Lovely and Whimsical: Furthermore by Tahereh Mafi

Author: Tahereh Mafi

Series: None

Released: August 30th 2016

Publisher: Dutton BfYR

Length: 416 pages

Source: Publisher for review

Buy: Amazon

The bestselling author of the Shatter Me series takes readers beyond the limits of their imagination in this captivating new middle grade adventure where color is currency, adventure is inevitable, and friendship is found in the most unexpected places.

There are only three things that matter to twelve-year-old Alice Alexis Queensmeadow: Mother, who wouldn't miss her; magic and color, which seem to elude her; and Father, who always loved her. The day Father disappears from Ferenwood he takes nothing but a ruler with him. But it's been almost three years since then, and Alice is determined to find him. She loves her father even more than she loves adventure, and she's about to embark on one to find the other.

But bringing Father home is no small matter. In order to find him she'll have to travel through the mythical, dangerous land of Furthermore, where down can be up, paper is alive, and left can be both right and very, very wrong. Her only companion is a boy named Oliver whose own magical ability is based in lies and deceit--and with a liar by her side in a land where nothing is as it seems, it will take all of Alice's wits (and every limb she's got) to find Father and return home to Ferenwood in one piece. On her quest to find Father, Alice must first find herself--and hold fast to the magic of love in the face of loss.

Furthermore, Tahereh Mafi’s first (and hopefully not last) foray into middle grade fiction is a colorful exploration of what it means to be different in a society with set rules and expectations. In a style reminiscent of beloved childhood classics, Mafi weaves a tale of a girl’s quest for her father and for self-discovery.

Alice Alexis Queensmeadow was born with no pigment whatsoever: her skin is white, her hair is white, and only her eyes have the faintest trace of color. Alice would be a bit strange just about anywhere, but in Ferenwood, a land built on color, she is considered ugly and dim. With a mother that hardly cares and two younger siblings, Alice depends on her father for love and comfort. When her father disappears for almost three years, Alice is crushed and ready to do anything to bring him home, even follow a lying boy into the unknown. With her nemesis Oliver as her guide, Alice embarks on a journey that will cost her a great deal (even a few limbs) and hopefully lead her to her father.

Review: The Rosemary Spell

Author: Virginia Zimmerman
Series: Standalone
Released: December 1st 2015
Publisher: Clarion Books
Length: 280 pages
Source: Publisher for review
Buy: Amazon

Part mystery, part literary puzzle, part life-and-death quest, and chillingly magical, this novel has plenty of suspense for adventure fans and is a treat for readers who love books, words, and clues. Best friends Rosie and Adam find an old book with blank pages that fill with handwriting before their eyes. Something about this magical book has the power to make people vanish, even from memory. The power lies in a poem—a spell. When Adam's older sister, Shelby, disappears, they struggle to retain their memories of her as they race against time to bring her back from the void, risking their own lives in the process.

Lately I’ve been slowly exploring middle grade fiction, something I haven’t done since I was actually a middle grade reader, trying to find more and more titles for my daughter, who’s turning out to be quite the voracious reader. I must confess that I’m sometimes finding it difficult to see MG reads as she would see them and not judge them through adult eyes. But every once in a while there comes a book appropriate for all ages, beautiful and educational, a read that promotes all the right values and teaches all the right lessons.

Mini Reviews: The Seventh Most Important Thing & The Fall

Author: Shelley Pearsall
Series: Standalone
Released: September 8th 2015
Publisher: Knopf BfYR
Length: 288 pages
Source: Publisher for review
Buy: Amazon

It was a bitterly cold day when Arthur T. Owens grabbed a brick and hurled it at the trash picker. Arthur had his reasons, and the brick hit the Junk Man in the arm, not the head. But none of that matters to the judge—he is ready to send Arthur to juvie for the foreseeable future. Amazingly, it’s the Junk Man himself who offers an alternative: 120 hours of community service . . . working for him.

Arthur is given a rickety shopping cart and a list of the Seven Most Important Things: glass bottles, foil, cardboard, pieces of wood, lightbulbs, coffee cans, and mirrors. He can’t believe it—is he really supposed to rummage through people’s trash? But it isn’t long before Arthur realizes there’s more to the Junk Man than meets the eye, and the “trash” he’s collecting is being transformed into something more precious than anyone could imagine. . . .

