December 2: The 39 Clues 2: One False Note by Gordon Korman

December 4, 2008: Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling
If you’re like me, the postponement of the Half-Blood Prince movie was like the Grinch stealing Christmas (or Kwanzaa, or Chinese New Year, or just some really awesome holiday with lots of candy). The release of The Tales of Beedle the Bard is at least one small consolation in my overwhelming mire of disappointment at having to wait for the movie (by the way, I saw Twilight last night, and the Harry Potter trailer at the beginning was the best part of the movie). Originally produced in a limited run of seven copies (all handwritten and illustrated by Rowling), the book is finally being mass produced to the delight of Potter fans worldwide. In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, The Tales is the book given to Hermione Granger by Albus Dumbledore. In the book, Hermione finds clues that help her (and those other guys) discover the meaning of the hallows. So, it’s kind of like we’re going to be able to read a book that Hermione actually read, except for real, only it won’t be exactly the same…but still awesome!

Awesome Websites

Brotherhood 2.0

EcoGeek.org

Nerdfighter Ning

SparksFlyUp.com

Vlogbrothers YouTube Channel

Golden Rat

It is no secret that 16-year-old Baoliu resents his father’s new wife. So when the new wife turns up dead, Baoliu quickly becomes the main suspect. At the trial, no one, not even Baoliu’s family, speaks up in his defense, so the judge has no choice but to sentence the boy to death. The night before the execution, Baoliu’s father comes with bitter news. Baoliu will be set free, but only because his father has paid for a substitute to die in his place. Once he is free, this gruesome ritual plagues Baoliu. He is shunned and harassed by people in the street, and his own family will no longer speak with him; so he is forced to live on the street and forage for food. In a desperate attempt to understand what has happened, he seeks out the family of the man who died in his place.

This intense mystery set in Yongjia, China in the year 1199 will hook readers who like punchy action, a little history and a new twist on the urban survival tale. Wulffson includes occasional Chinese dialogue to lend authenticity, though many of the English phrasings sound far too modern for the time period. Baoliu is a sympathetic, though not fully-developed character. However, the length (168 pages), action and fast-pace make this a good choice for young readers interested in the topic.

DweebMeter: 2.75/5

If you like this book, check out Don Wulffson’s critically acclaimed Soldier X, a story about a boy who is unwillingly recruited into Hitler’s children’s army.

Elissa

13-year-old Elissa struggles to find her place in the close-nit community of High Crossing. With no connection to her parents and no friends, Elissa finds solace in nature and her ability to talk to animals. Her life changes forever when her father arrives in town and takes her away from her healer grandmother on an expedition to visit the Khan. She is troubled by her father’s cold demeanor, but she holds out hope that he will come to love her with time. These hopes are dashed as she learns that her father plans to trade her to the Khan in exchange for soldiers. Consumed with anger and grief, she agrees to live with the Khan, and her father gets his wish. In the Khan’s Citadel, she is horrified to learn that the Khan plans to marry her as soon as she comes of age. Elissa escapes his notice for a time, but in the end she must call upon her Gift of talking to animals to overcome the evil ruler.

Steeped in myth, this adventure/fantasy will appeal to readers who liked Patrick Carman’s The Dark Hills Divide. Elissa is a realistic, sympathetic protagonist. However, like in Carman’s series, some plot twists feel contrived, the triumph comes too easily and the mythology elements introduced in the beginning fail to come to any satisfying resolution in the end. Verrillo has managed to craft an appealing fantasy world peopled with mysterious characters, especially the Blue People. She also has created a host of strong female characters, from the plucky Elissa to the wizened healers. A good choice for reluctant or beginning readers, though established readers will find more depth in Laini Taylor’s Faeries of Dreamdark: Blackbringer, another fantasy about a courageous heroine who can talk to animals and finds herself in the middle of a larger mythological tale.

DweebMeter: 2.5/5

Links

Erica Verrillo’s Website

Unwind

After the Heartland Wars divided the nation, the two sides (pro-life and pro-choice) came together to form a resolution. Abortion would be strictly banned, but parents could choose to “unwind” their children once they reached the age of reason, thirteen. Pro-lifers agreed to these measures, since the teens would not really die from the unwinding process. 99.44% of their body parts would be grafted into thousands of other people, and in this way they would continue to live on, only in a divided state.

16-year-old Connor has always been a troublemaker, but he never expected his parents to sign the orders to unwind him. Rather than be sent to a harvest camp and sold for parts, Connor runs away. Soon, fate leads him to meet state ward, Risa, a piano virtuoso who wasn’t quite good enough to warrant any more government funds, and 13-year-old Lev, a tithe, who has spent his entire life preparing for the day he might make the ultimate sacrifice to god.

