When Tess invites the mother to a fourth of July concert in which Aaron is playing the trumpet, things could go terribly wrong for Aaron, and for Tess' family as well.

Strengths: This was a strong problem novel with realistically portrayed characters. There are a decent number of books about children in foster care, and this would be a good addition to a collection where books like Wolfson's What I Call Life and Dowell's Where I'd Like to Be are popular.

Weaknesses: Might not have enough problems for readers who like to read about them, and it's not really a funny book at all. I will try this one on Picky Reader and see if she likes it. The cover is quite nice.

Stewart, Bracegirdle, Batson and Hopper

Stewart, Paul and Riddell, Chris. The Immortals.

Nominated for the Cybils by Brigan Del.

Even though I have only read the first in this series (Beyond the Deepwoods), this finale made sense. Nate is a lamplighter in the phrax mines, and when his best friend is murdered, he takes off for Great Glade, and has multiple adventures. In one paragraph, it's hard to give more synopsis than this, because there are so many subplots, characters, places and everything has a strange name! The writing is very descriptive and rich, and there are is a lot of action and adventure. Readers who love this series will have no trouble telling the banderbears from the skyworms, and will understand that this takes place about 500 years after the last book in the series (There are three trilogies; Twig, Quint and Rook). I just struggled to get through the 669 pages!

Strengths: The pictures in this are great, even if there are multiple maps! Hard core fantasy fans are enthralled by these, since the world of the Edge is vividly described in all its Steampunk glory.

Weaknesses: The first book came out in 1998, (with reissues in 2004) and by the time it came across my radar, it was tough to assemble the entire series. Follett does have the Publishers Hardcover set of all ten books available for $115.63 now. However, I am lacking hard core fantasy readers and will stick to these authors' Barnaby Grimes series, which is a little more accessible.

Bracegirdle, P.J. Unearthly Asylum (The Joy of Spooking)

Nominated for the Cybils by Susan Mitchell.

What a difference a cover can make! Although I enjoyed Fiendish Deeds, the cover has made it difficult to circulate. Once again, the evil Phipps of Darlington has his eyes on the property of Spooking. Not only would they like to see the houses made into fancy condos, they would like to turn the local insane asylum (there is discussion of how politically incorrect this title is) into a spa and resort. They're out of luck, however, because Joy, her brother, and her friend Gustave are wise to what's going on, especially since Joy wants to keep Spooking the way it is, as a tribute to writer and former resident E.A. Peugeot. Evil adults are constantly annoying Joy, and she has little patience for their antics, especially when they get in the way of her finding her lost pet frog, Fizz.

Strengths: There is a lot of fun action, and this is certainly a fresh story. Spooking is a great setting-- I would like to visit. I'd even mow Joy's lawn for her!

Weakness: Some strange subplots involving the adults distract from the story, and there are some overly precious moments, like a teacher gushing about how wonderful the "classic" book Tubey Dave is.

Batson, Wayne Thomas and Hopper, Christopher. Curse of the Spider King: The Berinfell Prophecies Book 1

Nominated for the Cybils by Deborah

It's never a good thing when portals open between worlds, especailly when evil spider minions find them, too! Because elf lords were sent to Earch as babies to save them after their kingdom was attached, the Spider King has traveled here to try to find them all, since they are approaching adolescence and coming into their powers. The seven children (of varying ethnic backgrounds and interests) are not alone; they are accompanied by sentinels, elves disguised as humans, such as the school librarian, Mrs. Galdarro. Obviously, saving two worlds requires a lot of fighting and action, and this book moves along at a nice clip. Sequels are sure to come.

Strengths: The characters are realistically drawn, which makes the fantasy element a bit of a surprise. Batson and Hopper obviously know some actual children! Big points for the fun librarian character.

Weaknesses: It was difficult to follow so many characters. Anytime I see lists of characters and places at the beginning of a book, my stomach sinks a bit. They are all well-developed, but having so many takes away from the story.

