Rutabaga's Reads 2020: Part 7

For middle-grade (MG) post number two, the books featured are from authors I’m already familiar with.

Aru Shah and the Song of Death (Apr. 30, 2019) by Roshani Chokshi.

*This is the second novel in a tetralogy.*

Aru (Arundhati Shah) and Mini (Yamini Kapoor-Mercado-Lopez) have recently returned from a quest. What does this call for? Training? For the Pandavas surely lack immaculate form. Or, how about another harrowing quest in which you might die, and, hey, you’re liable to be banished from the Otherworld, rendering your life possibly meaningless anyway! Yippee! Aru and Mini won’t be alone on this quest, as they’ve gained another Pandava sister, Brynne (Brynne Tvarika Lakshmi Balamuralikrishna Rao) (soul-daughter of Vayu, the god of the wind), and Aiden Archarya, the [cute] new boy in Aru’s class who’s recently moved in across the street from her. Aiden calls Urvashi, the most beautiful apsara, his aunt. What? How? Semi-divine lineage? Distressingly, the Pandavas have been accused of stealing Kamadeva’s bow and arrow by Queen Uloopi, a naga queen who was once one of Arjuna’s [four] wives. Even worse, Boo is held in custody as a possible accomplice and therefore cannot help them. They have 10 mortal days to return what was stolen and restore the Heartless (all males, interestingly enough). Their trek will eventually take them to the Ocean of Milk and the mysterious Lady M.

            Bring on more Hindu mythology, I always say! (Okay, I never say that.) With the appearance of new characters, this second installment is fresh with plenty of spunk and attitude. It’s an adventure worthy of any Rick Riordan mythology-based novel. This novel is as fascinating as the first, and I thoroughly enjoyed familiar pop-culture references (“STOP SINGING MULAN!” --Boo). The story is peppy, the dialogue is witty, and the celestial beings are as cantankerous and/or vague and/or possibly murderous as we’d expect them to be. Grab your packet of Oreos, remember to take your Vitamin D, and enjoy this tale!

            Book One in the Pandava Series: Aru Shah and theEnd of Time

Grump: The (Fairly) True Tale of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves (May 29, 2018) by Liesl Shurtliff.

*This is the fourth novel in an unnamed series. Works as a standalone.*

Dwarves are known for mining deep underground and taught to fear The Surface, but Borlen has an unnatural fear of the depths – depth sickness instead of altitude sickness – and has an unheard-of pull toward The Surface, going so far as to try to sneak up there. He has no interest in mining, though he loves eating rubies (they can subsist on anything from rubble to precious gems, the gems providing far more nutrition), and does not care for singing (no “Heigh-ho” song for him). Out of desperation, Borlen’s parents get him on a mining crew at a very young age (he’s still well under 100 years old). At the Bestowal of Axes and Fate Stones, he receives a very fine ax and when it’s time to mine for his Fate Stone (it’s a kind of talisman, meant to be a protection and guide for miners), he finds a reflecting stone. Its rareness, instead of empowering him, highlights how different he is from all the other dwarves. On the crew, Borlen is the dreaded Seventh. Normally only six on a crew, the Seventh is the lackey, the gopher, the runner, doing all the tasks that none of the others want to do, like clear out debris or clean axes. It is not a position of honor. Borlen’s fear of depths and mining misery quickly earn him the nickname Grump, though mute Gilpin (the Sixth) would be his friend.

            Borlen takes the opportunity to visit The Surface when it presents itself. Instead of staying a couple hours, he stays for many weeks when Queen Elfreida Veronika Ingrid Lenore (a.k.a. Queen E.V.I.L.) accepts him as her most trusted friend and advisor. He finally feels important and seen. But when the queen uses his words to validate her order to have the Huntsman kill Snow White and imprison many innocent maidens (including a baby), Borlen realizes her true character. When both the queen and Snow White take him by the beard (true horrors), he struggles to outwit the queen while protecting Snow White. Not by choice does Borlen lead her to the dwarf tunnels, having an impromptu reunion with his crew. It’s going to make Grump extra grumpy, but lonely, too.

