YA Lit Ramblings

Bertie Plays the Blues: A 44 Scotland Street Novel – Alexander McCall Smith

Posted on September 2, 2013 by EHL

The folks on Scotland Street have been nudged from their familiar ruts and are trying to cope. Matthew and Elspeth have just brought their newborn triplet boys home and are, of course, struggling to care for three infants. The fact that Matthew carelessly removed the hospital bracelets with the names on them has added somewhat to their stress. Domenica and Angus, engaged to be married, are trying to decide which flat to live in and which to sell and need to start planning their wedding. Big Lou is looking for a bit of male company. And then there’s Bertie. It seems that Bertie has had enough of his domineering mother, so he puts himself up for adoption on eBay.

This is the seventh installment of the 44 Scotland Street Series. It helps a bit to have read them in order, but it’s not necessary. I find these gentle adventures calming and refreshing and witty. You know nothing terrible will happen and everything will be all right in the end. I especially enjoy the insights into the thinking of Angus’ lovely dog Cyril. But be warned, these books are highly addictive.

eGalley review Publication date 10.8.13

Posted in adult, humor | Comments Off

The Storycatcher – Ann Hite

Posted on September 2, 2013 by EHL

Ghosts roam Black Mountain and Shelley Parker is accustomed to seeing them. She’s done it for most of her sixteen years. Usually they warn her of danger or just tell her their stories. The ones she is seeing now don’t seem quite so benign so Shelly decides to ignore them. Big mistake. If Shelley would just listen, she might understand the dark secrets that have filled this mountain for generations. She might save herself from becoming a part of that history. Working for Pastor Dobbins for years, she thoroughly dislikes him, but right now is so caught up in resentment of his daughter, Faith, that she can’t see anything else. Faith feels the evil around her and tries desperately to ward it off. But the ghosts keep getting in the way. Are they acting for good or is there some other motive?

Set in the depression era in the mountains and the salt marshes of the Georgia coast, this is a tale of ghosts and possession, a tale of two teenaged girls trying to fight an unspeakable evil. Told in several voices, the atmosphere is dark and dangerous and the tension mounts as the story progresses. It is beautifully crafted. I was totally enveloped and simply couldn’t put the book down. Even when I wasn’t reading, I felt unsettled, uneasy. Readers in the mood for a good ghost story will enjoy this one.

eGalley review Publication date 9.10.13

Posted in adult, mystery | Comments Off

The Lost Kingdom – Matthew J. Kirby

Posted on August 25, 2013 by EHL

This adventure is loosely set in the colonies during the French and Indian Wars. It is not exactly alternative history, rather reimagined history that incorporates real people from that time. Young Billy Bartram finally gets to accompany his father on one of his many journeys into the wild to find and classify new plant species. Or so he thinks that is what the expedition is about. An eclectic group of patriots are assembled and board an airship. They are determined to fly into the wild Ohio valley in search of the rumored descendants of the Welsh Prince Madoc. Of course things go awry very quickly when danger abounds at every turn. They lose members of the expedition and gain others all the while trying to outpace the French Army, willing to kill for the airship.

I’ve enjoyed the author’s previous books and this one again, shows he knows how to tell a story. There is never a dull moment. The characters make up an interesting group that adds just the right punch to the adventure. Billy is a genuine character, loyal to his father, but growing up and learning to make his own decisions. Before reading, I looked up William Bartram – what an amazing and accomplished man.

NetGalley review Publication date 8.27.13

Posted in adventure | Tagged naturalist, William Bartram | Comments Off

Thrice Told Tales: Three Mice Full of Writing Advice

Posted on August 13, 2013 by EHL

How many ways can the Three Blind Mice nursery rhyme be retold and embellished? A lot! The mice take over this story and teach literary devices such as point of view, cause and effect, and ambiguity. It doesn’t seem like any writing element, device, or style has been left out in this clever, highly informative 144 pages. Each literary device is clearly labeled, then the Three Blind Mice story is embellished with a sentence or several pages, followed by a “Snip of the Tale” summary of the lesson. Despite the illustrations and the nursery rhyme motif, this is best for teens and adults. Clever! Highly recommend.

eGalley review Publication date 8.27.13

Posted in 8/13 Staff Dev, humor, nonfiction | Tagged literary devices, writing instruction | Comments Off