Kid Vs. Squid

van Eekhout, Greg. Kid Vs. Squid.
Nominated for the Cybils by Sarah Prineas (See yesterday's reviews!)

Poor Thatcher. His parents have dumped him with his great uncle Griswald at his seaside "dime museum" for the summer, and the most thrilling thing he does is dust the shrunken heads. That is, until a girl breaks into the museum and steals the "what-is-it". Accompanied by Trudy, a smart-mouthed local girl, he tracks down the thief, only to find that she is Shoal, the daughter of the king of Atlantis, and the "what-is-is" is the head of Skalla, a sea demon who has cursed Shoal's people to a life of wandering. Griswald also turns out to be more than he seems, and the story rollicks along as the three children try to defeat Skalla's attempts to construct and rule a new Atlantis.

Strengths: Absolutely laugh-out-loud funny at points, in a snarky, middle school goofy way that the students will adore. If we put van Eekhout and Sonnenblick in a room together, we probably couldn't breathe for laughing. Great, quotable funny lines, hysterical situations. No only was the book funny and action packed, but Thatcher and Trudy had a lot of good character building moments as well. Will definitely buy this one and suggest that my public library does as well. (Thanks again, Cuyahoga County Public Library!)

Weaknesses: Students are enthralled with the idea of Atlantis, and working in more mythology would have made this a sure hit.

What? More fantasy?

Prineas, Sarah. Found. (Book 3 of The Magic Thief)
Nominated for the Cybils by Madigan

While Nevery's house is being rebuilt, Conn must live in Twilight because no one trusts his magic after the explosion and fire. He is trying to fight the rising evil magic, Arhionvar (which once was a city) which is trying to ruin Wellmet. This fight takes Conn and his friend, the princess Rowan, to a dragon lair in the far away mountains and puts them in constant danger of being arrested by the Wellmet guards, who don't seem to understand what they are trying to do.

Strenghths: Like the first and second books, this has good characters, a breezy plot, and a fair amount of action. The books have circulated well in my library, and several students are waiting eagerly for this volume.

Weaknesses: The plots are somewhat difficult to follow, and there is little fresh about the setting or events. Sage's Magyk and even Rodda's Deltora Quest books are all too similar.

Rutkoski, Marie. The Celestial Globe.
Nominated for the Cybils by Jessalynn Pinsonault


Since Petra ruined the Prince of Bohemia's Plans in The Cabinet of Wonders, his first act in this sequel is to have his Gray Men attack her. The spy John Dee (whose daughters can bend time and travel through it) takes her to London to keep her safe, and doesn't allow her to return home. Instead he compels her to stay and train while her friends Neel and Tomik search for her with the help of sea bound Gypsies who are looking for the Celestial Globe, a time travel device also wanted by the Prince of Bohemia.

Strengths: This has a steam-punk feel to it (the cover is indicative of that), and a lot of good magical/mechanical gizmos, like Petra's tin spide Astrophil. The rollicking adventure keeps the story going.



Weaknesses: Petra is not very likable, and the different directions in which the story goes can be hard to follow. Something about the quest for the globe seemed inconsequential.



Lairamore, Dawn. Ivy's Ever After.
Nominated for the Cybils by Linda Joy Singleton

Ivy is a standard nonstandard princess-- she runs around and gets brown, doesn't do what she's told, and uses all these skills when she is needed to save the kingdom. In Ivy's case, she escapes from a tower where she is being held until a prince can rescue her and help her take over the kingdom (it's a family tradition) with the help of Elridge, a small dragon. The two try to find Ivy's fairy godmother to help them defeat the evil prince and regain control of the kingdom.

Strengths: Decent enough medieval quest with dragons, and the strong female character of the Modern princess.

Weaknesses: Pales in comparison to stronger stories with fresher empancipated princesses like Alanna: The First Adventure and Wrede's Dealing With Dragons. Have we reached the age of the Post-Modern Princess?

