Shelly's Book Blog

Genesis Alpha, by Rune Michaels, appears on YALSA's 2008 Teens’ Top Ten Nominees list. This book is a thriller/murder mystery with a very unusual twist: the accused murderer has a brother whose stem cells saved his life. Josh, the younger brother, is the main character, and he goes through a terrible, life-changing ordeal, having to face questions not only about his brother's guilt or innocence, but also about his parents' and his own. At the center of the story is an online World of Warcraft- or Runescape-like game called Genesis Alpha. Both Josh and his brother Max play the game obsessively, and the information in the book about this type of online gaming is probably a draw for many teen reluctant readers. The book is also about genetic engineering, though, and the story helps readers to think through very realistic consequences of this controversial science. I thought it was a fascinating and compelling read, and I will be surprised if this book is not chosen as one of YALSA's top ten this year.

I just loved Elsewhere, by Gabrielle Zevin, so when I saw another of her books on the shelf the other day I decided to read it.
Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac is narrated by 16-year-old Naomi, who falls down a flight of steps and hits her head. Afterward, she cannot remember anything from the last four years of her life. This selective amnesia conceit seemed a bit of a stretch to me, but it did make for a very interesting story. Imagine being 16 but only having 12 years of memories? Turns out, a lot had happened in Naomi's life during those four years, and readers slowly discover the details along with her as the story progresses. Zevin is a terrific writer, and I will be on the lookout for more of her work.

Sherman Alexie's novel, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, is on YALSA's 2008 Top Ten Best Books for Young Adults list. The story is told by a 14-year-old Native American boy named Arnold Spirit, who goes by the name of Junior on the reservation where he lives. He decides that life on "the rez" is a dead end, so he asks his parents if he can transfer to the high school in a nearby small town. His parents agree, but they are so poor that Junior often has to walk at least part of the 22 miles to and from school. Junior does well at Reardon High, though. He makes friends and joins that basketball team. The trouble is that many people back on the reservation feel that he is a traitor for choosing to attend an all-white school.

This book reminded me of Diary of a Wimpy Kid, except that the mature content marks it for kids who are in high school, rather than those in elementary school. It's a page-turner, and I enjoyed it very much!

The Capture, by Kathryn Lasky, is the first book in the Guardians of Ga'Hoole series. This is a series I have been wanting to read for some time, and I'm very glad I finally did. The "About the Author" blurb says, "Kathryn Lasky has long had a fascination with owls," and this certainly comes through in the story. She includes details about the characteristics and habits of many different owl species, while weaving an exciting adventure story.

Soren is just a 3-week-old owlet when his big brother shoves him out of the nest. Soren is then owl-napped and taken to an "orphanage" where Soren and other young captured owls are forced to march for hours and where questions are forbidden. Soren makes a friend, an elf owl named Gylfie, and together they decide they must try to escape. Before they were taken from their families, these two owlets had heard their parents tell the legends of Ga'Hoole, and they use these stories to escape the terrible "moon blinking" that makes zombies of the other captured owls. I enjoyed reading about these characters and this world and look forward to reading book 2, The Journey.

Book One of Scott Emerson's The Adventures of Samuel Blackthorne, a Sherlock Holmes-style detective who just happens to be a dog, is called The Case of the Cat with the Missing Ear: From the Notebooks of Edward R. Smithfield, D.V.M. Of course, Dr. Smithfield is Blackthorne's Dr. Watson. This is a rather odd book, because the dogs are so thoroughly anthropomorphized that the occasional references to their dog-like characteristics seem out of place. They don't even have any dog-like habits that I can remember -- no scratching, sniffing, whining, or growling, so the whole dog motif seems kind of silly and unnecessary.

The mystery of this story, the whereabouts of an accountant named Patrick Kirkpatrick who has mysteriously disappeared, is actually solved quickly. Even after Kirkpatrick has been found and restored to his home, though, Blackthorne still needs to figure out the reasons behind his disappearance. This is when the story gets more serious, as readers learn about the various misdeeds of mobsters and corrupt politicians.

