by Laura Amy Schlitz
ages: 10+
First sentence: “The witch burned.”
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Ever since I finished this evocative work by Newbery-award winning author Laura Amy Schlitz, I’ve been trying to describe it. I’ve come up with “a slightly magic Dickensian-inspired story” (to which it was suggested that those who liked Claire Vanderpool’s Moon Over Manifest would probably like this one).  I’ve also described it as an “evil puppetmaster who mistreats two orphan children gets his due”, which is fairly accurate. And then there’s the “wizard vs. witch battle” angle as well.

It is a Dickensian story: set in late-19th century London, it’s the tale of two orphan children who are taken in by a Fagin-esque puppetmaster. The master, Grisini, has terrified the boy, Parsefall, into helping him pick pockets. But the girl, Liza Rose, is clueless about Grisini’s true nature. Then a series of things happen: they perform a show at Clara’s house, a wealthy little girl who lives in a house of Mourning (her four siblings died of cholera), and then she goes missing. Then, Grisini and the children decide to stand up to their wicked master, and an injured Grisini goes missing as well.

So far, so good right?

Actually, the thing that held this novel together (for me at least) was Schlitz’s writing. It’s incredibly descriptive (a random sentence: “A whiff of strong perfume rose to her nostrils: sweet musk roses and another, more metallic smell, reminiscent of something or someone she disliked.”) and flowing. It starts with the witch, and you wonder where the book is going to go, especially after you meet the orphans, but somehow Schlitz makes it all work together seamlessly. There isn’t a wasted page, and even though the action slows way down in the middle, while the orphans are trying to figure things out, it was enough to hold my interest.

Which gets to my real problem with this book: it’s one of those ones that Adults think Kids should like. As I have yet to find a way to describe it in any way that my girls (at least) would even be remotely interested in. The cover kind of spooks them (“Why is there two puppets being controlled by a giant hand?”) and when I try to describe the complex and intricate story, they lose patience about halfway through.

It’s a good story, just not one that I think kids are going to flock to. (Please, tell me if I’m wrong, and how to describe it so that I can get kids interested in it, because I’m really at a loss!)

(Just for the record: because this is a Cybils nominee, I’ve been asked to make sure y’all know this is my opinion only, and not that of the panel.) 

Adam Gidwitz
ages: 11+
First sentence: “Once upon a time, fairy tales were horrible.”
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Others in the series: A Tale Dark and Grimm

Cousins Jack and Jill aren’t very special. Jack’s always trying to be one of the Big Boys in the village, following them around trying to be a part of the crowd, much to their annoyance. Jill’s the daughter of a Very Beautiful Queen (who was, initially the Very Beautiful Princess who threw a ball down a well which was rescued by a frog), and can never live up to her mother’s expectations, no matter how much she tries.

Then, two things happen: they make friends with a talking Frog (of the princess story) and they make a blood oath to find the Seeing Glass. Which means they have Adventures, of course. Like the first one, these adventures wander through retellings of traditional fairy tales (with some original ones thrown in, something I found out after reading the author’s note at the end). They kill some giants, outsmart some dwarves and meet a fire-breathing salamander with a very long German name, before heading home, exhausted, yet wiser for their adventures.

This one, much like the first in this series, has a lot going for it. A fabulous narrator, who interjects (perhaps not quite as often) with words of wisdom, advice, even though it’s a bit distracted this time around, actually forgetting to do its job a couple of times, to humorous effect. (“Sorry, sorry! Totally forgot! Last time! Promise!) In fact, my single favorite page is the one where the narrator gets all huffy that we, the readers, have imagined everything and leaves so that we can just figure out the rest of the story for ourselves. Too funny. 

It also is nice because this one works as a stand-alone. If you’ve read the first one, you are familiar with the world and the style of writing, but that’s the only things. This one is a completely separate storyline, with a completely separate set of characters having completely separate adventures. All of which I found to be refreshingly enjoyable.

My only quibble is that (and my memory may be faulty; it has been a while since I read the first one) this one didn’t seem to flow quite as smoothly as the first one. And that the Moral got a bit heavy handed at the end. Even so, it wasn’t enough for me to not thoroughly enjoy the humorous fairy tale genius that is Adam Gidwitz.

(Just for the record: because this is a Cybils nominee, I’ve been asked to make sure y’all know this is my opinion only, and not that of the panel.)  

by Mike Jung
ages: 9+
First sentence: “There are four Captain Stupendous fan clubs in Cooperplate City, but ours is the only one that doesn’t suck.”
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I would have had to read this one anyway, being nominated for the Cybils in my category and all, but Betsy gave me the little nudge I needed to bump it up to the top of my “need to read” pile by posting this last Sunday:

How can you NOT want to read a book after that??

Vincent and his friends George and Max are the three members of the “Captain Stupendous Fan Club.” Not the Official one. Or the girly one. Or the rich old lady one. What they lack in size (all three of the other ones being much bigger), they make up for in knowledge: they have made it their life’s work (all 13 years of it, anyway) to know everything about Captain Stupendous.

Who is Captain Stupendous, you ask?

He is the Superhero who protects Copperplate City from all manner of nefarious individuals: from the rogue bad guy to the master evil genius.

But, in fighting the Evil Professor Mayhem and his Indestructible Robot, something happens to Captain Stupendous. And suddenly, he is not What He Is Supposed To Be.  (I’m  not going to tell you what happens, even though it’s Really Cool. You’ll just have to read the book.) And it looks like Professor Mayhem is targeting Vincent’s family! Of course, it’s up to Vincent, George, and Max to help Captain Stupendous figure out how to beat Professor Mayhem and keep Copperplate City safe.