Got a lot of reading done!

Cole, Henry. A Nest for Celeste.
Nominated for the Cybils by Dotz Johnson.

Celeste is a mouse living on a plantation near New Orleans where the naturalist John James Audubon is staying in 1821 with his young assistant, Joseph. Aside from her talent at making baskets, Celeste lives a standard mouse life-- being bullied by rats and chased by cats-- until she is rescued by James and becomes his pet. She helps him with his drawings and befriends several other animals during different circumstances. An osprey brings her home after a flood, and she frees him when Audubon captures him to draw, and some small birds also becomes her friends. There is a fair amount of information about Audubon's drawings, and good historical notes at the back.

Strengths: This will win awards all over the place because of the drawings. Rather like Selznick's Hugo Cabret, pictures play a large role in this story, and when Celeste finds a doll house in the attic, they are adorable and reminded me a lot of Kathleen N. Daly's A House for a Mouse. (1990) The story interested me.

Weaknesses: Not a lot happens. Aside from the plethora of pictures, it's got very little appeal for middle school students. Odd historical time.

Ullman, Barb Bentler. Whistle Bright Magic.
Nominated for the Cybils by Sarah Ullman.

After the death of Zelly's grandmother, her mother takes a leave of absence to move to remote Plunkit and take care of the grandmother's bookstore. Zelly meets two of her mother's friends children, Frederick and Lupine, and start to notice that there are strange things going on that only they can see. They soon meet Whistle, on of the Nutfolk, and when the town's nearby woods is threatened, they rely on his help to keep the woods from being ruined by evil developers. Zelly's estranged father moves back to town and is instrumental in this plan.

Strengths: This was more engaging than I thought it would be, and the story stood alone without reading The Fairies of Nutfolk Wood (2006). While the action is gentle, the characters are interesting without being too quirky, the environmental message strong, the fantasy understandable, and the family problems not too overwhelming.

Weaknesses: The story was light on action, and wasn't all that original. I kept humming the song to The Gnome-Mobile as I was reading it.

Horowitz, Anthony. Legends: Battles and Quests.
Nominated for the Cybils by Summer Ogata.

This update of The Kingfisher Book of Myths and Legends includes the stories of Romulus and Remus, the Minotaur and the less well known stories of The Great Bell of Peking, Geriguiaguiatugo, and two others. It's interesting to see how Horowitz's writing has matured over the last 20 years. He says in the preface that he was enticed to republish this because he was promised better pictures and even better glue-- he got gypped on the pictures, which are still not great. Students love mythology and will pick this up, especially since it's done by Horowitz, but it's not anything ground-breaking or fabulous. Beasts and Monsters is being republished as well. I bought both volumes.

Radiance by Alyson Noel

Noel, Alyson. Radiance.
ARC provided by publisher.
Nominated for the Cybils by Jennifer Donovan.

After Riley, her mother and father, and her dog, Buttercup, are killed in a car accident, they all end up in a version of heaven called Here. Riley is able to manifest her house from earth, a variety of clothing, and anything else that she would like, but she still has to go to school. She is also able to look back on earth and see her sister, Ever. Eventually, she finds that everyone in Here is given a soul task, and since she spent her time on earth copying and pestering Ever, Riley's job is to return to earth to convince a ghost to cross over. She is allowed to take her dog with her, but is accompanied also by an annoying boy named Bohdi, whom she thinks is a dork. She manages not only to get the ghost to leave earth, but helps Bodhi in his assignment as well. Since both Bodhi and Riley were successful on their missions, they pick up a "glow" and are all set to return to do more soul work in the upcoming sequel, Shimmer.

Strengths: Like Mass' Heaven Looks a Lot Like the Mall and Zevin's Elsewhere, this will appeal to students who think there may be a heaven and are curious about what other's perceptions of it are. After Riley goes back to earth in chapter ten and starts to deal with the ghost, it is a suspenseful and interesting book.

