Shelly's Book Blog

I checked out a number of books for my son, all 6th-grade reading level, and among them was Lloyd Alexander's The Marvelous Misadventures of Sebastian. Since my son chose another book to read first, I decided to read this one myself, and I'm glad I did because I enjoyed it very much. Sebastian is a young fiddler who works for Baron Purn-Hessel. Because of an accidental slight against a powerful nobleman, Sebastian loses his place at the Baron's estate and is forced to find his own way in the world. Sebastian's journeys bring him in contact with many characters, both good and evil, but the most important is Princess Isabel, who has run away to escape marrying a man she does not love. The story offers plenty of humor and adventure, and even a touch of magic to keep things interesting.

In the beginning of Demons of the Ocean, by Justin Somper, 14-year-old twins Connor and Grace Tempest's father dies. Their mother has never been a part of their lives. Since they don't like the two options for a new home they are left with, they take their fatehr's boat and head out to sea, only to be caught in a storm and thrown into the ocean. Grace is rescued by vampirates (vampires who live at sea), and Connor is rescued by the regular, swashbuckling kind of pirates. The story is told in alternating chapters about Grace and Connor's adventures aboard the two ships, which works well for creating suspense. Both kids make friends and start to feel at home but also yearn to find each other again.

This is a story about vampires, but only just. The vampires on Grace's ship are like the Cullens in Twilight. They are civilized and want no harm to come to her. Well, most of them, anyway. And the pirates on Connor's ship are not so much bloodthirsty as greedy for treasure. Still, this is one of those books you just don't want to put down, and I'm looking forward to reading the next two in the series.

I've always loved books about pirates and the ocean, and I've always been a mystery fan, so Ghost Ship, by German author Dietlof Reiche, was a lucky find for me. The story revolves around an 18th-century ship called the Storm Goddess that was lost at sea. One day the water disappears in the bay that used to be the Storm Goddess's home port. Shortly after that, the ship herself appears in the middle of the dry bay and people begin to hear mysterious sounds that seem to be coming from the ship.

Vicky, a 12-year-old girl who lives near the bay, is determined to discover the truth about the events of 230 years ago. Of course, since there is treasure involved, Vicky is not the only one who interested, and the plot thickens.

The 2003 Newbery Medal winner was Crispin Cross of Lead, by Avi. This is exactly the kind of adventure book that my boys love. Set in the 14th century, the story is about a 13-year-old orphaned boy who is falsely accused of murder and other crimes and forced to leave his village in order to survive. He is lucky enough to meet a man named Bear who is a traveling juggler/entertainer. There is plenty of intrigue here to keep the pages turning. I enjoyed this story and am looking forward to reading the sequel, Crispin at the Edge of the World.

Picture Perfect, by D. Anne Love, is narrated by 14-year-old Phoebe Trask, who is just starting high school. Her mother has taken a job with a beauty supply company, which would be fine if Mrs. Trask had not pretty much abandoned her family in favor of her job. Phoebe's mom is not just so busy that she seems never to be home; Mrs. Trask actually leaves home for months at a time pursuing her career, leaving her husband and kids to fend for themselves. Phoebe and her brother Zane are not at all happy about this state of affairs.

Then a beautiful and accomplished widow moves in next door and immediately hits it off with Mr. Trask. Phoebe and Zane suspect the worst, but of course the whole situation turns out to be more complicated than it seems.

This story interested me, but I don't know if I would recommend it. Some of the dialogue and events in the story struck me as unrealistic -- just a bit too scripted. I guess I just was never able to forget that I was reading a made-up story. Maybe I'll try reading another of this author's books and see if I like it any better.

Olive's Ocean, by Kevin Henkes (of Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse fame), was a 2004 Newbery Honor book. This is the story of 12-year-old Martha Boyle, who is coping with the recent death of a classmate, Olive Barstow. Olive had been a shy, lonely girl, and Martha feels guilty for not having made friends with her before she died. Martha's family goes to the seashore to visit her grandmother, and during the trip Martha struggles through problems with boys, family members, and self-image that many other 12-year-old girls will recognize as similar to their own. I really enjoyed this short but very sweet story.

Jacob Have I Loved, by Katherine Patterson, won the Newbery Medal in 1981. The title of the book is taken from a verse from the Bible in which God says, "Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated" (Romans 9:13). Sara Louise, the main character, feels overshadowed all her life by her twin sister, Caroline. In her narrative, Sara Louise tells readers about the many ways in which she lost out to Caroline throughout her life.

I found this book depressing. Sara Louise does seem to find a place for herself near the end of the novel, but even then she doesn't really seem happy. While I read I kept expecting something positive to finally happen, but she just never gets a break when it comes to her sister. Caroline even marries Call, the boy who was Sara Louise's best friend! This is one of those books where I found myself wondering if it was really written for children, because Sara Louise seems so bitter and without hope. The heartache Sara Louise endures was just so unrelenting, the story wore me out. For me, there was just too little sunshine here.

Jeremy Cabbage and the Living Museum of Human Oddballs and Quadruped Delights , by David Elliott, was simply a delightful read. This book, like D. L. Garfinkle's Fowl Language series and Kevin Bolger's Sir Fartsalot Hunts the Booger, was recommended by Michael Sullivan.

Jeremy Cabbage is an orphan (yes, it's another orphan story!) who lives at Harpwitch's Home for Mean Dogs, Ugly Cats, and Strey Children, owned and operated by a horrible woman named Hulda Harpwitch. He lives in a town in which the Baron Ignatius von Strompié III, a careless and stupid man, makes up silly laws and seems not to care that the people are poor and overworked.

Jeremy eventually is adopted by a family of cloons, who are a minority race of people living in the city who look very much like clowns -- big red noses, big feet, etc. The cloons love Jeremy very much and provide a good home for him, but the Baron and his henchmen seem to have other plans.

This story reminded me of Jean Ferris's wonderful books, Once Upon a Marigold and Twice Upon a Marigold, which are also full of warm, good-hearted characters and comically nasty villains. Jeremy Cabbage is a clever and very funny book. I enjoyed it very much!

I am one of the many fans of Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series, so of course I eagerly anticipated the publication of the fourth and final novel. While I was waiting for Aug. 2 to arrive, I re-read Eclipse, the third volume. I found that there was much that seemed new or unfamiliar. I think I just read it so quickly the first time that I did not really take it all in. This second read was actually more enjoyable, I think.

I finished Breaking Dawn yesterday, and I'm happy to report that it did not disappoint. I was very happy with the way Meyer wrapped up this series. Now I can look forward to the movie coming out in December!

I started reading The View from Saturday, by E. L. Konigsburg, a few years ago and for some reason never finished. I'm very glad that I took the time to revisit this Newbery Medal winner (1997). It's about four 6th grade students who form a team called "The Souls." They and their teacher, Mrs. Olinski, who is a paraplegic woman confined to a wheelchair, enter an academic decathalon called the Academic Bowl. The story is about their journey toward winning the Academic Bowl state championship, but it is also about these five people's personal journeys toward righting something that has gone awry in their lives. The point of view changes often, with most of the main characters having a chance to tell their own stories. I thought the story was uplifting, touching, and very wise.