First batch of Cybils review copies came in today, from Egmont USA via Goodman Media!
Brightly Woven
by Alexandra Bracken
Dark Divine, The
by Bree Despain
Dragons of Noor, The
by Janet Lee Carey
Raised by Wolves
by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Rise of Renegade X, The
by Chelsea M. Campbell
Siren
by Tricia Rayburn
Tomorrow (October 15) is the last day to nominate books for the Cybils awards. Many books have been nominated, but there's still some big omissions. If you're stumped on what to nominated, here are some suggestions of books that I'd like to see nominated:
Dragons of Darkness by by Antonia Michaelis, translated by Anthea Bell (my review)
Category: Fantasy/Science Fiction Teen
Curse of the Wolf Girl by Martin Millar (my review)
Category: Fantasy/Science Fiction Teen
Lord Sunday (The Keys to the Kingdom #7) by Garth Nix
Category: Fantasy/Science Fiction Elementary/Middle
Fever Crumb by Philip Reeve
Category: Fantasy/Science Fiction Elementary/Middle
Nominate a book here but please first read the eligibility rules!
Monsters of Men
Chaos Walking: Book Three
by Patrick Ness
The three books of the Chaos Walking series are among those rare books that have it all: deep and thoughtful examination of some of the big themes of life, rich characters whose struggles resonate on every page, and a tight plot that keeps the pages turning from beginning to end. They even have that most elusive of qualities, voice, that brings each narrator to life. It's a series that should have strong appeal to teens of both genders.
For those who haven't read this series, I can't recommend it enough. Just don't start it when you have other things to do, because you won't want to put the books down once you start. If you haven't read the first two books, you may want to skip this review for now and read my reviews of The Knife of Never Letting Go and The Ask and the Answer. My review of the first book was qualified by my concern about the ending, but having read the other two books, I remove that qualification. (Although I will warn you that the series end is not completely unambiguous). If you like deep, dark, compelling, science fiction, then I think you won't be sorry.
As the title would suggest, war is a big theme in this book. (It comes from a quote from Todd's foster father Ben: "War makes monsters of men.") The Spackle, natives of the planet, are attacking, and the human colonies are in jeopardy. Yet the humans are divided as well, between those loyal to President Prentiss and those who stand with Mistress Coyle. The two leaders seem more interested in who will end up in power than solving the problems caused by the war. Todd and Viola try to bring the factions together, yet the division and separation puts its own stresses on their relationship. Further complicating the situation are new arrivals from Viola's ship, who aren't sure where they should stand, and who don't even agree between themselves on the best response.
War is depicted in all its brutality: violent, ugly, and escalated by the mistakes, misunderstandings, and selfish actions of people (and Spackle) on all sides. No one is innocent, and humans and Spackle die in great numbers, many of those deaths unnecessary.
Redemption is another big theme, probably the biggest theme in this story. As Todd says in the first book, The Knife of Never Letting Go:
"I think maybe everybody falls," I say. "I think maybe we all do. And I don't think that's the asking."
...
"I think the asking is whether we get back up again."
In Monsters of Men, everybody does fall (with the possible exception of Wilf). Everybody does horrible things: even Todd, even Viola, even the Spackle. The question is, whether they get back up again. The biggest question, though, is whether Mayor/President Prentiss can be redeemed. Todd thinks maybe he can, and stakes everything on it. Viola doesn't. The question is one that will tear at the heart of the relationship between Todd and Viola, and keep the reader guessing until the very end.
Monsters of Men adds a third point of view character to those of Todd and Viola: the Spackle known to Todd as 1017. Through the eyes of 1017, we come to understand the Spackle, or the Land, as they call themselves. They are portrayed as neither evil nor as somehow better than the humans. They are just different, with a completely different way of seeing and thinking. They are more in tune with the world, and yet they, too commit atrocities.
There are no easy answers in this book. It's a deep and moving look at war and at the things people will do in the name of what they believe is right. Monsters of Men will challenge readers to think, while keeping them on the edge of their seat with its plot twists. Monsters of Men is a worthy conclusion to a powerful series.
