365 Days of Books

Waily, waily, waily would fit in this description but it doesn't apply. A Hat Full of Sky is the sequel to Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett.

As funny and thoughtful as Wee Free Men, A Hat Full of Sky picks up Tiffany Aching two years after her first Pictsie adventures. Tiffany is on her way "out" to work but actually to learn how to be a witch. A terrible but invisible beast is searching for her and the Pictsies and Tiffany must find their unique ways to deal with the beast and other struggles that Tiffany will encounter. In my opinion the other teenage witches would rank pretty high on that list of terrors.

At the end of Wee Free Men, I heaved a satisfied sigh and longed for the next book. At the end of A Hat Full of Sky, I sighed, reread the last 2 chapters, and then thought long and often about the story. The Hiver reminded me of the overwhelming group mind in Wind Singer but less frightening as it only looks for one mind at a time.

Tiffany must decide who SHE is and how SHE is a witch instead of how other people wish her to be. She also must decide how to deal with the secret that witches keep. The secret about helping people to find the door through to death when they are lost and wandering towards death but seem unable to cross over.

Sorcery & Cecelia is a tale told in letters between Cecelia and her cousin Kate. Patricia C. Wrede writes for one girl and Caroline Stevermer for the other. They write their own stories but the stories overlap in character and the magical plots go back and forth with their letters.

It's an interesting device and the story holds up well since each is supported by her own letters and descriptions of events. The stories are a glimpse into the restricted Victorian society of which I know NOTHING am I am not able to comment on authenticity or detail.

I'm learning to knit and it is cutting into my reading and blogging time.

A 12 year old friend and I were thrilled to see The Purple Emporer at the Indie bookstore. We were a little low on money so we shared the $17.95 cost. My friend kicked in more money than I did so she got to read it first. Waily, waily, waily! (oops, wrong book)

The Purple Emporer is sequel to Faerie Wars which I blogged about last September. The person I thought would be the traitor in Faerie Wars but wasn't looks like a prime suspect in Purple Emporer but (sigh) again is innocent. Darn! I want that person to be bad.

The Purple Emporer takes up very soon after Faerie Wars ended. Pyrgus is awaiting his coronation (with the purple magic embedded crown) and his father's body lies in State. Henry has been sent for from our world to stand at Pyrgus' side during the coronation but he has run into some problems. Henry is really looking forward to seeing Blue again. Pyrgus' sister, Blue, is alerted to a possible threat against a family member and rushes to protect Pyrgus. They are together when they are shown, in the flesh, that the King is no longer dead. Things are not back to normal; things are worse than ever!

There are lots of complications both personal and political and some of our favorite baddies return. Love is in the air in more than one relationship but responsibilities come first. Some people, animals, and items that were casually mentioned in the first book are given more depth in Purple Emporer.

At the risk of giving away some of the story I mention that there is the suspicion that Pyrgus eventually kills his father. This is seen as a release for the King and may be a point that leads to further discussion of the issue.

I tell A Lie Every So Often was on the sale table at a local Indie book store for $1.99 and the blurb looked interesting. How could I resist?

Henry told his brother a lie, two lies really. Two lies on top of a sneaky action which he started but did not complete. The sneaky action has its own line of consequences, one lie is not even noticed, but the second lie takes on a life of its own and drags Henry along.

The lie involves a family member and a Native American who Henry has seen but never spoken to. In pursuit of the lie, Henry and his brother Clayton travel up the Missouri River. Henry observes and thinks carefully about race relations, propriety and manners, family, and the choices that people make that can or cannot be changed.

Henry's voice is clear and real. He is neither prissy nor wild. He sees some things very clearly, cutting through the screen of social niceties, and yet is naive about other things.

I've read a few other of Charles De Lint's books; they were mostly about the ways in which the fairy (not to be confused with those little sparkly things with butterfly wings) beings interact with the human world and how some humans can interact with both the fairy world and beings.