Weaknesses: Bit of a slow start, with a lot of explanation Here that doesn't seem pertinent to the rest of the story.

Nielsen's Forbidden Sea

Nielsen, Sheila A. The Forbidden Sea.
Nominated for the Cybils by Rebeca Herman
When Adrianna's sister runs away from home when their aunt threatens to sell a beloved dog in order to help the impoverished family, she almost drowns. Adrianna manages to save her, but is herself attacked by a mermaid. The mermaid continues to call to Adrianna, who has better things to worry about-- ever since the death of her father, the family has struggled with pverty and now has barely enough to eat. With the help of friends, such as the kind and handsome Denn, they have survived, but when the news of Adrianna's dealings with the mermaid become known to the town, the family's precarious situation is threatened. Adrianna is taken to the mermaid's world, and finds out that the mermaid is not evil and is willing to let Adrianna make the choice about whether to stay in the underwater paradise or return to her family and all of their travails.

Strengths: This is a beautifully written tale, and will appeal strongly to girls who like paranormal romance. I appreciated that it was different from many of the tales out their, and the fact that it dealt with mermaids is a plus, as such stories are popular but few and far between. The Victorian setting, and the utter hardships faced by Adrianna somehow added to the appeal for me.

Weaknesses: The extremes of the story-- the paradise promised by the mermaid and the destitution Adrianna faces in the real world-- are slightly overdone. Most readers prefer their paranormal romances with fewer problems and a little more romance.

THANK YOU to the Cuyahoga County Public Library for sending this through OhioLINK. By the time the Cybils are over, I may have to make a big donation to that library system. They have everything.

Wiff and Dirty George: The Z.E.B.R.A. Incident

Swinburne, Stephen. Wiff and Dirty George: The Z.E.B.R.A. Incident
Nominated for the Cybils by Elizabeth Bird

Wiff and George, two poor English boys, are in Paddington Station when everyone's zips and buttons give way and an evil rabbit pops up to take pictures of everyone's embarassment. They return home, where they manage to figure out that the rabbit is really Wiff's grandmother's long lost brother, Basil. The two take off to Brighton to track him down, but are kidnapped by Basil's evil henchmen and taken off to the laboratory where the Zipper Extraction Button Removal Atom-Smasher was developed, along with other instruments of evil. The two boys meet Daphne, Basil's granddaughter, and with her help fly in a giant carrot to Kew Gardens to stop Basil's plot of kidnapping the Queen and substituting someone in her place in order to put an end to Bangers and Mash day celebrations. The reason? Not only was Basil embarassed as a boy when he came out of the bathroom with toilet paper on his heels, but he was kicked out of the secret service because he married a Russian spy. Since Wiff and George were successful but did not neutralize Basil, there may be a sequel.

Strengths: Fast-paced, and has an easy to follow plot. Can't say I've read anything like it.
Weaknesses: Very, very British, and completely nutty. If the cover were stronger, I might be able to sell it, but the cover is all kinds of bad. Elementary students might go for this, but I don't see it being successful for middle school.

Majix: Notes from a Serious Teenage Witch

Rees, Douglas. Majix: Notes from a Serious Teen Witch.

(Watch the cool trailer.)Susan would prefer to be called Kestrel. Now that her disinterested mother has sent her to live with her aunt in the wake of her father's heart attack, Kestrel has decided to embrace her true self, which includes wearing all black, multiple piercings, and practicing "majix". It helps a little that her aunt is also a witch, but Kestrel's new school does not look kindly upon her decision to not wear the school uniform, and the students give her a hard time for being different. Will she have to resort to black magic after all, or will her new friends help her to navigate the treacherous waters of high school?

Strengths: Rees always writes with wry humor, and Kestrel's take on things, even when they aren't working out for her, is fresh and amusing. Even though this is set in high school, even middle school students will find her search for friends who accept her and her dealings with bullies interesting and true to life.

