Steel

I checked this book out from my public library in Minnesota as an eBook and read it on my computer. It's a fun pirate adventure that would be better in the Middle School Library versus the Lower School Library because of the content.

Jill is a fencer who is trying to win a tournament that would place her in the Junior World Championships. She loses and is so disappointed she can't even have fun on her family's vacation in the Bahamas. She finds the tip of a magical sword on the beach and puts it in her pocket. Later that day she falls off a tourist boat and finds herself 300 years back in time on a pirate ship. The pirate Captain, Marjory Cooper, makes Jill a crew member and takes the magical sword piece from Jill. The sword belongs to the pirate Edmund Blane who has poured dark magic into it and who is deeply hated by Captain Cooper.  Blane wants the sword tip back and feels its magic calling him. When Jills path crosses Blanes on the high seas, she has to learn to use her fencing skills not just for sport but for life and death.

There is a gruesome twist in the plot regarding the sword, Cooper, and Blane. The pacing picks up after Jill ends up with the pirates. Jill has to learn to believe in herself and goes through internal conflicts as she lives the pirates life. I kept waiting for Jill to surprise people with some modern knowledge about herself but she doesn't say much. I also kept expecting her to protest more about where she was when she first ended up with the pirates - at least ask what year it was.Later, I expected her to share more with Henry since they were friends and had kissed, but she doesn't. I thought the doctor's character, Emory, could have been developed more as well. I kept waiting for Jill to talk about modern medicine but she only thought about it in her head. The character of Blane is one-sided and not that of a complex villian. We don't learn why he chose dark magic and acted evil. I wanted to know more about him.

The book is violent with battles, implied rape, and murders. In the beginning of the story, Jill gets drunk on rum and Henry is supposed to keep an eye on her. Later on Jill is quite sick of rum and would give anything for a Coke. There is the threat of Jill being raped when she is first captured by the pirates. The book is similar to Bloody Jack: Being an Account of the Curious Adventures of Mary "Jacky" Faber, Ship's Boy by L.A. Meyer and Graceling by Kristin Cashore.

:-) :-) :-) 3 Smileys

Booklists by Genre

Click on the hyperlink that gives book summaries (not reviews) in a PDF file. The lists are based on genres and I will add to it as I complete them. So far I completed Fantasy & Funny Books hyperlinked to a PDF file.

Adventure books	Fantasy Books
Funny Books	Mystery Books

Art & Max

The brilliant book, Art & Max by David Wiesner,  has two distinct characters. Max is high energy and loveable in an annoying way. He flies across a double-page spread running over two assistants and knocking Art's paint brush out of his hand. Max is so excited to see Art paint he's a bit reckless in his enthusiasm. Art is the expert who has three assistants and is a bit of a snob. Art is annoyed with Max in the beginning but changes at the end when Max opens his eyes to new possibilities in creating a work of art.

Art lets Max paint with him but tells him to stay out of the way. Max doesn't know what to paint and asks Art. Art replies by telling him to paint him. Max takes Art literally and paints him. The acrylic paint hardens and cracks on Art before exploding off the page to reveal pastels beneath Art. Max is fascinated by what the medium is doing while Art is furious with Max. Excited, Max rushes off the page with one finger in the air indicating he has an idea and that Art should just wait there for him. He comes back with a fan and blows the pastels off of Art who is feeling dry-mouthed from inhaling pastel dust. He asks for a drink of water and the medium turns into watercolors. Art drinks the glass of water and the watercolor washes off him completely leaving only his outline. Completely fed up with Max, Art stomps off the page while Max says "wait a minute" and grabs a hold of Art’s outline. Art completely unravels so that he disappears from the page. Max holds the tangled outline in his hands and with a baffled look says, "Arthur?"

Max then sets to work with determination, his long lizard-like tongue hanging out of his mouth, as he concentrates on putting Art back together. His first attempt is quite comical and the students laugh the hardest at this page no matter what age group I read it to. Next, Max puts art back together and the students "ooh" and "aah" as the simple lines become more complex and Art becomes recognizable. Once he is back together Max holds his finger up because he has another idea. ("Uh-oh," the students groan, along with Art's three reptillian assistants who are shaking their heads.) Max comes in with a vacuum cleaner and blasts Art with paint. Art looks completely different covered in dots to represent Pointillism.

Reading Level 0.7

The Bake Shop Ghost

Cora Lee Merriweather runs the best bake shop in town, but no one notices her, just her delicious cakes. When she dies others try to buy the shop but she gets angry and scares them away. When Annie Washington buys the shop she confronts the ghost trying to figure out why she is haunting the place. Annie tries to bake a cake that will please Cora Lee but none of her recipes seem to be good enough for her. When Annie runs out of recipes she comes up with a surprising solution to the problem. See how Annie’s act of kindness transforms Cora Lee from a unhappy ghost with a “lemon-pucker” mouth to a ghost with a big smile. Sometimes it is the small things that make the biggest difference.