Onion Girl tells the backstory for one of De Lint's well known characters, Jilly Coppercorn. In a series of first person story telling, several people tell their stories of growing up as abused children. The stories and what happened to those children tie together with a crisis in Jilly's life. The characters suffer, and worry, and learn to forgive themselves and other people who were hurt in the same way that they were hurt as children. Thousands of children suffer physical, emotional, and sexual abuse every year' some of those children die and others become shadows which are not clearly seen by the general population or by people who could help them. The power of help offered and given is stated in several ways.

A great story, sad in its truth and giving a ray of hope if only people will care.

I really enjoyed The Abhorsen Trilogy by Garth Nix. I was not as thrilled with The Ragwitch. I waver somewhere inbetween about Shade's Children. The world and characters of Shade's Children are very interesting: in a single day the world was turned around when all the people over the age of 14 disappeared and strange warriors and their servant machines started collecting children to use for replacement parts for their battle machines. It is a scenario which could support lots of stories.

I've thought a lot about what it is about this story that sets me on edge. It took me several days to read although it is a slim book (345 pages) and then another couple of days before I was ready to blog it. The alien human warriors are the main bad guys and their main evil is that they care nothing for the humans of our earth; to them, the children are baby animals who will one day be ready to be harvested for parts. Shade seems to be an adult human (saved as a computer program) who cares for the children and tries to save as many as he can but he has his flaws and those flaws put the compatriots at the center of the story at risk. Maybe that is it, that I want to trust Shade and I want Shade to be trustworthy but I fear that he cares as little for the children as the warriors do.

I do recommend this book. It made me uncomfortable but it wasn't poorly written and other people may not find it as offputting as I did.

I knew that Otto Frank had remarried after the deaths of his wife and daughters in Bergen-Belsen because I had read Eva's Story though I don't remember it having the elongated title. BTW, it is a good book and does a great job of telling of the difficulties that the released death camp prisoners had in adjusting to life outside the camps and their difficult journeys to home and health. I did not know anything about how Otto Frank discovered the Diary of Anne Frank or how it was edited and published. The Hidden Life of Otto Frank documents this process as part of the life of Otto Frank from his childhood. A lot of time and space is given to examining a possible betrayer of the Franks and their friends; this is fascinating on its own but does tie in with decisions made about the Diary and Otto Franks general decisions.

There is very little story and a lot of documenting because (I believe) this was the purpose of the book. Every step in the collection, editing, writing, translating, scropt, and screenplay is brought out and documented. When there are two or more documented ideas that seem reasonable to a piece in the process, they are all discussed in as much detail as the author can manage. Disagreements over different views of the Jewishness of the Diary on stage and screen are scrutinized and evidence from both sides is offered in the form of vague remembrances and copies of written communication.

If you want the story, you will have to wade through the detail but if the documentation satisfies your need to know then this is the book for you.

Pirates! is a much darker story than Piratica. The main female characters of Pirates! seem more like victims and yet they are somehow more real than the colourful Piratica. Nancy Kington is the only daughter of a wealthy merchant; she runs free and wild and is spoiled by her father and brothers. When times get hard and the family business is in jeapardy, her father remarries, his new wife is determined to make Nancy into a woman of quality. Nancy has her own ideas of who she should marry and what her future will be. Several people try to tell her how unrealistic those dreams are but she is resistant to their clarity.

More troubles come on the family and Nancy finds herself promised to marry a rich and scary man who used to be a pirate. She also learns how much of her family fortune is dependant on the slave trade and she is upset. Nancy still can't bring herself to settle down or accept her engagemnt and when she murders an evil man (on the same night that she kills a man to release him from torture) she flees with a family slave into the mountains of Jamaica. Fleeing from her abusive fiancee, Nancy and Minerva join a pirate band. These are not the gentle pirates of Piratica although the crew does not kill often since it is a waste and they do stick by their rules. They are ruthless in their dedication to their goals and some are more bloodthirsty than others. None can compare to the treachery, dedication, and blood lust of the jilted fiancee. Nancy can feel him chasing her through her dreams.

Along the journeys, Nancy finds the restrictions on her gender everpresent and sometimes oppressive. She and Minerva work hard to dispel the stereotypes of the time and yet sometimes do fall within those lines.

In the end, Nancy heads back to a more demure and ladylike life but she is doing so on her own terms. After all, it isn't that she objected to marriage in general.