            For anyone thinking middle-grade fantasy fiction lacks depth, s/he is wrong, and I’m not only saying that because the story involves mining beneath The Surface. While not an overly complex story, it bears emotional weight, as most of us know what it’s like to be the one being teased or left out or thought of as too different. The story is balanced by innocuous humor and strengthened as Borlen (a.k.a. Grump) realizes he is capable of having friends. This fourth twisted tale from Shurtliff in an unnamed series is a work of imagination with good detail that reads at a fast clip and looks, perhaps, to set up a “true” tale featuring Rapunzel. Likely a sure hit for fans, this story is a bolstering reminder that heroes can be as flawed as the rest of us. And if you happen to be short and a little bit grumpy, well, more power to you!

            Book One: Rump

            Book Two: Jack (did not review)

            Book Three: Red

Time Castaways: The Mona Lisa Key (Sept. 18, 2018) by Liesl Shurtliff.

*This is the first novel in a series.*

The Hudson children are never to ride the subway without an adult. Ever. That rule sounds ridiculous to them; they live in NYC, after all, but they heed it all the same. At least until the day that they wake up one morning with their parents gone and a scribbled note telling them to get themselves to school and to stick together always. Mateo (the eldest, adopted, goes by Matt) and twins Ruby and Corey (not adopted, less than a year younger) hop on the subway’s six train, because Corey wants churros. But not only are they going in the wrong direction of churros and school, they wind up on the “V” line, which they’ve never heard of, and end in Paris in 1911. Yes, that’s right. 1911. When they had solidly been in 2019. Going to steal the Mona Lisa painting before Vincenzo Peruggia can (as he did in actuality). The “V” stands for the Vermillion, and its resting transport is a ship, but it can be a train, plane, bus, gondola, submarine, whatever it needs to be for the time they’re visiting. Captain Vincent commands (or commandeers) the time-traveling vessel, which has a mind of its own and always smells of peanut butter. Captain Vincent is both a father figure to the youth of the vessel (all orphans, save the Hudsons) and lead thief. Matt is intrigued by the Obsidian Compass, which the captain uses to direct the vessel to its destinations in time. When they read a note supposedly written by someone they know, the Hudson trio become suspicious of their appearance on the Vermillion. It seems their being picked up by Captain Vincent and his crew is not coincidence. And if he or his unfriendly, hissing rat Santiago catch onto them, they may find themselves to be time castaways. What is Captain Vincent’s end goal? Who is this Captain Bonnaire that Captain Vincent pines for? How are the Hudson children connected in all of this? Are Matt’s seizures somehow related to this time-traveling stuff?

            The first in Shurtliff’s Time Castaways series contains both contemporary life and steampunk magic rolled into a rollicking, middle-grade adventure aboard a time-traveling, shape-shifting vessel. It even has a library. Amazing! The story is refreshingly diverse without glorifying that it is, in terms of race, culture and the time the characters were born in. It’s not a tale filled with tons of laugh-out-loud moments, but I found that that did not stop me from being fully entertained by the book. Already a fan of Shurtliff (as seen above in this post), I will undoubtedly continue the fantasy series. Because who can resist time pirates?

Rutabaga's Reads 2019: Part 16

Being more up on my blog this year has cemented that I read a lot of middle-grade stories. I knew that, but this fourth compilation of 2019 helps put it in perspective. Anyone else reading books geared for 8-12-year-olds? If so, what are you reading? Which authors have you discovered?

A Crystal of Time (Mar. 5, 2019) by Soman Chainani.

*This is the fifth in a series / second in a related trilogy.*

It’s all falling apart. A false king sits upon Camelot’s throne. Its true king, Tedros, has been sentenced to death. Agatha has escaped (barely), but does not know where she can go to find even one ally. Sophie is caught in King Rhian’s trap. Japeth is more twisted in the head than probably his own brother realizes. Merlin is missing. Clarissa Dovey is amongst the captured. Secrets long-buried are being unearthed, and the group learns more about the Storian, though Rhian has Lionsmane, a golden pen of his very own, which is actually a scaly black scim. Still, that won’t stop him from creating his own tales told by the pen, except the pen doesn’t choose the tale; Rhian does. Friends are freed, reunited and separated again. Lives are lost, though on the side of good, they are lost valiantly. But Agatha, Tedros, Sophie and company seem to be fighting a losing battle. So many are turning to Rhian’s false promises of protection because of his lies. As people turn away from Camelot’s true king, they destroy their rings, which are inexplicably linked to the Storian. What happens if every single ring is destroyed?