Weaknesses: Having been to too many anti-bullying seminars, I did want to slap Kestrel a little bit, because she brought a lot of the bullying upon herself. It's clear from Rees' writing that he understands this, but it's always uncomfortable as a teacher to read this sort of thing!


Selfors, Susanne. Smells Like Dog.
Nominated for the Cybils by Becky's Book Reviews.
Homer Pudding is mourning the death of his well-loved treasure hunting uncle when his uncle's lawyers drop off the uncle's most prized possession-- an unnamed basset hound. Homer begins to think that perhaps the coin that the dog has around his neck is the prized possession instead, especially when weird things start to happen, such as a man appearing out of the clouds to warn Homer of danger. After recieving an invitation to the Museum of Natural History in The City, Homer, with the help of his sister, takes off, only to find that people ARE after him because his uncle's bequest is really an invitation into a society of adventurers.

Strengths: This is a fast-paced novel, and rather engaging.

Weaknesses: This has a HIGH level of quirkiness. The names and characters (Milkydale, Lorelei with pink hair, a very tall, very sad woman named Zelda) and the situations are just odd. This always bothers me, and when reading this, I figured out why: it seems condescending. Selfors didn't take this approach in her Coffeehouse Angel, and it didn't add to the story for me.

Fergus, Maureen. Ortega.
Nominated for the Cybils by Naseem Hrab or Kids Can Press
Ortega is a gorilla who has been raised by scientists who have made him as human as possible. He can speak, walks upright when pressed, and is being sent to elementary school so he can learn to interact more effectively with humans. The problem? Ortega is huge, hates wearing pants, and smells really bad when he is afraid. The children at the school make fun of him, and Ortega fights being at school the same way that children who are bullied fight it. In the end, however, his classmates and handlers come to understand that Ortega isn't just a gorilla trying to be human-- he is an individual with opinions and emotions.

Strengths: This is a very good imagining of what it would be like to have a high functioning gorilla attend school.

Weaknesses: Although Ortega talks, this doesn't read all that much like science fiction or fantasy to me; it's primarily a problem novel. This would also be a hard sell to my students.


Myers, Walter Dean. The Cruisers.
This slim volume follows the workings of students from DaVinci Academy for the Gifted as a group of them tries to mediate between two factions who are researching and defending different views on slavery during the civil war. Interspersed with student writing, this discusses the problems that the entire school faces when the discussion becomes deeply personal and emotional.

The cover of this is very similar to Game, which is hugely popular with my students. While the viewpoints of the Civil War might be useful to 8th graders who are studying it in social studies, this philosophical bent is not what Myers' fans will be looking for. There is probably a sequel coming.

Guy Friday-- Football

I have not seen an entire football game since 1979, when I attended a Super Bowl party in high school. My brothers was a huge Steelers fan. It's hard for me to get into the whole insane OSU Buckeyes thing, too, but boys seem to love their football.


Norwood House Press has a whole series of college team books-- I ordered two of the Buckeyes and one of the Wolverines for the rebels or the foreign born.



James Buckley's Ultimate Guide to Football: Facts, Stats and Stars is available from Scholastic for a reasonable price. Capstone has a variey of hi-lo books on sports; Terri Dougherty's The Greatest Football Records is one that the boys pick up frequently.

Maybe it's just me, but the quality of the book doesn't seem to make much difference. If it has a good enough picture on the cover, it gets checked out.

Cross Country, now, I get. I was at a meet last night, which is why nothing got read!

Medieval and Modern

Walsh, Pat. The Crowfield Curse.

First saw mentioned by Mr. Elzey at The Excelsior File.

