Wyrd Sisters, by Terry Pratchett, 1980

A Discworld sendup of Macbeth that quickly takes on a life of its own. Granny Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg, and Magrat Garlick are Macbeth's own witches brought into hilarious relief, and characters I'll not soon forget. Satiric adult fantasy, safe for young readers with the faint exception of some subtle and naughty winks at, er, Nature. Most desperately recommended!

Horns & Wrinkles, by Joseph Helgerson, 2006

Claire's troubles begin when her nasty, pillowy cousin Duke drops her off a wagonwheel bridge over the Mississippi River. She floats down on a puff of fairy dust. Things go rougher for Duke-- he sprouts a rhino horn for a nose, and his parents (and dog Duff) get turned to stone. So begins a fantastically inventive and irreverent farce involving river trolls, rock trolls, shooting stars, riddles, bullies, catfish, long-lost uncles and brothers, muskrats, and a leech or two. As twisty and "rivery" as the Mississippi herself, well worth the journey. Recommended.

Savvy by Ingrid Law, 2008

Mississippi Beaumont's family members always turn thirteen with a bang. That's when their unpredictable (and usually uncontrollable) "savvy" kicks in. One brother makes electricity, another makes hurricanes. But on the day before Mibs's thirteenth birthday, when Mibs' Poppa is injured in a serious car crash, Mibs' impending savvy is all but forgotten. It's going to take more than a savvy superpower to get to Poppa's hospital in Salina, Kansas, 90 miles away, but with the help of windstorms, talking tattoos, a pink bible-selling bus driver, a first crush, and a vanishing seven-year old, they may just make it. Strongly recommended for middle-grade readers and fans of warm-hearted youth fiction.

The Mysterious Benedict Society, by Trenton Lee Stewart, 2007

Reynie Muldoon's test-taking aptitude makes him a shoo-in for the opportunities and privileges offered by a mysterious, unnamed group. As an orphan, he has nothing to lose by accepting eccentric Mr. Benedict's offer to join his society along with three other unwanted children with curious talents. Their mission is dangerous, but it just might save the world. Sounds like a job for the Mysterious Benedict Society. Fun, nostalgic middle-grade adventure. Recommended.

The Amaranth Enchantment, by Julie Berry, 2009

I'm excited to announce that my debut novel, The Amaranth Enchantment, is now available for pre-order on Amazon.com and from bookstores. I can't, of course, give a review of a novel that I wrote, but I can say that if you like the kinds of books I tend to read, there's a good chance you'll enjoy this. :) I'll post more as the release date approaches, and I look forward to hearing from readers about it. [The title of this post links to the Amazon listing.]

Ptolemy's Gate (Book 3 of the Bartimaeus Trilogy) by Jonathan Stroud, 2006

John Mandrake -- or should we call him Nathaniel? -- has grown in the ranks of power in magician-run London, and in popularity with the restless commoners, but he's more dependent than ever on Bartimaeus for demonic (and emotional) assistance. But a failed attempt to discover the identity of the magician fomenting rebellion leaves Mandrake and Bartimaeus vulnerable. Meanwhile, Kitty's been doing a little reading, and she and Bartimaeus have a few encounters of their own. Suspenseful, effecting a thorough transformation, with a staggering conclusion. Most strongly recommended, but read the entire series in order.

Reading Update

In January 2008 I graduated from the Vermont College MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults program, and took a bit of a reading vacation. I had a lot of writing commitments and deadlines, but more to the point, I needed a break. Since that time I've read the following books:

Dark Tide: The Great Boston Molasses Flood of 1919, by Stephen Puleo. Adult nonfiction, recommended.
The Boston Italians, by Stephen Puleo. Adult nonfiction, recommended.
Crocodile on the Sandbank (Amelia Peabody book One), by Elizabeth Peters. Adult mystery/adventure. Good fun. Recommended.
The Golem's Eye (Book 2 of the Bartimaeus Trilogy) by Jonathan Stroud. YA fantasy / humor. Strongly recommended.

Summer's here, it's reading time. More posts and titles soon to follow!

The Maestro, by Tim Wynne-Jones, 1996.

There was never space for Burl in a universe with Cal, his father, at the center. Burl’s escaping steps lead him to a remote camp on a lake where an eccentric musician seeking solitude offers him scrambled eggs and shelter. “The Maestro,” a famous musician, doesn’t stay long, and when word of his death reaches Burl, an opportunity for a new life unfolds, but claiming poses multi-faceted dangers. Never predictable or trite; Burl’s predicament is dire and authentic, his helpers unlikely and imperfect, his dignity affirmed throughout despite his stumbling steps. Most strongly recommended.

Bill in a China Shop, by Katie McAllaster Weaver, Ill. Tim Ragin, 2003

Bill the bull is a dapper dan with a taste for ornate porcelain. His tail and a sneering salesman are his undoing in the one shop in London that doesn’t specifically prohibit bulls from browsing. Sumptuously illustrated in lavish Victorian style, with rhyme and humor spot-on; a delightful picture book parents won’t mind re-reading. Strongly recommended.