            Due to the sheer size of this novel (624 pages), I did as I had with the previous book and read one chapter a day until I finished it. Although I read one chapter at a time, it read as swiftly as a dramatic waterfall plummeting over a steep cliff. The landscape of the entire novel is generally very serious, as danger lurks most everywhere. The lives of all of the protagonists are fraught with peril, and death can be intense. Middle-grade though this is, it’s not for the tender of heart. Sometimes the death is written almost beautifully, violent as it is: “I shatter to a million crystals,” but oftentimes it’s just violent. I suspect the author is gearing readers up for an epic conclusion, and I hope we aren’t disappointed. Or we’ll find our own pens!

Luciana: Braving the Deep (Dec. 26, 2017) by Erin Teagan.

*This is the second book in AG’s Girl of the Year series for 2018.*

For a girl wanting to be the first female to go to Mars, attending youth astronaut training camp as one of the “Fail Smart” kids is perfect. Luciana Vega is one of six youth in the astronaut training portion of the camp, but only three will be chosen to dive to Cetus, an underwater habitat where astronauts train for life in space. Her other teammates in the program will be the mission control group. Luci passes each of the three skills tests on the first round. Her chances of making the dive team seem bright until she accuses one of her teammates of sabotage in front of the entire group. Suddenly, even her good friend and fellow teammate is treating her like the problem, and Luci begins to wonder if that’s true. When an underwater crisis seems to affect Luci negatively, can she conquer her fears? Or will Luci’s dream to be the first female to Mars end before it’s barely begun?

            As with any American Girl (AG) story, this is a sweet story with a good message. In this story, the main character isn’t only overcoming a fear, but also wading through a tough situation with a best friend. She might have always thought trust was an untouchable core of their friendship until it’s rocked by a newcomer who’s like a bright, shiny new phone (and also has a world-renowned dad whom the friend is a fan of). When it comes to the astronaut training camp, the author’s research appears thorough, as all aspects of the camp – from learning to snorkel to descending with a tank to hydroponics – were believable and specifically-detailed. For the 8-12 age set who prefer less complex stories, who are fans of American Girl or who want an uncomplicated read featuring empowered female youth, these stories from American Girl may be for them.

Red: The (Fairly) True Tale of Red Riding Hood (Apr. 12, 2016) by Liesl Shurtliff.¹

*This is the third book in an unofficial series.*

When Granny gets sick, Red fears she is dying and takes it upon herself to find a cure. Granny is known as The Witch of the Woods and is adept at anything from everyday cure-alls to complex spells and curses. One would expect Red to be as adept, but Red actually fears using magic. Her most spectacular fail could’ve once killed Granny, and since then, she’s avoided the simplest magic. Even to save her grandma, she prefers a cure which doesn’t require her to incant a spell. So she sets off into the Woods. An annoying human-turned-friend named Goldie (yes, like that Goldie, but not actually that Goldie; however, names have power) comes along on her quest, even though Goldie loses her most recent memories at one point, and she befriends an unexpected tagalong in a wolf who, forlornly, has no pack because of the huntsman called Horst (he is that huntsman). “Monster!” the wolf communicates. They meet an angry bear, a witch with a youthful face but no memories, a grumpy dwarf name Borlen (he’s young, only 276 years old) and a Beauty-turned-Beast. The one person they can’t seem to ditch is Horst. Does he sense the wolf is with them? Can they protect each other and cure Granny?

            Although not part of a named series, this is the third middle-grade story by Shurtliff revolving around the same Woods. Red and Rump are actually good friends. The thing I like about Shurtliff’s fairy tale mash-ups, including this one, is that they can be read by a wide audience without worrying about content or a mature reading level. Additionally, the story is not long and can be swiftly read. Red finds she is braver than expected, and Goldie is as brightly innocent as sunlight glinting off her bouncy golden curls. Good magic and bad magic alight in this sweetly clever and sassy story, where danger may come in a beautiful red rose and friendship in an intimidating wolf.

¹To dispel any confusion, there is a minor difference in the titles based on whether one reads the hardcover or paperback versions. The title you see above is on the paperback version; the hardcover’s title is: “Red: The True Story of Red Riding Hood.” I have previously read “Rump” and “Jack,” and their titles reflect the hardcover versions, though they were paperbacks that I once purchased through Scholastic.

Rutabaga's Reads 2015: Part 2

While a slim portion of my blog has seen middle-grade novels in posts, this is my first compilation of middle-grade books since the first month I began this blog (see: August 2012). These books are good choices for anyone teaching those around 8-12 years of age or want to personally read stories that are lighter fare than, say, young adult, new adult or adult novels.

