Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins November 6, 2009

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins fits into the juvenile fiction genre and was published in 2009. It is recommended for readers ages 12 and up.

I first stumbled across the Hunger Games shortly after it was published in 2008 and waited, very impatiently, for the sequel to appear. I purchased Catching Fire the day it was released and finish it closely thereafter. I loved it even more than the first book, which I didn’t even think would be possible. It begins about six months after the Hunger Games ended. Katniss has returned to district 12 but nothing was like she expected it to be. Peeta, still hurt that she was pretending to be in love, spends as little time with her as possible. Gale, also hurt by what happened during the Hunger Games, won’t really talk to her either and avoids her as well. Everyone wants to move on with life and celebrate that everyone is still alive but they must do the Victory Tour, which is where the winner of the games goes to all the districts and makes a speech, reminding those districts that they lost not only the games but two of their children as well. Another hitch in the moving on plan comes when the president of the Capitol comes to visit Katniss and tell her that he was not convinced of her love for Peeta and that he thinks she is trying to start a rebellion. She must now prove that he’s wrong on both counts while battling the capitol and in a surprising twist the other victors as well. Through a series of unbelievable events and by trusting people she barely knows Katniss not only finds the truth about the rebellion and the districts but also commits herself to a side. Catching Fire is a fabulous book further exploring the ideas of societal unrest and the amazing things that one can do with the right friends. I highly recommend it as a quick and satisfying read.

Other reviews available:

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame November 6, 2009

The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame fits into the juvenile fiction genre and was first published in 1908. It is recommended for readers ages 8 and up.

I had an unbelievably hard time getting into this book. Even though it was only about 140 pages it took me months to read. It’s not that it’s a bad story I think it was just written so below my reading level that I had a hard time being interested. However, I think I would enjoy it if I were to read it to my children who, I’m fairly certain, would enjoy the animal characters and their adventures by the river. In the beginning we find Mole cleaning his house. He gets tired of cleaning and without any further planning leaves his house and sets off on an adventure. He makes it to the river and finds Rat who invites him to go on a picnic with him by boat. Mole is worried because he’d never been in a boat but agrees and makes an instant and lasting friend in Rat. While on the picnic they meet Badger, who is a nice enough animal but sort of anti-social. Badger admires Mole’s common sense and again Mole easily makes a new friend. Later they decide to go visit Toad. He lives in a really fancy house right on the river. They find Toad all excited about his new venture. He’d tried and failed at so many things in the past but that doesn’t keep Toad from trying new things. Cars are the current excitement in Toads life. He routinely manages to crash and break them but survives each time only to buy another and go at it again. It’s this love for cars that causes most of his problems. Toad’s friends convince him to give it up and to a point succeed until he steals a car and goes for a joy ride, which, as it should, lands him in jail. He manages to escape with the help of a washerwoman and has a few interest adventures on his way home being incredibly unruly. When he arrives home after being gone quite some time he finds his house has been taken over by weasels. Toad then goes off seeking the help of his friends. They are disappointed in the life he chose but after a quick chastisement they agree to help him get his house back. Badger plans the whole thing, Mole helped with the more subtle parts, Rat makes sure they are armed to the teeth, and Toad moans about his role in the whole thing. In the end Toad learns how to be a good friend and thankfully changes his ways. Badger, Mole, and Rat help save the day and are happily rewarded with their great friendship and a fine feast. All in all it’s an okay book. Grahame takes too many detours and subplots for my taste. He goes into great detail when a word or two would do about things that are never again mentioned in the book. It’s a great story with fun characters just not one of my favorites.

Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie November 6, 2009

Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie fits into the classical juvenile fiction genre and first appeared as a play in 1904. Later it was published as Peter and Wendy in 1911. It is recommended for readers ages 8 and up.