Yes, this is really over the top. WAY over the top. But, it worked for me. I liked the nod to the kind of superhero geekery that guys (and some girls) get into, knowing every little bit about the superhero they idolize. Jung just took it one step further and made the superhero a real, rather than made-up, person. Which, in my humble opinion, is way cool. And even though the cover screams GUY, there’s also a really strong female character in Polly, a girl that the three geeky guys end up befriending.

Additionally, Jung threw in all sorts of regular middle school tropes: there are bullies, and fears about grades, and parents that don’t understand their kids, and dealing with parents’ significant others, and even a love triangle (of sorts; but only with the adults). Sometimes, those parts feel a bit clunky — and to be fair, it took a little while for me to settle into the book; the beginning felt choppy — but, for the most part, I enjoyed the balance between “real” and “superhero”. It’s not all flying around kicking some serious robot butt or shooting at each other with lasers or jumping out of helicopters. (Though all that does happen.)

Which means this is really the perfect book for everyone. Right?

(Just for the record: because this is a Cybils nominee, I’ve been asked to make sure y’all know this is my opinion only, and not that of the panel.) 

by William Alexander
ages: 9+
First sentence: “Rownie woke when Graba knocked on the ceiling from the other side.”
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Rownie is the youngest “sibling” in Graba’s group of Grubs. Abandoned after his older brother, Rowan, disappeared, he was taken in by Graba, and sent on errands. Rownie’s town is not a happy place: the mayor has banned all theater, except for those put on by those already “changed”, the goblins. Additionally, Graba has a tendency to mind-control her Grubs into doing her will.

So, when Rownie happens upon a theater troop in the park, and they invite him to join them, he does. It turns out that this troop happened to know Rowan, and know that he’s an essential part in keeping back the coming flood.

I’m going to have to stop here; I’m not sure that summarizing this book is going to make much sense. It’s been nominated for a National Book Award this year, and so someone must have thought there was some merit in the story. Admittedly, while reading it, I didn’t dislike it. The structure is very theater-inspired, dividing the chapters into Acts and Scenes. But even more than that, it felt like watching a play. I can see why it was nominated, it’s gorgeously written and definitely the epitome of High Fantasy. But, I’m not sure I really liked it.

I’ve been trying, since I finished it, to figure out why. It wasn’t the story, or the characters, or the writing. In fact, I think this might make a good read-aloud. Perhaps it was that it all felt so… affected. Rather than being smooth and effortless, I felt like Alexander was trying too hard to Make A Fantasy and Tell A Story. And I never really connected to the story he was trying to tell.

But, honestly? It was probably just me.

(Just for the record: because this is a Cybils nominee, I’ve been asked to make sure y’all know this is my opinion only, and not that of the panel.) 

Heroes of Olympus, book 3
by Rick Riordan
ages: 11+
First sentence: “Until she met the exploding statue, Annabeth thought she was prepared for anything.”
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Others in the series: The Lost Hero, The Son of Neptune

Dear Rick,

First: can I call you Rick? I mean, I’ve been a fan since I read the first Percy Jackson book (yeah, I know, I missed the Tres Navarre series until later, but that’s just because I’m not really a mystery sort of person) way back in 2005. I loved everything about it: the characters, the use of Greek mythology, the pacing: it was a great example of what middle grade fantasy can do.

But, Rick. Rick. You’ve lost the Touch.

I don’t know if it’s because you’ve been trying to write two series at once. Or if it’s because with all the demands of being a best-selling author, you’re churning out books too fast. Or if my expectations are just way too high. Whatever the reason: this one, as much as I love Percy, Annabeth and the rest of the clan, is just not a great book.

(As a brief aside, if you want to write a whole book about Leo Valdez, I will read it. Team Leo!)

It’s very much a middle-of-the-series book, as well. Sure, the group from Camp Half-Blood (Annabeth, Piper, Jason, and Leo from the first book) has to head to Camp Jupiter to pick up that group (Percy, Hazel, and Frank) and then end up in Rome in order to stop Gaea.  I get that. But, that’s all there really is to the plot. So, Rick, I ask you this: why did this book need to be 574 pages long?  Yeah, I get it: you want to weave in other myths and minor gods, but meeting Nemisis, Narcissus, Bacchus, Hercules, Chrysaor, plus the giants who are helping Gaea out is just way too many. I know: you’ve always thrown in a lot in your books, but for some reason this time around it just seemed cluttered. You threw out another god, and my reaction was, “Really? Another god?” rather than “Woot! Another god!”

Also: while I adore the cover (and know you have nothing to do with it), it gives the impression that you were going to address the rift between the two camps. That something Big was going to Happen, and that there was going to be a Grand Confrontation. There’s not, though it is implied at points. The whole point of this one, was to get the group from point A to point B, and I felt slighted by that.

Don’t fret, though: I am going to read The House of Hades, Rick. (I know you were worried.) I’m still invested in the series. But, you know: especially now that the Kane Chronicles are done, I hope for a better book. Something more like what you gave me back in the beginning.

Is that too much to ask?

Best,
Melissa (and girls. Their comments? “It’s not his best book.”)

(Just for the record: because this is a Cybils nominee, I’ve been asked to make sure y’all know this is my opinion only, and not that of the panel.)