            I’d like to thank my brother and sister-in-law for “The Wells Bequest.” It was one of several I received from them this past Christmas.

A Tangle of Knots (Feb. 5, 2013) by Lisa Graff.

Most everyone has a Talent. Yes, Talent with a capital T. The Fair are generally middle children – the Middlings – without any Talent. Talents range from something as ordinary as whistling to the phenomenal ability to bake the perfect cake for anyone. Cady (short for Cadence) has that ability. She’s Talented enough to create it all: the perfect pie, muffin, bread or even the perfect pizza if she wanted to. But above all else, she loves to bake cakes. She’s also an orphan, and her caretaker, Miss Jennifer Mallory, has been on the alert for her perfect family. She’s highly skilled at it (after all, her Talent is matching). Only when Cady finds her perfect family will she allow herself to bake her own perfect cake for her Adoption Day party.

            Cady has a weeklong trial period with Toby Darlington, and it might be right, but it might not be. Still, by staying with Toby, Cady meets new people: The Owner, a grumpy man obsessed with powder blue St. Anthony’s suitcases, V, a 60-year-old woman who’s lost her speech after a stroke, and the Asher family of five. Mr. Asher is a businessman with a soft spot for orange nougat, Mrs. Asher is a knitting Talent with an interesting hair pin, eldest Zane is a thieving troublemaker with a spitting Talent (“worthless”), Will has a Talent for getting lost (though he feels he’s never once been lost in six years), and Marigold is a Fair middle child, though she’s hopeful she’ll discover her Talent with the help of a red Talent bracelet. Somehow these people are all connected, and they will discover their connection with some discreet nudging by a giant-of-a-man in a gray suit.

            Graff’s literary world, including the very real town of Poughkeepsie, New York, is like our own, but with a drop of magic. There is a simplicity to the story that makes it easy to read, yet still includes rich layers. There are tasty-looking cake recipes at different points in the book, and her story is much like its own cake recipe. It is full of charm, warmth, regrets, Talent, fun and youthful adventure with a dash of whimsy and a sprinkling of magic all mixed together to create a well-written story that is quietly magical and totally pleasant for a light palette. Rich, but not heavy, and light, but not too fluffy. It’s a good mix, and it’s a mix that, if it could smile, might smile that type of grin that suggests it knows more than it’s letting on.

Rump: The True Story of Rumpelstiltskin (Apr. 9, 2013) by Liesl Shurtliff.

We all know the name, but for many years, Rumpelstiltskin only knows himself as Rump. Rump is the butt of many a joke (pun intended) and only has one friend, Red, who’s interestingly touchy on the subject of her “strange” granny. Things turn interesting for Rump when he finds an old spinning wheel. With nothing to spin but straw, imagine his surprise when he spins that straw into gold. But as anyone knows, especially if you watch ABC’s Once Upon a Time, magic always comes with a price. For Rump in his little village, The Mountain, gold equals food. Not a fair share, mind you, for the miller (Oswald) is a fat, greedy man with a beautiful daughter named Opal and rotten sons named Frederick and Bruno. When gold-obsessed King Barf – that is, King Bartholomew Archibald Reginald Fife – comes to town and discovers skeins of spun gold, Oswald declares that Opal has the gold-spinning magic, and King Barf immediately whisks her away. Rump feels obligated to help her through terrible trades (especially her firstborn), but even more regrettable is that the magic dictates that he must accept the trade. He sets out to find his stiltskin, which The Witch of the Woods said is the one thing that can free him from his bindings. He’s also in search of his real name.

            In this tale, pixies aren’t sweet as pixy stix or as adorable as Disney fairies. They’re gold-craving and can be downright mean, biting you left and right (note: dirt deters pixies). This tale; however, is beguiling, light-hearted and inventive. It actually has you rooting for Rump. This story would also be good for classroom discussions. While the story contains humor and uncharacteristically hospitable trolls and messenger gnomes, it also contains tough stuff like the death of a loved one, despair and famine. Then there’s the avarice of both the miller and the king. “Rump” not only has a good back story for the character, but a good backbone as far as plot goes, and a good deal of spunk in Red. This fantasy contains familiar fairytale elements infused with innovative world-building and emotional depth. Summed up, it’s a quaint, little novel that’s as good as gold (pun intended).

The Wells Bequest (June 13, 2013) by Polly Shulman.