Inspired by the work of American folk artist James Hampton.

The Seventh Most Important thing is one of those quite little understated works that nevertheless conveys an important message. It’s based on the life of James Hampton, a folk artist from the 1960’s, a janitor and a recluse intent on creating his vision of heaven from scraps. His life’s work, The Throne of the Third Heaven, made entirely out of foil, light bulbs, wood, mirrors and other items easily collected on the streets, was discovered posthumously and donated to the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

Review: Don't Call Me Baby

Author: Gwendolyn Heasley
Series: Standalone
Published: April 22nd 2014
Publisher: HarperTeen
Format: Paperback, 304 pages
Source: Publisher for review
Buy: The Book Depository

All her life, Imogene has been known as the girl on THAT blog.

Imogene's mother has been writing an incredibly embarrassing, and incredibly popular, blog about her since before she was born. Hundreds of thousands of perfect strangers knew when Imogene had her first period. Imogene's crush saw her "before and after" orthodontia photos. But Imogene is fifteen now, and her mother is still blogging about her, in gruesome detail, against her will.

When a mandatory school project compels Imogene to start her own blog, Imogene is reluctant to expose even more of her life online...until she realizes that the project is the opportunity she's been waiting for to tell the truth about her life under the virtual microscope and to define herself for the first time.

Don't Call Me Baby is a sharply observed and irrepressibly charming story about mothers and daughters, best friends and first crushes, and the surface-level identities we show the world online and the truth you can see only in real life.

The first thing you need to know about Don’t Call Me Baby is that it’s not Young Adult at all, it’s actually much closer to a Middle Grade read, and if you approach it as such, you’re going to be a very happy camper. If, however, you’re looking for a YA read with everything that entails (including kissing, yes), you’re going to have to look elsewhere. I was forewarned and fully prepared for a younger protagonist, which is probably (at least in part) why I ended up enjoying this book immensely.

Review: Sally Slick and the Steel Syndicate

Author: Carrie Harris
Series: Yes
Published: December 3rd 2013
Publisher: Evil Hat Productions
Format: Paperback, 200 pages
Source: Author for review
Buy: The Book Depository

Every hero has a story. This one starts with a girl and a racing tractor. Sally Slick knows she's meant to be more than a Midwestern farm girl. What she wants more than anything is to be an inventor when she grows up-and she has the custom-built racing tractor to prove it. But good girls in 1914 don't go off to the city in search of adventure. Everything changes when Sally's big brother comes back from Chicago with a robot in hand and mobsters on his heels. With the help of her friend, wannabe hero Jet Black, Sally will risk everything to protect the people she loves. Those big-city bad guys are about to get a giant wrench thrown right into their plans.

If I were to get stranded on a desert island and allowed to pick just one person for company, Carrie Harris would be at the top of my list. Perhaps we’d starve in a matter of weeks (FINE, days!), but we’d at least go down laughing.

Carrie’s foray into Middle Grade fiction couldn’t have been more successful if she tried, and I get the distinct feeling that this lady doesn’t need to try very hard. That’s the real beauty of her prose – her sense of humor, utterly ridiculous as it may be, seems effortless and smooth, never the least bit forced. She did, admittedly, keep it a bit in check, this being an MG novel and all, but her lovely nature still shines from every page.

Middle Grade fiction or not, Sally Slick is Harris’s most mature work to date. A more careful reader will be rewarded by the strong feminist undertones that permeate every page. Sally refuses to live by the social norms, even though she lives in rural America in 1914 and she’s only 14-years old. She wants to be an inventor, not a housewife, and she wants to race tractors with her brothers instead of spending time in the kitchen with her mother.

In Sally Slick and the Steel Syndicate, Sally and her best friend Jet take on bullies, mobsters, the Steel Syndicate, and, worst of all, older brothers. They are resourceful and smart and they always stand up for themselves. Sally is unflinchingly loyal and she relentlessly defends those she loves.

But of course, Sally is not the only shining star of this book. There is also her best friend Jet, a clumsy, awkward, geeky kid, a follower by nature, but one with a lion’s heart. It is virtually impossible not to fall in love with this kid and wish to adopt him. Geeky and awkward or not, he has a spectacular future ahead of him.

