The Crown of Embers by Rae Carson. Greenwillow Books, an imprint of HarperCollins. 2012. Sequel to The Girl of Fire and Thorns.
The Plot: Elisa, 17, is the Queen of Joya d’Arena following the death of her husband, the King. Her stepson, the Prince, is too young to reign.
Being a Queen isn’t easy: she may bear [...]
Review: The Crown of Embers
By on November 1, 2012
Review of the Day: Goblin Secrets by William Alexander
By on November 1, 2012
Goblin Secrets
By William Alexander
Margaret K. McElderry Books (an imprint of Simon & Schuster)
$16.99
ISBN: 978-1-442434523
Ages 9-12
On shelves now
I think it is time to declare the birth of the clockwork children’s novel. If you have been watching the literary trends over the last decade or so, you will note that amongst adults there has been [...]
Pick of the Day: Seraphina (CD)
By on October 25, 2012 Leave a Comment
Seraphina. By Rachel Hartman. 11 CDs. 13:30 hrs. Prod. by Listening Library. Dist. by Listening Library/Books on Tape. 2012. ISBN 978-0-307-96894-4. $50
Gr 7 Up–In the decades since the peace treaty was signed, a fragile amity has existed between humans and dragons. Or so it is believed. As the treaty’s 40th anniversary nears, a rogue dragon masterminds a dangerous scheme to reignite the ancient war between the two species. Caught unwillingly in the crossfire is Seraphina Dombegh, assistant music mistress of [...]
The Chaos (Epic Post!)
By on October 22, 2012
The Chaos, Nalo Hopkinson
Margaret K. McElderry, April 2012
Reviewed from final copy
Over at Heavy Medal a month or so back, in the comments, the question was raised about emotional v intellectual engagement.
In a nutshell: is it fair that we tend to preference books with which we engage emotionally?
In that discussion, Mark Flowers (hi, Mark!) of Cross-Referencing [...]
Review: Goblin Secrets
By on October 22, 2012
Goblin Secrets by William Alexander. Margaret K. McElderry Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. 2012. Review copy from publisher.
The Plot: Rownie is one of “grandchildren” of the witch, Graba, children she’s collected to run her errands. His mother is dead; his older brother, Rowan, brought Rownie to Graba knowing the shelter she offered was [...]
Recommended Comics for Schools: Annie Sullivan, Mystery Boxes, Anna & Froga
By on September 19, 2012
Some Kind of Fairy Tale
By on September 11, 2012
In his latest outing, Graham Joyce offers up the story of a 15 year-old girl lured away by fairies. What is so interesting about this particular fairy tale is how grounded it is in English village life and the characters involved. The effects of both Tara’s disappearance and her sudden reappearance 20 years later are [...]
God Save the Queen
By on September 6, 2012
Kate Locke’s debut is an alternative history that combines paranormal, steampunk, romance and fantasy. As the author put it in an interview with USA Today, “My world is an alternate world where vampires and werewolves are a result of the Black Death, and where World Wars I and II never happened. Hitler never amounted to [...]
Children’s Sci-fi/Fantasy Writer Josepha Sherman Dies at 65
By on August 27, 2012 Leave a Comment
Science fiction and fantasy writer Josepha Sherman died on August 23 in New Haven, CT, after a long illness, in which she battled dementia. She was 65. Sherman’s works include Gleaming Bright (Walker, 1994), a story of a resourceful young princess who goes in search of a magic box to avoid marrying a cruel king, and an adult fantasy, The Shining Falcon (Avon, 1989), a tale of love, hate, and magic that’s filled with Slavic mythology.
Review: Seraphina
By on August 23, 2012
Seraphina by Rachel Hartman. Random House. 2012. Review copy from publisher.
The Plot: Prince Rufus has been murdered; not just murdered. His head is missing, which indicates a dragon was involved. It’s been forty years since peace was declared between the dragons and the humans of Goredd, but at best, it’s an uneasy peace. The combination [...]
Award-winning YA Author Mollie Hunter Dead at 90
By on August 20, 2012 Leave a Comment
Mollie Hunter, whose novels for young readers won accolades on both sides of the ocean, died on July 31 in Inverness, Scotland. She was 90.