When I discovered the Disney movie Peter Pan was based on a book I was anxious to read. Typically I read the book first but it was an interesting experience to have it occur the other way. I was amazed while I read how closely the Disney movie stayed to the novel. There were major parts left out and the character of Peter was made to be more likeable but all in all it was much the same. The story begins with a thorough description of the Darling family and how they all came to be and how they acquired Nana, the nursemaid dog. One interesting difference is that Wendy, John, and Michael were not only gone one night but they were gone for quite some time. The books goes into detail how their parents and Nana think over the night they left and planning how they could have done things differently. The night the children left Peter came in and was tempting them to leave. Nana heard and managed to escape and run for the parents. Peter heard them coming and managed to get the children out of the house just before their parents burst into the room to stop them. Their flight to Neverland took days and days to accomplish and at times Peter would even forget they were there. When they got to Neverland everything is much the same as the movie but Wendy had her own cottage to live in outside of the tree where all the boys slept. The same adventures took place with the Indians and Captain Hook and even the capturing of the lost boys and Peter’s rescue. It was an interesting read but for once I think I prefer the movie to the book. Peter’s character in the book is a little too harsh for my taste. He seems moody and flighty but not in the fun carefree way that I’d imagined before. His uncontrollable selfishness also makes him more of a villain than someone to admire. Barrie’s writing at times also leaves something to be desired. He tends to bring himself down saying how this or that detail isn’t really important or that it’s not the best story but he might as well tell it anyway leaving me wondering if this is a draft with notes and not the real thing. I enjoyed finding the origins to one of my favorite children’s movies but I hesitate to recommend it to anyone else unless you have a burning desire to experience it first hand.

Seeing Redd by Frank Beddor January 23, 2009

Seeing Redd by Frank Beddor fits into the juvenile fantasy fiction genre and was published in 2007. It is recommended for readers ages 12 and up.

Seeing Redd exceeded my expectations not because I didn’t expect it to be good but simply because I forgot how good The Looking Glass Wars was. Beddor captures readers with such an interesting story line and imaginative twists on well-known characters. This novel picks up a few months after the last one ended where Redd and the Cat jumped into the Heart Crystal. They are unsure if Redd and the Cat survived the trip since no one had previously had the nerve to jump in. Alyss is trying hard to reestablish peace in her Queendom but struggles with people set in their ways after Redd’s thirteen year reign. Alyss learns that Redd is not her only enemy and has to use previously unimagined powers of destruction that may very well leave them all in ruin. Also, along the way, her and Dodge firm up their feeling for each other but struggle with what it will mean if they decide to have a relationship. Overall it was a very well written book and I repeated mentioned to my husband how much I like these books and I would definitely recommend them to anyone who likes fantasy fiction.

Other Reviews Available:

The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor

Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson January 13, 2009

Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson fits into the preteen fantasy fiction genre and was published in 2004. It is recommended for readers ages 10 and up.

Peter and the Starcatchers was written as a prequel to the classic Peter Pan by James Barrie. It tells the story of how Peter came to Neverland, how he met Captain Hook, and the creation of Tinkerbell. For some reason although I’d heard nothing but great reviews for this book I wasn’t excited to pick it up. The first one hundred and fifty pages seemed to drag on forever. Then something happened. I don’t know if it was that the plot got more interesting or I just got more interested but the last 250 pages just breezed by. I was not only captivated but I am excitedly waiting my opportunity to read the rest of the series. However, I do think they went a little overboard in some places of the book trying to explain everything in the world. Apparently they feel that “starstuff” was the source of every major war, mythological gods (like Zeus), and creatures from mermaids to the Loch Ness Monster. Overall I did think it was a great book with a fantastic story and it gave a lot of fun background information to a story I already know and love.

Jinx by Meg Cabot January 13, 2009

Jinx by Meg Cabot fits into the juvenile fiction genre and was published in 2007. It is recommended for readers ages 14 and up.

Meg Cabot is my favorite author for teenage girls. I love her captivating writing style and wit. I have an entire shelf of books devoted to her writing. That being said I think that Jinx far outweighed my expectations and is probably her best work. The novel tells the story of Jean, an Iowa farm girl who moves to New York to escape some bad luck in her past. Living with her mom’s sister, Jean learns about herself, her past, and the truth behind her crazy cousin’s antics. Jean is a descendant of an apparent witch and she and her cousin Tory both try their hands at witchcraft. Tory takes the whole thing very seriously and thinks that she is the only proper heir of magic and tries to ruin Jean’s new life in New York. Along the way Jean also meets a boy who convinces her of her worth and in the end saves her life. Overall I’d say it was a great book with a fun twist from Cabot’s usual girl meets boy writing.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins January 13, 2009

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins fits into the juvenile fiction genre and was published in 2008. It is recommended for readers ages 12 and up.

