The Cheshire Cheese Cat: A Dickens of a Tale by Carmen Agra Deedy & Randall Wright

Skilley, the cat, has a secret. He hates to eat mice and loves cheese. He finds the perfect job at the Ye Olde Chesire Cheese Inn which makes the best cheese in the county. He makes a pact with the mice at the Inn where he pretends to kill them in exchange for them giving him cheese. Charles Dickens, the writer, goes to the Inn as well and is trying to write his novel, A Tale of Two Cities. He’s having a dickens of a time. When the barmaid brings home a vicious tomcat, who truly eats mice, and has a history of being Skilley’s enemy, things become complicated. Add to Skilley’s tangled mess a ghost in the Inn, cheese disappearing, and a raven who was injured by the tomcat and is owned by Queen Victoria, and you have a mystery that needs solving. Dickens helps in that department and also saves one mouse from the fate of being eaten. Grateful, the mice help him write the first line to his novel: It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.

The writing is terrific in this book and while kids aren’t going to get all of the references to Dickens works and characters, they will enjoy the story in itself (while the adults laugh). There is a fun twist at the end regarding the missing cheese. The characters in this book remind me of some of the Victorian characters in Dickens novel – especially the cook or the poor boy who first found Skilley. The theme of friendship and what happens when feelings are hurt is explored. A poignant part of the story is when Skilley has to apologize to his friend and he must do it in a heartfelt way. The chapters are short and it is a quick read. This would be a fun read aloud. Read it with great expectations.

Reading Level 5.2
3.75 out 5 Smileys

Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor

Sunny is a misfit lwho lives in Nigeria, was born in America, and is an albino. “Ghost girl,” the students tease at school. Her skin so sensitive to the sun that she has to use an umbrella whenever she is outside and she can’t play soccer – not that it matters – the males in her society always remind her that “girls don’t play soccer.” When Sunny is helped by the boy, Orlu, from being beat up by the class bully, they strike up a friendship that has Sunny meeting Orlu’s friends Chichi and Sasha. Chichi recognizes magic in Sunny who becomes initiated into the Leopard People. Regular people who can’t use magic are called, Lambs. The group of four learns magic and must figure out how to stop a man who is sacrificing children to an evil spirit he is trying to raise from it’s slumber.

This book was so unique in how it captures Nigeria, its customs, traditions, languages, and superstitions. I also like how Sunny is an American living in Nigeria and what it is like feeling as an outcast. Sasha is in the same situation. Before each chapter there is a page that gives facts about the Leopard People and how they came into existence and use magic. Sunny is a likeable character who grows in confidence from the beginning of the story until the end. She is bullied in the beginning, wonders what her place is in the world, and by the end she stands up for herself so that her father can’t slap her, the bully can’t beat her up, and she can play soccer with the boys regardless of her sex. The plot is face-paced and entertaining. I did think the ending is setup for a sequel. I had more questions than answers at the end, especially after Sunny reads her grandmothers note. Theauthor doesn’t explain the tribes and their history in a satisfactory way. I also thought the end scene with the villian was rushed. It should have dragged out more and shown more internal conflicts going on with the characters.

There are some things you should know about when reading this story so you aren’t surprised. There is swearing by the four kids in the book and children are being killed by a serial killer so it is darker than your average fantasy story. There is violence from the serial killer with kids losing their eyes and a fight at a festival where someone is killed. I didn’t really understand why that was in there or how it advanced the plot. The kids are punished by being whipped. Also, Sunny and Orlu become boyfriend and girlfriend… sort of. And Chichi and Sasha definitely are boyfriend and girlfriend. They all kiss. Chichi and Sasha smoke cigarettes. People compare this to Harry Potter and while it has some plot parallels it is for a more mature reader than Harry Potter.
Young Adult

3.75 out of 5 Smileys

Rage of the Fallen by Joseph Delaney

In book 8 of the Last Apprentice series, Rage of the Fallen, by Joseph Delaney, Tom has landed in Ireland with the Spook and Alice where they intend to bind the Fiend who is the devil. Alice and Tom are bound together by a blood jar that protects them from the Fiend who wants to take their souls to Hell and torment them for eternity (that story is in book 4). When the blood jar cracks, their mission becomes more desperate as the Fiend is able to partially materialize before them. Ireland is a land of powerful magic and  Tom is being hunted not only by the Fiend, but a witch he thought he had helped Bill Akwright kill (book 5), Morrigan the powerful crow goddess witch, and mages who want to harness the power of the god, Pan, through an ancient ritual. Tom discovers an ancient and powerful sword that will aid him on his quest; plus, with the help of the witch assassin, Grimalkin, the three fight many adversaries in this action-packed horror story.