Monsters of Men is a 2010 Cybils nominee.
FTC required disclosure: Review copy provided by the publisher to enable me to write this review. The Amazon.com links above are Amazon Associate links, and I earn a very small percentage of any sales made through the links. Neither of these things influenced my review.
In case you missed it, the 2010 Panels for the Cybils awards have been posted over on the Cybils site. Choosing the panels for the Fantasy/Science Fiction category was heart wrenching. There were so many good volunteers, and just not enough spots to go around. There were good people, excellent people, who should have had a spot, but whom I had to pass on because I couldn't fit them in. There were 85 people who expressed interest in the SFF panels, and I had only 24 spots. I wish I could have fit everyone in.
I spent many many hours over the last few weeks looking at the blogs of all the applicants, as did all my fellow organizers. I was looking for people who showed a good background in reading a variety of different types of SFF and a good understanding of the principles of SFF, as well as the principles of good YA or MG writing.
I read everyone's "About" page and "Review Guidelines," if any was available. For reviewers, I read several reviews, trying to read at least one review of a book that I had read, and one review of a book I hadn't read. I looked for reviews that had at least some analysis of the elements that make up a good book: plot, character, voice, writing style, etc. For blogging authors who blog primarily about their writing journey, I looked for posts about their own writing that showed a good understanding of those same principles. I also looked for things like a unique voice or perspective, and for strong advocates for under-served groups.
Beyond the individuals, I looked to balance each of the panels. As did all the organizers, I strove for a good mix of returning and new panelists, and a good diversity of background and perspective. I tried to make sure each panel had a mix of librarians, teachers, writers, parents, students, and others. (I'm probably the only one with an archaeologist on my panels, though!)
Other things you can do are to join the Kidlitosphere Yahoo group and participate so that we can get to know you. Participate in the Carnival of Children's Literature for the same reason. Read and comment on other Kidlit blogs.
If you are already doing all these things and didn't get a spot on the panels, please don't be disheartened. We just couldn't include everyone. Please try again next year. Be sure to nominate your favorite books between October 1 and October 15! A nomination form will be available on the Cybils site starting October 1.
We hope that you'll also follow the awards on the blog, on Twitter, and on Facebook. Join the conversation by commenting and posting your own thoughts. Share on your own blog & social networks what books you think should make the shortlists and/or win. And don't forget to buy some Cybils bling to show off at Kidlit Con 2010! (I covet that tote bag!)
If you've made it this far in this long post, here are the folks that I'll be working with on the 2010 SFF panels:
Panel Organizer: Sheila Ruth, Wands and Worlds
Panelists (Round I Judges), MG/Elementary:
Anamaria Anderson, Books Together
Gwenda Bond, Shaken & Stirred
Cindy Hannikman, Fantasy Book Critic
Aaron Maurer, Coffee for the Brain
Nicole Signoretta, Booked Up
Charlotte Taylor, Charlotte's Library
Karen Yingling, Ms. Yingling Reads
Panelists (Round I Judges), Teen/YA:
Steve Berman, Guys Lit Wire
Tanita Davis, Finding Wonderland
Leila Roy, Bookshelves of Doom
Sheila Ruth (see panel organizer)
Angie Thompson, Angieville
Hallie Tibbetts, Undusty New Books
Heather Zundel, Secret Adventures of WriterGirl
Round II Judges:
Elementary/Middle
Melissa Baldwin, One Librarian's Book Reviews
Kate Coombs, Book Aunt
Emily Mitchell, emilyreads
Nancy Tsai, Kidsmomo
Tanya Zavestoski Turek, Books 4 Your Kids
Teen/YA
Emma Carbone, Miss Print
Anne Levy, Cybils
Sam Musher, Parenthetical
Sarah Stevenson, Finding Wonderland
Steph Su, Steph Su Reads
I can't wait for October 1 to get started!