The book incorporates smells, sounds, and colorful descriptions. While reading the book aloud, I changed my voice with the different characters who bought Ms. Merriweather’s shop. Annie changes in the story as she learns to respect the ghost’s opinion. The two slowly become friends which allows Annie to figure out how to help the ghost.

The author, Jacqueline Ogburn, said she came up with the story after listening to Charlie Daniels song, The Devil Went Down to Georgia, and that she used a common folktale motif of a ghost or spirit dueling with a mortal.

Marjorie Priceman’s illustrations in watercolor are detailed and reminiscent of Ludwig Bemelmens pictures in his Madeline series. The setting is somewhere in Europe and the buildings reminded me of France. She captures the energy of the grumpy ghost driving people out of her shop.

Other books like this are: Fergus and the Night-Demon : an Irish Ghost Story, by Jim Murphy ; illustrated by John Manders and The Perfect Pumpkin Pie, by Denys Cazet.

Reading Level 3.6

Penny from Heaven

When I read the first page of this book I thought, Is this a book about religion?

It isn't.

The setting is New Jersey during the 50's where eleven-year-old Penny Falucci, the narrator, spends time with her cousin, Frankie, who usually cooks up an adventure that gets them both into trouble. Her father is dead and no one will talk about it. Her mother doesn't get along with her father's family but she doesn't ban Penny from seeing them every Sunday where Penny goes for dinner. This huge Italian American family is boisterous, eccentric, and loveable. When Penny seriously hurts herself in an accident she finds out the truth about her father and why the two families don't get along.

This book won a Newbery Honor in 2007. The writing is terrific with great character development. The tension comes from the families not getting along, Penny frustrated with her Mom who is afraid to let her do activities with other kids her age, and Frankie who talks her into sneaking out to places behind her Mom's back. Penny loves baseball and she listens to the Dodgers games with her uncle. Some might find this book slow but I loved it and thought the character development terrific. The action picks up as the plot moves toward the climax of the story.

Penny suffers a nasty injury in the book and there are some sad parts. Penny also starts to notice boys and thinks about dating. I thought the pacing was good and I found it hard to put down. If you read Countdown by Deborah Wiles, and liked it then you will probably like this book.

Reading Level 4.5

:-) :-) :-) :-) :-) 5 Smileys

Palace of Laughter

Late one night the circus comes to town and no one hears its big top go up except Miles Wednesday, the curious orphan boy, who lives in a barrel on the hill. He sneaks into the circus the next day and is fascinated by the acrobatic girl who can fly. When he discovers her locked up in a wagon he hatches a plan to set her free and the two become friends. Miles discovers that this circus has a dark side that is doing something to the townspeople. When he discovers that the circus owner has kidnapped his friend and the girl's friend, the two set off on an adventure to set them free.

The descriptive writing was wonderful in this book but the plot meandered at times. I thought it slowed down in some spots, such as when Miles gets stuck at the apple orchid because of the boy who tricked him. I'm not sure how it advanced the plot and I found it annoying. At the end of the book, one of the gang boys decides to kidnap Little and I thought it was distracting. I wasn't sure how the tiger fit into the story but this is the first book in a series and it might be explained later.

There is some violence and the clowns are creepy, but I thought the humor balanced out the scary parts. The theme of friendship, happiness, and family run throughout the book. If you like fantasy stories, you will enjoy this entertaining story.

I borrowed this eBook from my public library.

Readling Level 6.4
:-) :-) :-) 3 Smileys

Ring of Fire

Elettra helps her father and two aunts run a hotel in Rome, Italy. When Dad goofs up some reservations and triple-books 3 families for the same room, Elettra ends up sharing hers with three other 12 year olds. They discover that they were born on the same day, February 29, and that Elettra has some type of superpower which is like a surge of energy that pours through her body. The energy is so powerful it has caused blackouts in the city. The mystery begins when the four kids are handed a briefcase by a man who is being chased by unknown evil people. The man is murdered and they open the briefcase where they discover ancient artifacts that lead them on a scavenger hunt through Rome.

The book setups for a sequel and not all the answers are tied up in the end. The reader is more caught up in the mystery than Elettra's superpower, which isn't really explained in-depth and doesn't have any plot development where she is tutored on how to use the superpower. The powers seem to come and go in heat surges and depends on how close the kids are to solving a clue. The other children have powers too but nothing is revealed. The characters are not developed in-depth with tension created through internal conflicts - most of the suspense and tension are external.The beginning and the subplots might be confusing with all the characters that are introduced.

There is violence in the book that involves a man being murdered, one of the characters being kidnapped and knowing she will be murdered, and the kids in danger. There is plenty of suspense and the pacing picks up in the second half of the book. If you like solving clues, you should enjoy this book.

Reading Level 4.3

:-) :-) :-) 3 Smileys