Poor Dr. Smithfield cannot seem to make up his mind about the wisdom of associating with Blackthorne. At times he complains that Blackthorne hides too much from him and gets him in too much trouble (getting arrested, for example); at other times he praises Blackthorne for restoring the joie de vivre to his previously dull life. I'm similarly conflicted about this story. It's great that Blackthorne is so like Sherlock Holmes: noticing telling details that others overlook, and using simple, deductive logic to solve his cases. I felt let down by this story's ending, though. Perhaps this was because there were not enough surprises or twists and turns in the plot to suit me. I guess I'll try book 2 when it comes out and make up my mind about this series then!

Gay-Neck: the Story of a Pigeon, by Dhan Gopal Mukerji, won the Newbery Medal in 1928. The story is set in India, and is told by a young boy who keeps carrier pigeons as pets. Gay-Neck is so named because of the bird's beautifully colored feathers. I found the author's style dated but also eloquent, even poetic at times. I'm afraid, though, that many kids will find this style strange and difficult to understand, so this book may not be a good choice for many kids. Those who are strong, patient readers, however, will be rewarded with a suspenseful adventure tale about survival, both in nature and in war.

Kids seem to ask for scary books often, so I was curious to see if The Doll in the Garden: a Ghost Story, by Mary Downing Hahn, fits the bill. The story is about Ashley and Kristi, ages 10 and 7, who discover an antique doll buried in the overgrown garden of Ashley's landlady. Ashley soon discovers that she does not want to share the beautiful doll with Kristi, so she hides it. Kristi guesses what has happened and tattles to Miss Cooper, the landlady, who is old and very grouchy. Meanwhile, Ashley discovers that when she follows a mysterious white cat through a hole in a hedge she goes back in time and visits with the girl, named Louisa, who once owned the doll. This ghostly girl is dying of consumption and is very sad because her friend had borrowed the doll and never returned it.

I didn't find the story very scary, but I did like it. Miss Cooper provides both the conflict and the satisfying resolution in the story, and this is surprising considering how much we are meant to dislike her. The characters seemed carefully drawn, and their struggles with emotions such as grief, jealousy, and regret, in my mind, give the story depth and meaning for kids and adults alike.

Since I am going to lead an adult book club meeting next week, I decided to read a novel written for adults for a change. I chose to re-read one I had at home: Anne Perry's The Hyde Park Headsman. This is one of a series of mystery novels Perry has written about Thomas and Charlotte Pitt and set in late 19th-century London. Thomas has just been promoted to police superintendent when he is faced with solving a series of murders in which the victims have been beheaded and left near Hyde Park. This comes shortly after the "Jack the Ripper" crimes which have already created an atmosphere of fear in the city. Confidence in the police is not running high, by any means.

What I like about this series is that Charlotte and her sister Emily help Thomas to solve his cases (over his objections, of course, because of the danger). In this particular story their involvement really doesn't amount to much until the very end, so that was a little disappointing. Still, the story provided plenty of intrigue and 19th-century atmosphere to keep me happy.

Tide of Terror is the second in Justin Somper's Vampirates trilogy. With this one I had a more difficult time suspending disbelief in regard to the whole "piracy is a legitimate career" thing. This story finds Grace and Connor spending a week at the Pirate Academy, an elite private school where children train from a very young age in pirate skills such as sword fighting, navigation, and EMS (Extreme Maritime Survival). The characters take the Academy very seriously, though, and the students are taught to respect and emulate the small group of former pirate captains who teach them. Once I accepted this strange premise, I was hooked. I guess it helped that the Academy reminded me of Starfleet Academy (from Star Trek). Attending such an elite school, so steeped in tradition, discipline, and honor, seems much more exciting than going to a regular old high school!

There are some mature themes here, so I'd say this is a series best left for the young adult crowd. For example, the 14-year-old twins spend time at a tavern, drink rum, and witness (and in Connor's case, participate in) violent battles at sea. Sidorio, the vampire who was banished from the Vampirate ship in the last book, joins with other Vampirate rebels to add to the body count, blood flow, and general mayhem in the story. It's a pretty bizarre story, really, but I enjoyed it. I'm looking forward to seeing how the twins fare in the third book.