I first heard of Hunger Games from Stephenie Meyer’s website where she recommended it to all her readers. I thought that was interesting and I put it on my list of books to read at some future date. Then a friend of mine left a comment on my blog telling me I should go pick it up and that she couldn’t get the story out of her head so I decided to give it a go. I was quickly captivated and devoured this book. The story follows Katniss as she competes for her life in the Hunger Games. These games are run once a year and a boy and a girl from each of the twelve districts compete not only for their lives but also for a comfortable and luxurious future. Katniss must use all of her talents to win but even that at times isn’t enough because of her loving nature that got her into the games in the first place when she volunteered to take the place of her little sister who was originally chosen to play. It was a mesmerizing story that I, like my friend, still can’t get out of my head and I eagerly await the publication of the sequel.

Other reviews available:

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

The Dragon Heir by Cinda Williams Chima November 22, 2008

The Dragon Heir by Cinda Williams Chima fits into the juvenile fantasy fiction genre and was published in 2008. It is recommended for readers ages 14 and up.

The Dragon Heir was one of the books that I have been anticipating this year and I was not disappointed. Chima not only lived up to the other two in the series but she also surpassed them in terms of conflict and suspense. Dragon Heir takes place a year after Wizard Heir and two years after Warrior Heir. It covers all the main characters of the first two groups but focuses a little more on Madison Moss and Seph McCauley than the other two books did. We learn of Madison’s past, her family life, and the way the events at Second Sister changed her life. Also covered is Seph’s struggle to please everyone while not running ragged. In the beginning of the book Jason Haley breaks into Raven’s Ghyll and discovers, among other things, the dragonheart which he brings back to the sanctuary. The other wizards notice that something has changed after Jason took the dragonheart and this leads to a siege and a war at the sanctuary where everyone must come together in spite of differences to defend their homes and loved ones. In the end the Dragon Heir is found in time to save the sanctuary and the lives of many but not all of the main characters.

Other reviews available:

The Warrior Heir by Cinda Williams Chima

The Wizard Heir by Cinda Williams Chima

Artemis Fowl: The Time Paradox by Eoin Colfer November 16, 2008

Artemis Fowl: The Time Paradox by Eoin Colfer fits into the juvenile science fiction and fantasy genres and was published in 2008. It is recommended for readers ages 12 and Up.

The Time Paradox is the most recent Artemis Fowl novel and it surely lived up to my expectations and anticipation. Once again we are given a well thought out story with interesting plot twists and unexpected elements. Although no new friends or foes are introduced, the story is not the least bit redundant. In fact it made me want to go back and read the other books with the new perspective I have after completing this one. The story, as is to be expected, follows Artemis Fowl whose mother recently became ill with a magical disease. The only cure for this disease lies in the past and thus Artemis and Holly must travel back in time to get the cure. Unfortunately the cure is something that the ten-year-old Artemis also wants so they must compete with a younger and more ruthless Artemis while struggling against a deadline that if they miss they will be stuck in the past. As always with a plan hatched by Artemis Fowl it seems easy enough but complications arise along with old enemies. Overall it was a extraordinary story filled with a vocabulary and plot that made me feel at the same time intelligent and engaged.

Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer August 4, 2008

Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer fits into the Juvenile Fantasy Fiction genre. It was first published in 2008 and is recommended for ages 14 and up.

So I’m going to try to review this book without giving away anything that Stephenie didn’t give away before the book was published so if it’s a little cryptic I’m sorry. If you’ve read it you’ll know what I mean if you haven’t read it yet pick it up today!

Breaking Dawn is a masterpiece of emotional and intellectual writing. The story was captivating from the beginning and it is a deserving finale to a truly awe inspiring saga. While there were some typos (like there seem to be in all of her books) they didn’t bother me as I was so absorbed in the story line. Before the book was out to the public Stephenie gave away that there would be a wedding. I loved that scene in the book. It was just magical and the emotional detail from not only Bella but also her family made the scene even more real and heartwarming. A little after the wedding something happened that weirded me out, if you’ve read it you probably know what I mean. It was an interesting plot line and didn’t bother me as much as the story developed but when it first came in I wondered how it fit. In the end Meyer pulled it off majestically and created, I think, the best book in her career so far. I think everyone can be happy with not only the ending but the book as a whole. I highly recommend the entire saga for those who love to read especially but also those who haven’t read in a while, it will suck you in.

Other reviews available:

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

New Moon by Stephenie Meyer

Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer

The Host by Stephenie Meyer