Wee Free Men is less punny but just as funny as Pratchett's other Discworld books. Set aside from Ankh-Morpork in the sheep herding Chalk the story revolves around young Tiffany. Tiffany is 9 and I find that Terry Pratchett has accurately depicted the maturity and thinking patterns of 9 year olds (they are often underestimated).

Terrible monsters are appearing in the Chalk and Tiffany may be the only person who can stop them. The Wee Free Men are Pictsies (ok, that was a groaner) and for some reason they are cooperating with Tiffany and helping her in many ways; this is contrary to their usual pattern of behaviour. Is Tiffany really a witch and if she is what doesn that mean about her Grandmother (now dead).

When the Faierie Queen steal Tiffany baby brother, Tiffany must open her eyes and take a look at the real world and see things as they are and then she must try to make things as they should be.

Several paragraphs were so funny that they had to be read out loud.

I was disappointed that the local bookstore did not have the sequel A Hat Full of Sky.

Stargirl is about insiders and outsiders; it is about fitting in even if that means losing your true self; it is about what we lose when we try to all be the same.

Stargirl is a new student at Mica High and she doesn't fit in. She dresses in strange clothes, plays her ukelele and serenades students during lunch, she decorates her desk! At first people just stare at Stargirl but soon Leo is entranced by Stargirl as is most of the rest of the school. Stargirl doesn't win everyone over but she does stir up a student body that seems to have had a sameness in the whole lives not just in school.

Stargirl and Leo fall in love around the time that feelings turn against Stargirl. Suddenly her quirky all embracing ways are seen as traitorous to the school and she is shunned. Leo finds out the important question pretty early - Whose acceptance do you care about most? He loves Stargirl, he feels himself expanding in her presence and learning more about himself and the world, and yet he is embarrassed by some of her behaviours. In an attempt to fit his two worlds together, Leo educates Stargirl on how "everyone" behaves and she tries valiantly to conform. It is to no avail and finally Stargirl reverts to her old ways.

You can't please all the people all the time and if they think you are pandering to them, they will despise you.

Leo loses the most in this story but Stargirl, who is the true to herself person that all outcasts wish to be, is both glorious and painful.

This book is perfect for middle school students who are feeling both the glory of self-identification and the pressure to fit in.

This book was recommended to me by a 12 year old girl. She then gave me a copy of the book. High recommendation indeed! Mira, Mirror weaves themes of power, sisterhood, family, parental guidance, and identity together into a strong rope that is powerful but looks like a loose conglomeration of fairy tales.

Mira was sold by her parents to a local witch. The witch cares for her and teaches her many things but Mira is enamoured of the witch's other apprentice, a beautiful young woman who offers Mira friendship and family. Mira is betrayed by her new sister many times over the years; Mira is even tricked into giving up her body and becoming a speaking mirror. In the story of Snow White, Mira is the mirror and the evil stepmother is her beautiful sister. That beauty and the other power that her sister desires cost the lives of many, many people. The sister finally disappears and Mira is left hanging on the wall of a hovel for 100 years. When she is finally found by a peasant girl who is fleeing her abusive father and the marriage he has arranged for her, Mira takes the opportunity to look for a way to revenge and a return to humanity.

There follows pieces of The Prince and The Pauper and Beauty and the Beast. Mira is both an interprative voice for other characters and a surprised reciever of insights. Will power corrupt her as it did her sister? Is there any path back from corruption?

This book is generally well written although several things are mentioned as striking and then are never mentioned again. For instance, much is made of the cook's use of a magic apron and the expected fallout when Mira instigates the theft of the apron but the results are not directly addressed and the good food coming from the kitchen is left to the reader to decide if there is a new cook or if the old one has somehow discovered a talent for cooking.

I moan and sigh and then I read another Lemony Snicket book. The Ersatz Elevator is book six of the Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony snighet. More terrible and depressing things happen to the Baudelaire Orphans in this book. They are schlepped to yet another relative who is weak and cares more for keeping the peace than he does for the welfare of children in his care. His snobby wife is pushed back and forth by strict compliance to fads and this weakness later is seen to be a clue to her overall nature.

