Monthly Archives: May 2009

Mating Rituals of the North American WASP by Lauren Lipton

American Literature

Synopsis: Upon waking up married after a whirlwind night in Vegas, Peggy discovers that her uptight WASP “husband” might be the answer to her prayers–if only they can put up with each other for just one year. Review: The setup of Mating Rituals of the North American WASP couldn’t be more contrived. You’ve got a fake marriage, an aging dowager with capricious will-rewriting tendencies, and an odd couple that are so wrong for each other that they’re meant to be. The story unfolds along a…

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Santa Olivia by Jaqueline Carey

American Literature 1 Comment

Synopsis: Loup Garron’s father was a genetically engineered superman, but she’s just a street kid–until she turns a group of orphans into vigilantes. Review: I thought Santa Olivia was going to be a werewolf book, and it wasn’t. It’s an ambitious yet intimate character portrait of a girl born without fear. I was unfamiliar with Jacqueline Carey’s work, and I gather that Santa Olivia represents a bit of a departure. I really admired her command of character and plotting, even if I didn’t totally connect…

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How Children Fail by John Holt

American Literature 4 Comments

Synopsis: The journals of a teacher reveal how the mistakes that children make reveal a lot about how they are failing to learn–and how schools are failing to teach. Review: How Children Fail was riveting reading. I loved how John Holt paid attention to the kids he encountered so that he could help them learn. He came to realize that teachers were seeking to impose structural forms on the minds of children, where children are best served by being led to develop those forms for…

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Wings of Wrath by CS Friedman (The Magister Trilogy)

American Literature

Synopsis: With the return of the monstrous Souleaters, the inheritors of a lineage of Protectors must go to war. Review: I was only “eh” on Feast of Souls, book 1 in CS Friedman’s Magister Trilogy. Wings of Wrath, book 2, left me kind of cold as well. I really had to motivate to finish it, and I’m not sure if I’ll care to pick up book 3 when it comes out. I just did not connect emotionally with any of these characters. Everyone is so…

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The Dark Planet (Atherton, Book 3) by Patrick Carman

American Literature 4 Comments

Synopsis: Edgar must leave Atherton, the only home he’s ever known, to finish his creator Dr. Harding’s work on the poisoned Dark Planet. Review: The Dark Planet, a stirring conclusion to the Atherton trilogy of science fiction adventures for middle grade readers, finds Edgar heading off his home planet towards the Dark Planet, where children like him are worked as slaves tilling a despoiled earth. It’s his own journey into Mordor–except the plot of the Atherton trilogy owes more to “Lost” than Tolkien. The world…

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Rivers of Fire (Atherton, Book 2) by Patrick Carman

American Literature 1 Comment

Synopsis: With Atherton inverting, a young boy with a penchant for climbing and his friends go on a journey of a lifetime through the hidden corridors of the only world they’ve ever known. Review: Rivers of Fire, being the middle book in a trilogy, concerns itself with questions of war and evolution. Everything on Atherton is in flux, from society to the ecosystem to geology itself. I don’t want to give too many spoilers for book 1; suffice it to say that our heroes remain…

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The House of Power (Atherton, Book 1) by Patrick Carman

American Literature

Synopsis: Atherton is a world with three levels, which have always remained apart; however, when the top level begins to sink the entire society is threatened and a young boy may be the only one with the key to survival. Review: I was glad that I knew very little about The House of Power before reading. The dust jacket is deliberately, thankfully obscure, and the story doesn’t yield its treasures readily. I love the pacing of the exposition, which kept me in suspense but not…

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Crocodaddy Giveaway!

American Literature 6 Comments

I’ve been having a great time on the Crocodaddy book tour. And I’m so pleased that author Kim Norman is hosting a giveaway for readers of this blog! Leave a comment by midnight tonight EST, and I will choose a winner at random to receive a signed copy. (US only, please!) The other participants are here: A Christian Worldview of Fiction, A Mom Speaks, A Pathcwork of Books, All About Children’s Books, Becky’s Book Reviews, Booking Mama,Cafe of Dreams, Dolce Bellezza, Fireside Musings, KidzBookBuzz.com, Looking…

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Kim Norman Interview (Crocodaddy Blog Tour Day 2)

American Literature 3 Comments

Kim Norman, author of Crocodaddy, answered some questions for me. Thanks, Kim! The book is partly inspired by your own young sons. How does being a mom affect your writing? When my boys were little, I loved reading to them. I find reading children’s books to be very inspirational. My creativity is particularly sparked by wordplay, so I really miss those whimsical conversations you can have with a 4-year-old. Because they lack a long vocabulary history, they take words very literally, which can lead to…

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Crocodaddy by Kim Norman (Blog Tour Day 1)

American Literature 2 Comments

Synopsis: An illustrated children’s book about a boy who takes a fantastic ride on the back of a friendly crocodile. Review: Crocodaddy follows a young boy as he faces his fears and wrestles with a crocodile. Playfully illustrated by David Norman, the book uses surfing and snowboarding imagery to represent our hero’s imaginative ride. Older preschoolers will love how the rhymes evoke action, movement, and play, and it seems natural that they will want to play Crocodaddy themselves. I will have an interview with Kim…

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