Araminta Spookie: My Haunted House, by Angie Sage, 2006

Araminta Spookie’s Aunt Tabby is sick of doing battle with the boiler in their ancient, huge, rambling house that ought to be haunted even if Araminta has yet to find a ghost. Aunt Tabby sticks a For Sale sign out front, and it takes all of Araminta’s ingenuity to sabotage Tabby’s plans. Even when she finds real ghosts in the castle, it seems she can’t stop Tabby from selling. Charming light humor that hits the target every time. Strongly recommended for elementary and early middle-grade readers.

Chasing Vermeer, by Blue Balliett, 2006.

What do frogs, twelves, used books, anonymous letters, pentominoes, old lady neighbours, and stolen paintings have in common? Who knows! Ms. Hussey, Petra and Calder’s sixth grade teacher, says asking questions can be dangerous. But when a priceless Vermeer painting turns up missing – the very same painting Petra had dreamed about a few days before – Petra and Calder have lots of questions to ask. Middle-grade history-mystery, recommended.

Shakespeare's Secret, by Elise Broach, 2005

When Hero Netherfield moves into the Murphy diamond house, she has nothing good to look forward to but a new set of sixth-grade classmates likely to obsess over her odd name. But when she meets Miriam Roth, her elderly neighbor, who tells her the secret of the stolen Murphy diamond, and its connection to an Elizabethan nobleman who may have been none other than the pen behind the name of Shakespeare, Hero suddenly has more on her mind than just figuring out why Danny Cordova, the cutest boy in the eigth grade, turns up everywhere she goes. Charming middle-grade history-mystery; strongly recommended.

The House of the Scorpion, by Nancy Farmer, 2002

Matteo Alacran foot bears a tattoo: Property of the Alacran Estate. Matt is no mere slave; he's a clone, with no more legal rights than cattle. But unlike other clones whose minds are stunted at birth, Matt is ultimately raised as a pampered prince, led to believe he's the heir of El Patron, the drug lord whose clone he is and whose opium empire he thinks he'll inherit. Provocative science fiction with memorable characters that asks probing questions not only about science and ethics but international trade, law, economics, and drug trafficking. Recommended.

Clay, by David Almond, 2005

Is Stephen Rose disturbed, or daft, or devilish? Maybe all three. That's why he was expelled from Catholic school and sent home, then from there to live with his aunt, Crazy Mary in the town where Davie and Geordie, circa 1960, are busy doing nothing but sneaking cigarettes and avoiding Mouldy, the town heavy. Stephen Rose is freaky-odd, to say the least. He sees visions, talks to angels, and has artist's hands that can make clay practically come alive. Psychological and supernatural, frightfully uncertain and unsettling. Excellent young adult horror; but then, when does David Almond ever disappoint? Strongly recommended.

How I Live Now, by Meg Rosoff, 2004

Daisy goes to England to stay with her aunt and cousins to escape her evil stepmother, and finds herself on the threshold of both a passionate love affair and an international war. When her cousin's family is wrenched apart by the military commandeering their homestead, she's forced into a heroism she didn't know she had, and takes a hard second look at her anorexia in a world without food. An extraordinary voice and perspective; Daisy's love affair may disturb some American readers who interpret relationship rules differently than Europeans tend to. Sex alert. Masterfully written.

Day of Tears by Julius Lester, 2005

Based on true events, this "novel in dialogue" reads in part like a play, part like a documentary, though it combines fictive and historical personalities. In 1859 the largest slave auction in America took place in Savannah, Georgia, where over 400 slaves belonging to a once-prosperous plantation were sold off to pay the owner's gambling debts. On that day a rain of Biblical proportions seemed to try to wash away the taint of what took place, and the tears of the families ripped apart by the auction mirrored the rain.

Crispin: The Cross of Lead, by Avi, 2002

The boy who only knows himself as "Asta's son" has scarcely buried his dead mother before he's branded a wolf's head, one whom anyone may freely kill. Is it because of an overheard conversation between the manor's steward and a nobleman? Or does it have something to do with his mother, and the engraved lead cross which is the only relic she left behind? A meticulously-placed historical adventure. Strongly recommended.

The Adventures of Captain Underpants, by Dav Pilkey, 1997

Life imitates art when George and Harold's confiscated comic books fall into mean ol' Principal Krupp's hands -- and a 3-D Hypno-ring falls into theirs. They've created a monster, who thinks he's a hero, and solves crime with bravado and Wedgie Power. But will it be enough to catch bank robbers, thwart Dr. Diaper and his evil robots, and save George and Harold from a life of servitude and/or a pounding from the football team? There's only one way to find out. Strongly recommended -- if you wear underwear.

Pippi Longstocking, by Astrid Lindgren, 1950

What's not to like about a child with invincible strength, a fortune in gold pieces, no parents to give her pesky rules, and no social inhibitions? That's what Tommy and Annika think, and everyone who's ever read Pippi is bound to agree. Her unfettered impulsivity, wild exaggerations, and eccentric ways are perfectly balanced by the leisurely, episodic pace of the book -- something I rarely see in contemporary titles. Always strongly recommended for a genial visit to my own childhood, where reading Pippi never failed to satisfy.

Loser, by Jerry Spinelli, 2002

Donald Zinkoff embraces life in a joyful and simple way, but his clumsiness and naievete brand him first as a nobody and ultimately as a loser. His unfolding life and his intrinsic value are painstakingly presented; his ultimate actions made me cry. Slow to start, more character sketch than story, but I came to care deeply for Zinkoff, and will see a bit of him in other so-called "losers."