I don't like violent, horror stories but Delaney is an excellent writer with interesting plot twists and characters who struggle internally with the decisions they make. In this book, Celtic mythology is introduced and the Spook, who has been terribly upset by Tom's connections to the dark side, is less judgemental and not quite as black and white on the issue. At least he acknowledges when it has saved their lives and that the binding of the Fiend wouldn't have happened without the help of the dark witch Grimalkin. It doesn't make him happy, but at least he doesn't walk away. Alice's struggle with the dark side takes an intense turn in this story. She seems to be able to choose good when she is with Tom. I like how she represents a person's struggle with good and evil within themself. There are several symbolic images from Christianity used in the story. The goat that traps the essence of a god has a crown of thorns and must die at the hands of its enemies in order to be free just like Christ wore a crown of thorns and died on the cross unjustly. This seems to indicate the god represents goodness, but it isn't clear until the end of the story. There is also the Blade of Destiny that has eyes that cry tears of blood just as Christ sweat drops of blood as he prayed about his destiny on the cross. I might be way off on that one but it crossed my mind. The last Christian image is the way the devil had to be nailed to a rock through his hands and feet. Christ let his enemies nail him to the cross so he could defeat the devil. For the Fiend, it is a reversal of this. He must be nailed to a rock in order to bind sin versus Christ who set us free from sins. Interesting twist. Delaney was an English teacher before he became a writer and those teachers love symbolism - don't yah know ; )

I struggled the most with the violence in this story, but I sat with my eyes closed in "Saving Private Ryan" and parts of "Jurassic Park." If it doesn't bother you then you will like these books. I can't seem to put the books down even when a part of me wants to which is more of a testimony to Delaney's  good writing than anything. That said, there is a suicide, too many heads being chopped off, a human eating a chicken raw, a dead mans eye's pecked out by crows and a human sacrifice in an ancient ritual. The violence has picked up a few notches in the last few books making it more middle schoolish. The reading levels in the first six books are from 4-5; whereas the last two are in the 6's.

Reading Level 6.6

:-) :-) :-) 3.75 out of 5 Smileys

The Red Umbrella

Lucia's world is crumbling. Her school has been shut down. Her neighbors are being thrown into prison or killed for disagreeing with the Cuban revolutionists. Her best friend has joined the brigades and is leaving for military training.

Lucia's family faces danger when her  father becomes labeled a dissident. Lucia and her brother flee to the U.S. with other children to live in a foster home while her parents wait to get exit VISAs.

The pacing is fast and the characters well-developed  in this book. The author does  a nice job but it isn't loaded with historical facts. The story revolves mainly around characters and friendships. I thought the author could have captured more of the fear and overwhelming feelings of what it is like traveling to another country and living with different people. I kept thinking of how hard it is being illiterate in a different country: not being able to read signs, getting yelled at when you can't figure out the change in the grocery store, being passed over in line because of looking different, to helplessly stare at a form because you can't read the language to know how to fill it out. I think the author could have captured the tension and fear better in the part when Lucia and her brother, Frankie, entered the U.S. It is the little things that can be overwhelming; plus, Lucia had to look out for Frankie. The author does do a nice job with showing misunderstandings when learning a language and how funny slang can be.

While the language is easy-to-read and at a grade 4 or 5 level, this book has some adult themes in it which is why I put it under Young Adult. There is some violence such as when the prisoners are executed, but Lucia and Frankie don't actually see it, they just hear the gun shots. Lucia also sees a neighbor hanging from a tree in the park. He was murdered for organizing a protest against the revolutionaries. Lucia gets a letter from her best friend who gets raped at camp although the word "rape" is never used and some might just think she was attacked by a man. Lucia also has an unpleasant encounter with a boy at a dance that she likes but who is overly affectionate toward her.

Reading Level 4.5

:-) :-) :-) 3.75 Smileys

Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life

My best friend and I set off on our bikes determined to go further than we ever had before. The wind whipped my hair off my face and nervousness, joy and excitement rippled through me like heat waves off the asphalt. We were having a blast.

Until we got lost.

That wasn't so much fun.

Jeremy Fink in the book, Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life, by Wendy Mass, is the opposite of me. He likes comfort so much he won't even eat anything other than peanut butter sandwiches and macaroni and cheese. It is hard for Jeremy to be adventurous until the day he gets a box from his now-dead father that has the words engraved in it: The meaning of life: for Jeremy Fink to open on his 13th birthday. The box is missing 4 keys to open it and Jeremy goes on a quest to find them with his best friend Lizzy.

Lizzy is like a sister to Jeremy. Her mother left when she was a baby and Jeremy's family is like her adopted family. Lizzy has issues with stealing items when her hands "get itchy." She doesn't like to sit for long because she doesn't want to think deeply about things. When she has to start using her brain she steals stuff and starts to run.

Lizzy's stealing doesn't make sense in the beginning and I remember reading it and asking myself, "Huh? Why would she do that?" I also thought Jeremy was weird just eating peanut butter sandwiches. I thought his Mom only made him that as a meal but Jeremy wouldn't eat anything else.  I remember thinking these are two strange kids but their actions become clear at the end of the story.

Jeremy's Dad leaves the two of them a wonderful message in the box. You'll have to read the book to discover what it is!

Scholastic book trailer video

Reading Level 5.0

:-) :-) :-) 3.75  Smileys