Read this book. Share it with your daughters, nieces, and really, women of any age. When you’re done, share it with the boys as well, they have a lot to learn from it. And while you’re at it, read it out loud to your family pets. Every living creature in this world should meet Sally and Jet.

A copy of this book was kindly provided by the author for review purposes. No considerations, monetary or otherwise, have influenced the opinions expressed in this review.

Review: Frost (Mist, #2)

Author: Kathryn James
Series: Mist, #2
Release date: January 1st 2013
Publisher: Hodder Children's
Paperback, 323 pages
Source: Publisher for review
Buy: The Book Depository


I honestly never thought I’d say this, but Frost is even better than Mist. The stakes are higher, the romance is more intense (although still appropriate for MG readers), and the action is far more exciting.

After spending two months far north, trying to open the iron camps and release their elders, Evan had to return to help the other Elven children, but he is not the lighthearted boy he once was. Watching his parents and hundreds of other Elven waste away in the iron camps changed him, made him mistrustful of all humans, including Nell. During those two months, Nell tried to go back to her usual, everyday life, but a part of her remained with the Elven and especially with Evan. When Star comes to her for help, terrified and panicky, Nell is ready to do anything to save Evan’s world.

She saw shadows start to move on his face, like last time when he’d told her about his family in the iron camp. This time, as he’d told her how cold they’d become, and how they’d walked for days, hardly sleeping, snow formed on his eyelashes and frost on his face.

The harps that are keeping the Elven world alive are slowly going quiet. Without them, there will be no more forest behind the mist, no place the Elven kids can call their own. They would be forced to come to the human world, where they would surely be hunted down by the Watchers and forced into iron camps. There are no adults they can turn to, only Nell and Evan.

This time, the sweetest almost-couple had more than just prejudice and fear to fight – they had to join forces against the cold-hearted ice Elven. A brother and a sister, Loki and Laki, showed up in Nell’s little town and turned Nell’s older sister and her friends into mindless servants. While immune to their powers, Nell was still desperate to protect her sister Gwen.

In Frost, the world around Evan and Nell expanded even more and Kathryn James was really able to let her imagination run wild. When she combined that with her beautiful writing, what resulted was a book that was rich and magical, gentle and more satisfying than any fairy tale.

Nell was even more fierce and daring in this book, and rightfully so. She did achieve the impossible last time after all. Evan, while wounded and traumatized, still kept showing his sweet side, especially around Nell.

All the loose ends were tied in Frost so I don’t think there’ll be another book, but I can hope, right? For someone who doesn’t even read Middle Grade, I’m enjoying this series more than I can put into words.

Review: OMG! Is This Actually My Life?

Author: Rae Earl
Release date: February 7th 2013
Publisher: Walker Books
Genre: contemporary, Middle Grade
Paperback, 336 pages
Source: Publisher for review
Buy: The Book Depository



Middle Grade books seem to be falling straight into my lap lately, but I’m not complaining, not yet. OMG! Is This Actually My Life? caught me completely off guard. I can’t remember the last time I laughed myself into stitches.

Fourteen-year-old Hattie Moore is just like every other fourteen-year-old girl on the planet. She worries about boys, school and friends, obsesses about the changes on her body, worries about her braces and her “jaws of death”, hates her older sibling and despises the most popular girl in school. But on top of all that, Hattie doesn’t know her real father, she doesn’t even know his name, and she dreams he’ll show up one day to solve all her problems. Like every other girl in the history of girls, Hattie pines for a boy she barely even knows and fails to see what’s right in front of her. She is an extremely relatable character.

Just done my weekly tit test in front of the mirror. When I jump up and down they STILL don't move. Goodnight, breasts. Please grow a bit overnight so I can bounce to school.*

OMG! is a diary novel that reminded me, in some ways, of Adrian Mole (whom I adored while growing up) and Bridget Jones (whom I never particularly liked). It wasn’t just the format that made me think of Adrian and Bridget, it was the combination of that, the fabulous British humor and some character traits Hattie shared with one or the other. Although OMG! was an endless source of hilarity, I really liked that Earl found a way to push some seriousness between the lines, mostly through Hattie’s non-existent relationship with her father, and her tense and resentful relationship with her mother. Those things were, of course, wrapped up in her great sense of humor, but they were there to give the readers something to think about.