Short chapters, a fast pace and an emotionally-charged theme make this a sure-fire hit for fans of Scott Westerfield’s Uglies or Shusterman’s Everlost. Though the story focuses on Connor, Risa and Lev, Shusterman includes chapters from a range of viewpoint characters, including a juvey cop, a boy who received part of an unwind’s brain and a former admiral who now works to save unwinds. Though the premise is hard to accept on first glance, this story of survival, teen rebellion and (in)humanity hooks readers fast and keeps them turning the pages till the bitter end. Along the way, Shusterman forces readers to consider profound issues such as the definition of life, the connection between our conscience and our body and the dangers of choosing the collective over the individual good.

DweebMeter: 3.75/5

Links

Neal Shusterman’s Website

Another Review of Unwind

Chloe Doe

At seventeen, Chloe Doe is a prostitute. She’s picked up one day and sent to the Madeline Parker Institute for Girls. Chloe meets Dr. Dearborn, a psychiatrist determined to get her off the streets. Deep down, she hates selling her body, but in order to change she must confront painful memories about her abusive stepfather and her sister’s murder.

Phillips lends a caustic and unforgiving voice to this first novel, which often reads like free verse poetry. The plot unravels through a series of therapy sessions and flashbacks. At the outset, the characters and plot feel cliché, but, in the end, Chloe’s story will touch readers.

The novel is not as good as Laurie Halse Anderson’s Speak, a story about finding one’s voice after being raped, but it is an honest portrait of a young woman’s attempt to triumph after suffering sexual abuse. The book contains some disturbing sexual situations, but these are important to accurately tell Chloe’s story.

DweebMeter: 3/5

Links

TeensReadToo Review of Chloe Doe

Gym Candy

Pressured to excel in football since the age of four, freshman running back Mick Johnson will do anything to make the starting lineup for Shilshole High School. He works harder than anyone else in practice. He knows the game better than his competition. But, when all of this hardwork ends in a botched play that loses his team a spot in the playoffs, Mick starts the summer determined to do something different. He hits the gym hard every day. And when his trainer offers to sell him pills gauranteed to enhance his performance, Mick pushes aside his initial fears and buys them. At first, Mick isn’t sure how he feels about taking steroids, but by the time training camp rolls around, one thing seems certain: the pills work. Mick makes the starting line-up his sophomore year, and goes off the steroids before the season starts, against the advice of his trainer. In his first two games, Mick breaks a string of school records. Then, he follows this with three mediocre games, and all the while a freshman running back, Dave Kane, starts to show Mick up in practices. Afraid of losing everything he gained over the summer, Mick starts taking steroids again, only this time he takes a stronger dose that heightens the chance of dangerous roid rages and depression.

Deuker has crafted a realistic protagonist who struggles with insecurities about his body, his personal worth and his identity outside of football. The story combines heart-racing football scenes, conflicts with family and friends as well as Mick’s inner conflict. The fast pace will hold reluctant readers, and established readers will be shocked by the series of twists at the end.

DweebMeter: 3.5/5

Links

Carl Deuker’s Website

Maze of Bones

At the reading of their grandmother Grace’s will, orphans Amy and Dan learn an astonishing truth about their family, the Cahills. According to Grace’s executor, nearly every important figure in history, from Lewis and Clark to Abraham Lincoln to Harry Houdini, has been a member of the Cahill family. In her will, Grace invites forty family members to make a difficult choice: receive one clue and embark on a quest around the world to discover the source of the Cahill’s power, or take $1 million dollars and go home. Faced with the prospect of having their earnings stolen by their cruel Aunt Beatrice, Amy and Dan (and six other teams) decide to take the challenge.

With the help of their au pair, Nellie, the two start out on a quest that leads them across continents and into multiple scrapes with death. The result is a fast-paced mystery/adventure sure to titillate middle grade imaginations.

Incidentally, I attended a SCBWI conference today in OKC where one member brought up this book and immediately dismissed it as a sad ploy on the part of Scholastic to regain some of its Harry Potter earnings. He criticized the fact that (according to him) action figures and other merchandise had been made for the book before it was even written. I agree with him on one thing: 39 Clues is clearly a marketing ploy. However, I don’t agree that this immediately extinguishes the series’ value. The multiplatform approach (the book, cards and online game) is a great way to get reluctant readers into books. And more than that, it’s fun! I’ve been online playing 39 Clues since the book came out (and, yes, I’ve also bought the trading cards).

It comes down to a question of quality. No amount of marketing gimmicks will ever be able to save a poor quality product. It will be up to readers to decide whether or not 39 Clues is worth the hype. I, for one, think the quality of Riordan’s writing saves this book from the gimmick graveyard, and I will definitely check out book two in the series, One False Note by Gordon Korman.

DweebMeter: 3/5

Links

www.the39clues.com