Lost in Lexicon: An Adventure in Words and Numbers
by Pendred Noyce
Illustrated by Joan Charles
Spending the summer with Great Aunt Adelaide starts out great, but soon cousins Ivan and Daphne are bored in their aunt's TV- and video-game-free home. When Aunt Adelaide sends them out to the barn to find adventure, they find more than they expected, when stepping through a window takes them to the land of Lexicon. In Lexicon, they soon learn that something is wrong. Children have been disappearing, there have been strange weather phenomena and lights in the sky at night, and many things are out of kilter in the land. Ivan and Daphne set off on a quest to try to figure out what's wrong, and to find the missing children.
Lost in Lexicon was inspired in part by The Phantom Tollbooth, and it shares the same joy of word and number play. When I first heard about this book, I was worried that it might try too hard to be like that classic book, so I reread The Phantom Tollbooth before reading this book. Lost in Lexicon is different enough to be unique, while still celebrating the fun of words and numbers.
Lost in Lexicon is at its best when it celebrates without trying too hard to teach. There's plenty of fun adventures, including an attack of punctuation, a town where each quadrant is limited to speaking using only one part of speech (verbs in one quadrant, nouns in another, etc), and an adorable llama-like animal which acts as a thesaurus. Unfortunately, the book is a little too didactic in places, especially in its warnings against the evils of television and video games, which are definitely the villains of the story. I don't think that kids are going to be persuaded to give up their screens by this, and the preachiness of it is likely to be a turnoff for many young people.
As Daphne and Ivan travel through Lexicon, they encounter math villages and word villages in equal measure. I found the word villages to be more fun than the math villages, but that might have been just personal preference. There are also social issues raised in some of the villages. Lost in Lexicon is pretty well-written, although it lacks the sharp wit and distinctive voice of The Phantom Tollbooth.
The characterization of Daphne and Ivan is a little flat. I was also a little disappointed at first that Daphne is good at language but despises math, and Ivan is good at math but not language. In a time when much effort is being put into encouraging boys in reading and writing, and girls in math and science, I thought it might have been better to show counter to the stereotypes. However, as the book progressed, this situation allowed for growth; Daphne discovers that she can do math, and Ivan finds value and skill in words.
Try Lost in Lexicon on kids who enjoy math and word games, and those who liked The Phantom Tollbooth and are looking for similar books. It also might be good as a classroom or homeschool read-together, where the book can lead to discussion of the concepts and ideas raised. There are games and activities, as well as a book club guide, available on the web site at www.lostinlexicon.com.
The book is enhanced with fun black and white illustrations by Joan Charles.
Lost in Lexicon will be published in October, 2010.
FTC required disclosure: Review copy provided by the publisher to enable me to write this review. The Amazon.com links above are Amazon Associate links, and I earn a very small percentage of any sales made through the links. Neither of these things influenced my review.
Subutai Corporation has announced a new book project that sounds pretty exciting. The Mongoliad, a speculative fiction novel set during the 13th century Mongol invasion of Europe, will be written by a team of authors that includes bestselling authors Neal Stephenson and Greg Bear. (I was particularly impressed to read in the author bios that Greg Bear is one of only two authors to win a Nebula in every category!)
What makes this project unique is that it will be posted serially online, and will take full advantage of the digital platform to offer special features and collaboration between the audience and the authors.
"The form of the traditional novel is a consequence of the technology of the printing press," said Jeremy Bornstein, co-founder and President of Subutai. "We wanted to explore what the novel could be now that it's practical to use a platform more modern than paper."
Among the features will be a Foreworld 'Pedia, a kind of audience-editable wiki of information about the world of The Mongoliad and the people in it. They promise that there will even be secrets in the 'Pedia! There's also a tantalizing suggestion that, "If we really like something you've written, we may just add it to the Foreworld Canon."
The subscription price for all of this is $5.99 for 6 months, or $9.99 for 12 months. Given that's less than or equal to the price of most traditionally published eBooks, it sounds like a good deal. I've already subscribed, and you can find my profile here:
www.mongoliad.com/u/SheilaRuth/
Not much on my profile yet, though, as the "upload a profile picture" doesn't seem to work yet.