VIII – H.M. Castor

Posted on August 9, 2013 by EHL

This account of Henry VIII’s life from youth through the last of his six marriages is well researched – and G rated! It allows a glimpse into how an English king is molded from such a very early age. I especially liked the scene when Henry’s father drives the point home that while his elder brother lives, Henry could be seen as a threat to his brother’s crown. By telling the story in Henry’s voice, the author conveys the thinking, the mind, behind the king’s decisions and the god complex that plagued so many monarchs. More time is spent with Henry’s youth and first two marriages. The other wives are rushed through as necessary in just one young adult book devoted to Henry VIII. This book was originally published in Britain, where I would assume teens have a richer knowledge of the tumultuous political history of Great Britain than American teens. The only tweak I would suggest is to provide a prologue that would condense the rich background for the American teen reader. I would recommend the reader at the very least, read a few quick entries about Elizabeth of York, Henry VII and The War of the Roses to understand how the Tudors gained the crown. The beginning chapters are rather slow but as Henry ages and becomes king, events pick up. Best for readers who enjoy reading about political maneuvering and the history of the British monarchy. Trailer

eGalley review Publication date in United States 8.20.13

Posted in historical fiction | Tagged England 1500s, Henry VIII, Tudors | Comments Off

The Daughters of Mars: A Novel – Thomas Keneally

Posted on August 9, 2013 by EHL

The Durance sisters were so much alike. They were beautiful, tall and graceful girls. Both were registered nurses. Naomi moved to Sidney and was a nurse at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital. Sally was the one who stayed on the farm with the family, the one who worked at the Macleay District Hospital, the one who nursed her ill Mother. But Naomi was the one the family boasted of, the one of whom they were so very proud. By the time the call came for military nurses in 1915, Mrs. Durance had died and Sally felt that this was her chance to leave, so over the objections of Naomi, Sally joined her sister in the Australian Army Nursing Service. They were on a hospital ship bound for the Dardanelles, and they soon found that their time spent nursing in civilian hospitals did nothing to prepare them for the what they faced after the battles near Gallipoli.

Based on the diaries of Australian nurses, this wonderful, sweeping novel never takes us into battle, but the grim aftermath of those battles does more to underscore the horrors of war than the sound of guns. The book is carefully researched and the style of the writing is consistent with the period. It is not as if I’m reading about an event that happened almost a century ago, it’s happening now. I was quickly immersed in the grim and grinding work of attending to impossible wounds. But it is more than a war story; it is a story about relationships between the sisters, between the nurses, and between the nurses and the soldiers. It’s about their everyday lives and loves, and about doing the impossible and thinking nothing of it. Highly recommended.

eGalley review Publication date 8.20.13

Posted in adult, highly recommend, historical fiction | Tagged 1915, Australia, Australian Army Nursing Services, WW I | Comments Off

Fallout – Todd Strasser

Posted on August 9, 2013 by EHL

What if the Cuban Missile Crisis escalated to the point of nuclear war with both sides firing their missiles? That is the premise behind Fallout when Scott’s father has a bomb shelter built in 1962. We meet Scott’s friends and get a glimpse at suburban life and a view of the national pulse in the early ‘60s. The neighbors rolled their eyes at building a bomb shelter, but in the minutes before the missiles strike, by golly they come running and force their way into the house and into the shelter. The shelter is designed and stocked with provisions for a family of four. The neighbors who forced their way in are so critical about the shelter and the meager provisions. Strasser moves the story along at a quick pace and is so fluidly told in a voice that teens will enjoy. The only bit that bothered me was including the friend Ronnie’s remarks and obsession with breasts. It really wasn’t central to the story. There were plenty of other examples given for the reader to label Ronnie as a jerk.

This book hit a nerve. I am a planner and it ticked me off that the neighbors think they were entitled to force their way into someone’s home and fight their way into a private bomb shelter. Then have the audacity to complain about the lack of food and go so far as to suggest the family that owns the bomb shelter sacrifice their own family members. This book would make for a good discussion starter or personal introspection. Would you be the planner, the person taking responsibility for yourself and your family and making the necessary sacrifices or the social loafer, the person who does as they please and then helps themselves to whatever they desire without putting any work into the situation.

Strasser includes an Author’s Note about a time in his childhood when his father had a fallout shelter built for their family, and includes thoughts pertaining to war. Well written! Highly recommend.

NetGalley review Publication date 9.10.13

Posted in highly recommend, realistic fiction | Tagged 1960s, Cuban Missile Crisis, speculative fiction | Comments Off

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YA Lit Ramblings

Bertie Plays the Blues: A 44 Scotland Street Novel – Alexander McCall Smith

The Storycatcher – Ann Hite

The Lost Kingdom – Matthew J. Kirby

Thrice Told Tales: Three Mice Full of Writing Advice

VIII – H.M. Castor

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