Will is collecting firewood when he hears an injured creature and rushes to the aid of a hob. While frightened, he knows if he does not rescue it, the small, furry creature will die, so he takes it back to a sympathetic monk at the abbey where he has lived since the death of his family in a mill fire. The hob survives and becomes instrumental in figuring out the mystery of a strange man who comes to live at the abbey: Jacobus Bone, a leper, arrives with his strange, henchman Shadlok, and an overwhelming curiosity about the abbey's biggest secret. Because will has magical abilities, he is chosen to help the two find where an angel is buried, but Will is not entirely sure is going to use this discovery for good or ill. The ending sets up an almost certain sequel; unfortunately, the URL for the author does not work.


Strengths: This drew me in right from the very beginning, with Will's compassion. I wanted to know what happened to him and the hob. Also, Ms. Walsh's writing was described as "effortless" over at My Favourite Books, and it was deliciously easy to read, sort of like sinking into a warm bath. Not that the story was easy, but the sense of place was so clear, and the magic felt perfectly normal. Even though it's not really anything like Joseph Delaney's The Last Apprentice series, readers who like that will enjoy this one.


Weaknesses: There were some historical references that many readers will not understand that could have been better explained, but there is a helpful glossary in the back.

I thought this had been nominated for the Cybils Award, but it hasn't.

Dougherty, Brandi. Miss Fortune.

After spending the day at the fair, Mia and Zoe are approached by a strange woman to have their fortunes told. While Mia is interested, Zoe is rather rude to the woman, who gives her a bad fortune as well as a creepy snake head amulet. Over the next few days, bad things occur-- Zoe has an accident on her bike, a fire starts in the oven even though it's not turned on, and a mean e mail is sent to the boy she likes from her account. After this boy recieves a ton of calls from her cell phone and the bad things don't stop, she and Mia investigate the curse, find a spell to remove it, and set off to find the woman who bestowed it so life can get back to normal before 7th grade starts!


This Scholastic title is part of the new Poison Apple series, a take off on this company's Candy Apple series, which is very popular among my 6th graders. These series has been heavily promoted in girls' magazines and Scholastic flyers,

Cybils Nominees

Holt, K.A. Brains for Lunch: A Zombie Novel in Haiku.

Nominated for the Cybils by E. Kristin Anderson

Loeb, a zombie in middle school, is struggling with fitting in. His (nicely portrayed) school librarian thinks he is very smart even though zombies generally are not academically inclined, and encourages him to take part in a poetry competition. Loeb also is interested in a Lifer (non-zombie) girl, and his zombie friends make fun of him because there is a clear delineation between zombies and nonzombies in his school. Ultimately, Loeb decides that it is more important to be himself than to align himself with the practices of his peer group.

Strengths: The haiku format lends itself nicely to replicating the halting speech patterns of a zombie. I usually dislike novels in verse, but this works. The message is a good one, and the behaviors of middle school students are realistically portrayed.

Weaknesses: It will be hard to find an audience for this, and part of the problem is the packaging. The illustrations will lead students to believe that this is a goofy book. Also, students who are interested in zombie books aren't necessarily looking for a life lesson. The haiku format is somewhat limiting in setting up the parameters of the zombie world, which is always the most interesting part of books like Generation Dead for me.

Orlev, Uri. The Song of the Whales.
Nominated for the Cybils by Sarah Rettger.

In this slim volume by the author of many excellent Holocaust novels, Michael moves from the US to Jerusalem so that his father can keep an eye on Michael's grandfather, a Holocaust survivor who is elderly and involved in what the family considers to be an inappropriate relationship with his housekeeper. Michael is reluctant to move but becomes very fond of his grandfather. Soon, he is sharing dreams with his grandfather, learning about the man's past and improving the dreams of others. The housekeeper is not overly pleased with the relationship, because the grandfather had shared his dreams with her before Michaels arrival. In the end, the grandfather's talent for improving dreams passes to Michael.

Strengths: The close relationship with the grandfather is warmly portrayed, and the setting in Jerusalem is unusual and refreshing.

Weaknesses: Again, the audience is difficult. Michael is nine, but the discussion of the grandfather's relationship is more mature. The grandfather tries to influence Michael to be a vegetarian by involving him in a rather disturbing dream where animals eat Michael's parents, making me leery of handing it to a child Michael's age.