Evil Count Olaf figures heavily in the plot. In The Ersatz Elevator the inventions and devices seem weaker than in the other books.

There is some merit in releasing a series of books at a rate of one a year. Reading all 12 in one year has lead me to face each book with a knowing sigh instead of anticipation.

Kathleen The Celtic Knot by Siobhan Parkinson is an American Girl book. This means that it is clean, wholesome, and heavy on the history. American Girl heroines are plucky, family oriented, cheerful, and a bit sassy. Luckily it is a fun little book.

A nun from school recommends that Kathleen take dancing lessons. Kathleen's family is poor and crowded into their small apartment trying to get by on a little money and a lot of love. It is implied that dancing will keep Kathleen out of trouble (though another girl from the class recently had a child out of wedlock). Kathleen is a natural at Irish step dancing but must struggle with the restrictions and stigma of being poor.

This book is listed as Intermediate Fiction but both an 11 and 12 year old girl read it in less than an afternoon and felt it was written for younger children though they were intrigued by the courting thread to the story (an Aunt not Kathleen). A 10 year old girl was enamoured of the story but didn't understand some of the more mature themes.

Armageddon Summer by Jane Yolen and Bruce Coville is a quick look at how adults' religious choices can affect their children and how teens can assess those choices to find their own ways and beliefs.

Jed's father is a Believer. He became a Believer after his wife ran off with a photographer and alchohol did not fill the void left behind.

Marina's mom is a Believer. She has taken her 5 children firmly with her into Believing even though her husband resisted and has been left behind.

The rigid quidelines of Reverend Beelson's church appeal to both adults. So many choices are just not needed when the strict restrictions are in place for the congregation. Reverend Beelson doesn't just know The Way; he knows The Day. July 27th is the day of armageddon so the Reverend has gathered 144 Believers and they have made their way to the top of a mountain to wait for the new world.

Jed and MArina have chosen to be with their parents but are not sure about their own beliefs. Is Reverend Bleeson right about the necessity of having every one and every thing below the barrier killed? What kind of God is that anyway? There is some consolation in thinking that after the set date either nobody will care or else the worst the children will face is knowing that the adults were wrong and look foolish.

In the camp, the realities of a post-apocolypse world start to filter in. Marina struggles to make friends with girls who are so different from herself and with whom she cannot seem to make a connection. Jed worries about the electric fence and the desperation of the family members turned away from the gate. They are both shocked to learn of the plans for breeding which do not include personal decisions.

Marina and Jed are unsure of each other but start to develop a close relationship despite the anger of Marina's mother. Their trust is tested when The Day arrives and things go horribly wrong in a way that neither of them had ever imagined.

Briar Rose is a powerful and brilliant telling of a largely ignored part of the holocaust using the fairy tale of Briar Rose/Sleeping Beauty.

Becca is a journalist who fights to find truth and make differences in her stories. She has always loved her Grandmother Gemma's story of Briar Rose featuring Gemma as the princess. As Gemma is dying she begs Becca to find the truth of her story. In a carved wooden box Becca finds a mishmash of photos, newspaper clippings, and documents that lead her into the depths of a story that is true and not true at the same time. Interspersed throughout Becca's search are snippets from the different ways that Gemma told the story; each telling reveals more of the true fairy tale.

This is definitely a story for older children and adults. An adult who knows the child well would do well to read Briar Rose before reading it with or recommending to the child.

I read the newspaper every day but I didn't read books, not even comic books. There was no time. There were people to talk to and games to play and things to do from morning to late at night. There were no quiet hours after everyone else was in bed but before I was itred enough to sleep. I fell into bed exhausted each night and usually I was not the last one awake.

But now I am home and there is nobody to play speed Scrabble with me at 11pm and there are those quiet afternoon hours when the sun on the couch beckons me and the whole family is absorbed by books.

I went back every morning and looked for The Ugly Duckling at the school. Four days later, the day before vacation, it was on top of the Lost&Found pile.

The ending didn't surprise me; the strong man struggled and held himself back and "allowed" the newly transformed victim (whom he had trained in revenge and combat) to kill her tormenter. I passed the book on.