OMG! has an array of colorful characters. Hattie’s two best friends, Weirdo Jen and Dimple, are both very supportive, each in her own way. Her grandmother insists on texting dirty jokes to everyone, including her dentist, and asks for a ‘Britain’s Hottest Firemen’ calendar each Christmas. Her archenemy is the prettiest and meanest girl in school, Ruby aka Miss Gorgeous Knickers. There is, of course, McFittie, a server in Bertie’s, whom Hattie never really spoke to (other than him offering her a biscotti), but whom she’s desperately in love with nevertheless. And last, but not least, there’s Goose, Hattie’s first neighbor, her oldest and most supportive male friend and an all around awesome guy who spends time with her stepfather and cheers her up when things go terribly wrong.

Dimple is UBER gorgeous. In fact, I’m a bit annoyed her parents aren’t arranging her marriage because it means she’s shopping in the snog supermarket at the same time as me. ”Love IS a battlefield” – so one of my mum’s CDs says.*

What stopped me from fully enjoying Hattie’s diary was her excessive use of caps. They served a purpose, of course, they reflected Hattie’s flair for the dramatic, but the overall effect was a bit jarring. I’m not sure younger readers would feel the same, though, so please don’t take my word for it. I really think this book is an excellent choice for younger teens and more patient adults.

*Quotes taken from an uncorrected proof.

Review: The Obsidian Mirror (Chronoptika, #1)

Author: Catherine Fisher
Series: Chronoptika
Publication: October 4th 2012
Publisher: Hodder Children's Books
Paperback, 400 pages
Buy: The Book Depository


I knew very little about Catherine Fisher before reading The Obsidian Mirror, only that she wrote Incarceron, which I have yet to read, so it’s safe to say I went into this with no expectations whatsoever, just the usual excitement over a pretty cover. In a nutshell, The Obsidian Mirror is a Middle Grade adventure that combines Science Fiction elements (time travel, to be exact), with fairy lore. Had I realized this in time, I doubt I would have requested it since I normally avoid MG like the plague, but it would have been my loss. Fisher is an excellent writer with a good sense of pacing and wonderful imagination.

Time travel always confuses me a bit, but Fisher didn’t make it too complicated. Many questions were left unanswered, but enough was revealed for me to enjoy the story. The obsidian mirror itself, a time portal of sorts, remains a mystery, but one that will surely be resolved in the next installment. The only piece that simply refuses to fit are the fairies. They might be colorful and deliciously creepy, but they contribute nothing to the story and I can’t for the life of me understand their purpose. Perhaps it will be clearer in the second book, but for now, they’re nothing more than a decoration. (Not for me, though, I’m so scared of them.)

I am not a fan of multiple points of view and I think I would have liked this book more if it were told from Jake’s perspective alone, preferably in first person. Third person, multiple points of view is my least favorite narrative choice as it often prevents me from creating emotional bonds with the characters and the entire experience can somehow seem cold and clinical. Switching from Jake to Sarah and back, with a few short chapters with other narrative voices broke the natural flow, and all the diary entries by the mirror’s original owner, although essential, certainly didn’t help.

I did like Fisher’s writing a lot, although it’s nothing like what I usually enjoy. Her sentences are short and clear, her style refreshingly concise, and yet she somehow avoids making it seem stilted. It worked well for The Obsidian Mirror, mostly because it’s a Middle Grade adventure and not very emotional at all, but I’m curious to see how it worked in Incarceron.

The Obsidian Mirror left so many questions unanswered and I simply can’t wait to get my hands on the sequel. I will also read Incarceron and Sapphique as soon as I can. Great job, Ms. Fisher!

Tankborn

Tankborn by Karen Sandler

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This is one of those very rare occasions when I feel comfortable recommending a book I didn’t enjoy myself. Tankborn is a story that raises some very important issues and manages to make all the necessary points while completely avoiding a condescending tone. It is a dystopian novel with elements of science fiction, and I think it’s safe to say that it stands out among the (too) many dystopian novels that seem to be growing like mushrooms these days.