Turner, Megan Whalen. A Conspiracy of Kings.
Nominated for the Cybils by Jenny Moss.
This is the fourth book in The Thief (1997) series. Sophos' country, Sounis, is at war with Attolia. If that weren't bad enough, his home and family are attacked and he is kidnapped into slavery. After surviving brutal conditions, his father shows up, and Sophos arranges with a sympathetic woman to be allowed to meet with him. After a fight, both escape and go about the business of fighting the war. There are many military alliances and strategies, and once Sophos' uncle dies, Sophos becomes the leader of Sounis.

I tried very hard to follow this book but had a difficult time, perhaps because I don't have a good memory of the previous books. I started taking notes on page 9 and still was unable to follow the story. It didn't help that the perspective changed from chapter to chapter, and that the leaders of the countries were called by the names of their countries. I only read about 2/3 of the book, and even that took me three hours. Normally, I would read a 316 page book in half that time.

Strengths: Tolkien fans will love this, as will Risk players and readers who enjoy Flanagan's The Ranger's Apprentice series but want more of a challenge. The world of the book is well-developed and the strategy and intrigue are rich.

Weaknesses: The vast majority of middle school students will have trouble following this complex book.

The Wide Awake Princess

Baker, E.D. The Wide-Awake Princess.
Since I have had Ms. Baker's Frog Princess series on and off my Perma-Bound list for several years (not much interest in princess tales, and the books were originally published in paperback), I didn't think I would care much for this new story about the sister of Sleeping Beauty. Was I ever glad that I ran out of things to read last night and had to pick this up.

Since Gwendolyn's christening went so poorly, with the whole death-by-spinning-wheel thing, Annabel's mother and father agree to let a fairy give her the gift of being resistant to any magic. Annie is safe, but she also isn't beautiful like her sister, because their is no illusion about her. When Gwendolyn does succumb to a spinning wheel on her 16th birthday, everyone in the castle falls asleep except for Annie, who decides to take off into the world to find Gwendolyn's fiance, Digby, and perhaps pick up a few extra princes along the way, just in case. Early in her travels, she meets up with Liam, a guard in the palace, who was out on an errand. After saving him from an enchanted horse, the two stumble upon many recognizable fairy tale characters, with fun and interesting twists. Annie beguiles several princes with her no-nonsense personality and complete lack of "princessy" behavior, and Liam also comes to care for her as an equal in their adventure. When the group arrives back at the castle, however, will Gwendolyn awake? And which prince will be the one with the magic kiss?

Adored this one!!! Girls who like stories with strong female characters, like Friesner's Nobody's Princess or Pierce's Alana series, will find Annie a good role model. The 6th grade studies fairy tales, and there are always a few girls interested in princess stories, so this will be a good purchase even though it won't see quite as much circulation as some books. I might even be able to get Picky Reader to take a look at it.

White Cat

Black, Holly. White Cat (The Curse Workers, Book 1)
Cassel finds himself on the roof of his dormitory, after he has dreamt of a white cat that stole his tongue. The school, thinking he is a liability, sends him to live with his grandfather and brothers, because his mother is in jail. The complication? Cassel's relatives are all workers, who can touch people and steal their memories, influence their emotions, or kill them. Cassel is not a worker. Or is he? Years previously, he had woken up to find that he had killed his best friend, a girl named Lila. When the dreams of the cat persist, he is sure that a stray cat whom he adopts is actually Lila herself. Could it be that Cassel is a worker as well, and just has not been told?

Black has an interesting writing style, and this was deliciously dark and convoluted, but it definitely is more of a YA book. It's not just the occasional reference to drinking or kissing, it's more the psychological tone. Instead of saving the world, Cassel is interested more in saving himself. This would be a fine book for high school, but the audience in the middle school would be more limited.