Rutabaga's Reads 2012: Part 8

This is Part 8 of Rutabaga’s Reads 2012. It includes books I’ve read since Part 6 that are not picture books. What are you reading today? Let me know by commenting on Part 8’s post.

Breadcrumbs (Sept. 27, 2011) by Anne Ursu.

In a contemporary version of Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Snow Queen,” Hazel Anderson does not fit. An adoptee from India, she is too imaginative, most of her classmates treat her with contempt or simply give her the cold shoulder, and she’s only stuck at the school to begin with because her parents have divorced and money is tight; therefore, she had to leave her previous school. But she has Jack Campbell, and they fit together like the pieces of a fantastic puzzle.

            Or they did.

            Overnight, Jack seemed to find her disdainful. He suddenly quit talking to her and then he went away. Because something happened. A mirror shard fell from the sky and happened into his unsuspecting eye, traveled to his heart and froze it. Hazel goes off on a quest to rescue her best friend, albeit “in ill-considered shoes, brave and completely unprepared.”

            “Breadcrumbs” is a middle-grade novel that takes place in Minnesota and mentions Minnesota Twins baseball player Joe Mauer in the storyline. Ursu writes a creative story that is part fantasy and part realistic fiction. It is magical, but the magic is subtle. Ursu expertly weaves the realism with allusions to the modern-day stories we’ve read (“Weren’t wizards good? Dumbledore’s a wizard.”), but also to the well-known tales of yesteryear (“… but all she knew about wolves was that you should never tell them how to find your grandmother’s house.”). While Hazel’s flighty imagination can be trying, she is a heroine, and even more importantly, she is an awesome best friend.

Juliet Immortal (Aug. 9, 2011) by Stacey Jay.

You think you know Romeo & Juliet’s star-crossed love story.

            But what if Juliet died so Romeo could gain immortality and join the Mercenaries of the Apocalypse? And what if, consequently, Juliet also gained immortality by joining the Ambassadors of Light? In this rendering of the greatest love story, this is precisely what happened. Romeo has spent centuries inhabiting deceased human bodies to recruit more Mercenaries through murder. Juliet has only returned to Earth about 30 times over the past 700 years. She works to bring soul mates together – to spread love and light.

            Juliet inhabits Ariel Dragland, who is not dead. She has to find the soul mates she should be helping and bring them together before Romeo negatively interferes. Romeo has reanimated the fresh corpse of Dylan Stroud. But extra trouble lurks. Juliet/Ariel can’t contact Nurse for details, and Romeo/Dylan is actually scared. Both are being watched.

            Juliet tries to mend Ariel’s relationships with her mom and with her best friend, the selfish Gemma Sloop. She even falls for Ben Luna before making a devastating discovery.

            Whether you accept – or scoff at – this take on Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet, consider this book. Juliet/Ariel and Romeo/Dylan are well-developed characters even when supporting characters appear flat and underdeveloped. The full story of the Ambassadors and Mercenaries is unclear, but the main plot is intriguing. Besides, who doesn’t like the occasional love story with a twist? I expect fans of supernatural YA novels will enjoy this one.

Princess Academy (July 6, 2005) by Shannon Hale.

Have you ever dreamt of being a princess? Miri Larendaughter hasn’t, until eligible-age girls from their village home of Mount Eskel – in the kingdom of Danland – are summoned to a princess academy. To learn what? How to properly be a princess, of course! There are the usual subjects of Reading, Mathematics and Commerce, as well as the princess-forming subjects Poise, Conversation and Diplomacy. Studies are led by the harsh Tutor Olana, who makes it clear what she thinks of mountain girls, but fortunately knows not what quarry-speech is. They have a year’s time to learn to read for the first time and become as polished and poised as true princesses. The competition is strong. Who is chosen as the academy princess? Who catches the eye of Prince Steffan of Danland? When danger arrives by force and aggression, how are Miri and her classmates saved?

            This is a satisfying middle-grade story of tough work, hard studies, family, friends and where our hearts call home. For anyone who’s ever felt out of place in anything or felt wronged by unfairness, you’ll connect with Miri. She stands up for herself and for the fairness of the class, as she also strives to learn all that she’s never had the opportunity to. She struggles internally: with her feelings for Peder, how she can help her village and the possibility of becoming princess. They say that Home is where the heart is. Where does Miri’s heart tell her she belongs?

This Dark Endeavor (Aug. 23, 2011) by Kenneth Oppel.

Oppel writes a gothic prequel of Dr. Victor Frankenstein. In this version, Victor is a hot-headed, hot-blooded, attention-loving sixteen-year-old. He lives with his parents, two younger brothers and cousin, Elizabeth, at Chateau Frankenstein. In Oppel’s narrative, Victor also has a twin brother, Konrad. Victor, Konrad and Elizabeth stumble one day upon the Dark Library. It is filled with books on alchemy and ancient remedies. Their father discovers them there and forbids them to return, as it is illegal to practice alchemy. But when Konrad falls deathly ill, Victor is driven to find a cure. To procure the ingredients, Victor, Elizabeth and their friend, Henry, enlist the help of a disgraced alchemist named Julius Polidori. The ingredients are few, but obtaining them is dangerous and difficult. Victor is overly confident in the ability of the elixir. Can the Elixir of Life save his much-loved twin?

            Oppel creates a young Frankenstein who is on his way to becoming the mad scientist we know from Mary Shelley’s novel. Victor is perhaps unlike the protagonists we are used to reading – those who are, for the most part, easily likeable – but that is part of what makes Oppel’s tale so appealing. “This Dark Endeavor” is an excellent prequel to Shelley’s work and honors it well. It has enough horror and romance to push it into gothic territory, enough history and science to feed the story without muddling it, and it has bursts of humor to prevent it from reading too darkly. There were a couple particularly tough parts to read, but it otherwise read very quickly. I won’t be surprised if a movie version is made of Oppel’s creation.

Unbroken: A Ruined Novel (Feb. 1, 2013) by Paula Morris.*

Rebecca Brown (“Ruined,” see Part 1) has returned to New Orleans (NOLA), a city of beauty and ghosts. After the events of the previous year, the last thing Rebecca wants or expects to see is a ghost. Now cue a teenage boy with intensely blue eyes named Frank O’Connor. He’s looking for a lost item that led to his death in 1873 and will trap him if it isn’t found soon. Complications arise as Rebecca strives to help. Not enough time. Aloof, maybe-boyfriend Anton Grey. Keeping secrets. Threats from vengeful ghost Gideon Mason. Unhinged Toby Sutton. Rebecca’s vacation to NOLA isn’t a vacation. It’s a high-stress trip tougher than a school project. Can she help Frank before he’s trapped for eternity? Can she open up to others about the spirit world? Will Toby get his revenge?

            This is another enjoyable YA story from Morris. Rebecca did spend a decent amount of time completing wonderful volunteer work, but it occasionally detracted from the ghost world. That said, I do see how Morris used the volunteerism backdrops to allow Rebecca to have a ghostly chat or put a visual to a verbal description. “Unbroken” is a fast-paced, engaging read. If you like ghosts. And some non-scary suspense.

* This is a Scholastic purchase, and the edition is only available through the school market.