There are three levels of society in Tankborn: tankborns, genetically engineered non-humans, created specifically for one purpose by adding a certain skill set (sket); lowborns, usually manual workers and certainly not rich, but with rights and control over their lives; and trueborns, nobility of sorts, who have wealth, power and complete control over tankborns.

Tankborn is told from three different points of view: Kayla’s, Mishalla’s and Devak’s. Both Kayla and Mishalla are tankborns. Kayla was made stronger than an average human and she is meant to be a caregiver, and Mishalla’s genes were altered in a way that allows her to be a good nanny and her job is to take care of children. As tankborns, neither of the girls has any rights, they are essentially slaves. Kayla is considered a freak even among her own because her GEN tattoo is on the wrong cheek. Devak is a trueborn, from one of the most prominent families on Loki. He saves Kayla and her nurture brother Jal from some boys and later Kayla gets assigned to take care of his grandfather.

While the social structure was carefully thought out and very convincing, the worlbuilding left a lot to be desired. Tankborn is set on a planet called Loka that reminded me too much of Earth in every way. I felt that the author, having decided to create this planet, should have seen it through and given the readers a little more information about it. There was a brief description of some animals on Loka at the very beginning that caused me to get my hopes up, but after that, the planet itself stopped being important.

The few mammals on Loka weren’t as hideous as the spider-creatures. The wary seycats that kept the vermin down in the warehouses sported intriguing pelts and tall tufted ears. The six-legged droms that roamed the plains had thick mottled wool and droopy noses and only one pair of large black eyes set in their camel-like heads.

Do you see now why I wanted more of that? To have one such passage in the first chapter, and nothing after, was a little disappointing.
I can’t say that I was really convinced by Devak’s feelings for Kayla. He went from not wanting to touch her and being disgusted by her to liking her a little too quickly for my taste.

Tankborn is a solidly written story about racism, hatred and survival of friendship. It’s entirely my fault that I didn’t enjoy it more, and while that information may be useless for other readers, I really can’t lie and say that I liked it more than I did. Part of my problem was that it felt more like a middle grade novel than young adult. I’m nevertheless pretty sure that fans of dystopia will be thrilled with these characters and society.

The Apothecary

The Apothecary by Maile Meloy

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Sweet and entertaining, but not what I expected.

It's the year 1952, and 14-year-old Janie is living a happy, carefree life with her parents in Los Angeles. One day, while walking home from school, she notices a black sedan following her, which causes her parents to panic and make some sudden decisions. Suspected of being communist sympathizers, they feel like they have no choice but to pack everything up and move to London.

Starting school in London is harder than she ever imagined. Janie hates everything about her new school: her classmates, having to learn Latin, speaking differently than everyone else… until she meets Benjamin Burrows, son of the local apothecary.

Benjamin’s future is set. He’s supposed to take over his father’s business some day, but he hates the very idea of becoming an apothecary – he would much rather be a spy. It turns out, however, that Benjamin’s father is nowhere near as boring as he seems. He is the keeper of a very important book, the Pharmacopoeia, and one of the very few people who know how to use it. When the apothecary gets kidnapped, it’s up to Janie and Benjamin to keep the book safe from Russian spies and others who would do anything to get their hands on it.

The Apothecary is a middle grade adventure book, with an (unnecessary) touch of magic. I usually have very little patience for middle grade books and I’ve been avoiding them ever since I got over my obsession with Enid Blyton some 15 years ago, but The Apothecary kept me interested and left me wanting more. Janie is truly an admirable heroine and she and Benjamin make a great team. They never once disappointed me, and even when they made mistakes, they realized them pretty quickly.

The magical elements felt just a little out of place at first. When the kids turned into birds and flew off a roof, I felt like I’d just been slapped. It did get better eventually, with the arrival of some new characters, but I think that I’d have been happier with a non-paranormal spy adventure in this case.

I’ve been told that there are some great illustrations in this book, but you’ll have to read other people’s reviews to find out about those. I can only tell you that the audio is very good. I didn’t expect much from Cristin Millioti after she completely ruined Virals for me last year, but this time, she did an excellent job with all the accents.