There will be apps available for various platforms, but those are apparently in the approval stage and not available yet. It's all still in the early stages, but it looks like they're ramping up quickly and it should be a lot of fun. You can find the world of the Mongoliad at www.mongoliad.com
(via Publishers Lunch via Yahoo News)
If you're a children's and/or YA blogger and you'd like to try your hand at serving on an awards committee, the Cybils Awards has put out the call for 2010 judges. The Cybils, short for "Children's and Young Adult Bloggers' Literary Awards," is the first blogger-awarded book award, and is now going into it's fifth year. We seek to recognize outstanding children's and YA books that bridge the gap between literary excellence and "kid appeal." Check out the call for judges and eligibility requirements here.
I've been on a first round panel for three of the last four years, and I can tell you that it's a lot of fun, but also a lot of work. If you have the time and are crazy enough to want to read and discuss (by email) at least 3-4 books a week over a three month span, I can't recommend it enough. Second round panelists only have to read 5 or 7 books over a six week period.
I received the following information about an interview with Zetta Elliott, author of A Wish After Midnight, and thought some of you might be interested in tuning in:
Young adult author, playwright and poet, Zetta Elliott will discuss her latest book A WISH AFTER MIDNIGHT during a live interview on Rhymes, Views & News Talk Radio hosted by DuEwa Frazier on Sunday, August 8, 2010 at 5pm EST.
Zetta Elliott will discuss the themes within A Wish, her writing life and outreach to young readers. Tune in to listen LIVE and CALL IN with your questions for Zetta at (646)716-9474.
Visit
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/duewafraziershow
for more information on this and other author interviews!
SyFy's blastr blog has a great showcase of album art featuring fantasy & science fiction themes. The list includes Boston, ELO, Queen, Styx, Journey, Meat Loaf, and a whole lotta other greats in the music as well as album art department (along with a few I don't recognize).
via @JohnAnealio (via @torbooks @largeheartedboy)
The Red Pyramid
The Kane Chronicles, Book 1
by Rick Riordan
Carter Kane and his sister Sadie live very different lives. Since their mother died six years earlier, Carter has traveled the world with their Egyptologist father, while Sadie lives in London with their mother's parents, who got custody in a bitter fight. Carter and Sadie's maternal grandparents blame their father for their mother's death. Sadie's father is only allowed to visit twice a year, and it's on one of these visits that things blow up — literally. A trip to the British Museum leads to an explosion, destruction of the Rosetta Stone, the disappearance of Carter and Sadie's father, and a lot of trouble for Carter and Sadie, who soon discover that not all is as it seems and that the Egyptian gods are real. Readers of the Percy Jackson books will not be surprised to learn that Carter and Sadie's destinies are intimately tied in with that of the gods, although in a very different way than in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series.
The Red Pyramid is a solid middle-grade novel, very much in the mode of Percy Jackson, but different enough to be unique. There's plenty of action and excitement, mixed in with interesting information about the Egyptian pantheon, to hold the interest of most middle-grade readers. Carter and Sadie take turns narrating the story; unfortunately this creates some imbalance because Sadie is a stronger and more interesting character than Carter.
One disappointment was that the book isn't as funny as the Percy Jackson books, although it tries to be. There are some amusing scenes, but it's not overflowing with humor like the earlier series. I think that one reason is that it lacks the unique voice of Percy. While Carter and Sadie are strong enough characters to carry the series, they don't have Percy's sardonic voice.
I found the information about Egyptian mythology fascinating. I know a lot less about Egyptian mythology than the Greek & Roman mythology used in the Percy Jackson books, and I learned a lot. Riordan has obviously done a lot of research. Egyptian mythology is apparently very different than the more familiar Greek & Roman; it's not just a matter of different gods, but a different worldview.
Fans of the Percy Jackson series should enjoy this book, although they may find the humor strained. Other middle-grade readers may actually enjoy the series more, going into it without expectations. Overall, though, it's a good start to a series and one that many young readers will enjoy.
FTC required disclosure: Review copy obtained at Book Expo America for the purpose of writing a review. The Amazon.com links above are Amazon Associate links, and I earn a very small percentage of any sales made through the links. Neither of these things influenced my review.