There is a new group of pages working at the New-York Circulating Material Repository, a [mostly] magical place which lends out objects instead of books, and Leo Novikov isn’t one of them. Yet. His science teacher, Ms. Kang, recommends the repository when he inquires about an idea for his science fair project. Science fairs are a big deal, considering he comes from a family of scientists. Unfortunately, he feels like the dumb one. He attends Manhattan Polytechnic Academy, which his older sister, Sofia, commonly referred to as “Tech for Dummies.” Now that Leo attends the school, Sofia tells others that the students there “are really very creative.” But is Leo creative or losing it? After all, he sees a tiny version of himself and a girl named Jaya Rao – she’s real! – on a small time machine. And they talk to him!

            Once Leo’s a page, he learns the ropes at the Repository, including its more impressive magical qualities. And in the basement is the Wells Bequest, a secret collection of objects from science fiction novels. It’s the perfect place for a time machine! When a very serious threat arises, Leo and Jaya decide the time machine is their only hope. They have to whisk themselves to Nikola Tesla’s lab in 1895. What adventures will they find there?

            I enjoyed this middle-grade novel just as much as Shulman’s “The Grimm Legacy.” In fact, this story is a companion to that one. The story starts off running – Leo meets the tiny versions of himself and Jaya in the first chapter – and doesn’t take a breather. Whereas the Grimm Collection focuses on magical fairytale objects, this one focuses on science fiction and Leo’s character is perfect as an inventor, one who makes plenty of mistakes and whose inventions don’t always do as anticipated. There’s excitement, adventure, peril, humor and nerd-fare (this is a great thing). This clever story read very quickly. All of the science and the science fiction makes for an engaging read but without overdoing the scientific stuff. Shulman keeps it fun. For example, Leo uses, “Schist!” as a curse, but it’s not an actual curse word. Schist is “a kind of rock. It’s what happens to hot sandstone when it gets squished really hard for a few million years.” Jaya mentions, “It sounds really bad – in a good way.” And the best part, as Leo points out, is, “Even strict teachers can’t object to a word from a vocabulary list, right?” Ha.

            I don’t know if she’s going to continue with stories involving the New-York Circulating Material Repository, but I hope she is. There are two additional Special Collections mentioned in this story that she hasn’t yet made novels out of. They are: the Lovecraft Corpus (objects from gothic stories and horror) and the Gibson Chrestomathy (a collection of cyber stuff such as A.I. and computer viruses). In the meantime, this great little tale puts readers in a landscape of science fiction made reality. So fun!

The Whizz Pop Chocolate Shop (Mar. 12, 2013) by Kate Saunders.

A stout but beautiful cat with golden-brown fur and green, square-shaped eyes recruits twins Lily and Oscar (a.k.a. Oz) Spoffard to work for the Secret Ministry of the Unexplained (SMU) as, naturally, secret government agents. That is, after she defends Lily from the derisive wallpaper of her new bedroom. Demerara, the cat, is a secret agent herself. She is invisible to most, knows of magic, is immortal and can talk. She’s self-important and completely vain over her appearance. In other words, she’s often very cat-like. She recruits the twins and fellow Skittle Street resident Caydon Campbell to join the SMU because they are magic, even though they didn’t know it. The three eleven-year-olds have learned that an evil gang wants a secret chocolate recipe, one infused with magic. But they also have to ward off their great-great-uncle (Isadore), long-thought dead, who was the murderer of his two brothers in 1938. It turns out he’s immortal! They have the help of, not only Demerara, but Spike, an immortal, talking rat, and the SMU team, which may or may not include an invisible ghost elephant named Edwin.

            What a cute story! The title is what initially drew me to this middle-grade novel of family dynamics (the good, the bad and the annoying), secrets (to protect their parents, of course), fantasy and magic. Saunders has put obvious thought into her characters and given them enough depth to make them feel real – even within the magical quality of the book – without overwhelming the story with too many character traits to remember. The chocolate shop on Skittle Street hasn’t been filled with chocolate confections for decades, but with the Spoffards, it is filled with youthful suspense, cheekiness, humor and a sense for righting past wrongs and preventing future devastation. Isadore’s dependence on alcohol is definitely off-putting, but it is not a focus of the story, and should therefore not take away from it. “Whizz Pop” takes places in London amongst British folks, so I would recommend adopting a British accent while reading this fun romp-of-a-tale. :-)