historical fiction

Review: The Book of Lost Things by Cynthia Voigt

| Tasha

book of lost things

The Book of Lost Things by Cynthia Voigt

  Max’s parents who were both well-known actors had been invited to Kashmir, India to start a theater troupe there.  They planned to take Max along with them but then they disappear.  The ship they were meant to take does not exist and they are simply gone.  That left Max with just his grandmother to care for him, but Max knew that if he was well-cared for, his grief would be too much to bear.  Instead he moved back to his family home, across the garden from his grandmother, and had to find a way to earn his keep.  It was through that that he stumbled upon a job at which he was exceptionally good:  being a detective or as Max preferred, a “solutioneer.” 

Set around the turn of the 20th century, this novel has a strong, brisk pace that is invigorating.  Max is a character who is bright, curious and always thinking.  Voigt populates his life with many other interesting characters, including is wonderful librarian grandmother, the various people he helps find solutions for, and even one demanding baby.  The entire book is a vibrant historical fiction that will have great appeal. 

One of my favorite aspects of the novel is the use of painting and creativity as a way to allow your brain space to think and figure things out.  Max is a painter, creating watercolors of the sky during different seasons.  It is this artistic outlet that is a big key to his success and creative thinking.  Voigt ties the two together clearly and also gives other characters creative outlets that make them even more well-rounded.

The first book in a new series, this book is a delight of mysteries, solutions, theater and historical fiction.  Appropriate for ages 10-12.

Reviewed from ARC received from Knopf Books for Young Readers.

Review: Boxers & Saints by Gene Luen Yang

| Tasha

boxers saints

Boxers by Gene Luen Yang

Saints by Gene Luen Yang

These two incredible graphic novels tell the story of the Boxer Rebellion in China in 1898.  Boxers is told from the point of view of Little Bao, a young villager who has seen the foreign missionaries and soldiers take the ancient Chinese gods and beliefs and smash them apart.  Trained in kung fu by a wandering man and also introduced to a ritual to bring the ancient gods to life, Little Bao becomes the leader of a band of commoners who become instrumental in the rebellion.  Saints looks at the other side of the rebellion and is the story of Four-Girl, a daughter not even given a real name by her family.  She finds a place for herself in Christianity, at first only attending the teachings because of the cookies but eventually finding a new name and new identity as Vibiana.  Her faith makes her a target and both Vibiana and Little Bao have to find the extent of their beliefs and what they are willing to sacrifice for them.  There are no easy answers here, no right and wrong, there are only choices in the middle of violence.

Yang has created two books that must be read together to get a full picture of the history.  Both books are one-sided, showing only the point of view of the rebels or the Christians.  At the same time, they are both balanced against one another, showing the violence on both sides, the hubris, and the faith.  They also both capture a young individual caught up in history and questioning their own choices.

As always, Yang has written a compelling book.  His art is strong and his story arcs are well developed.  I found Boxers to be the more interesting of the two with the Chinese gods and the question of being in control of that amount of violence.  Saints to me is a necessary foil to Boxers but lacks its depth.  That said, Boxers is one of the more compelling graphic novels I have read for tweens, so Saints had a lot to live up to. 

Highly recommended, this graphic novel duo has a place in every library collection.  Its violence and questions about faith, duty and responsibility make it a good choice for teens and tweens.  Appropriate for ages 12-15.

Reviewed from digital galleys received from NetGalley and First Second.

Review: Bluffton by Matt Phelan

| Tasha

bluffton

Bluffton by Matt Phelan

Nothing ever happens in Muskegon, Michigan in 1908.  So when a troupe of visiting vaudeville performers sets up their summer camp in neighboring Bluffton, young Henry just has to take a peek.  There he meets Buster Keaton, a boy his age who performs on the vaudeville circuit with his parents.  His father tosses him around as part of their act, gaining him the nickname of The Human Mop.  Henry longs for Buster to teach him how to do tricks and falls, but Buster is much more interested in playing baseball and swimming in the lake.  The boys forge a summery friendship that is renewed as each year passes and summer returns.  It is the story of a young Buster Keaton who will soon take the world by storm when he starts making movies and also captures a time of perfect summers filled with baseball and elephants.

Phelan has returned with another amazing graphic novel.  He takes his own unique approach to them, using the classic framed structure but pairing it with paintings that are done in ink and watercolor.  The result is a gorgeous mix of modern and historical, matching the theme of the book nicely.

In this graphic novel, readers get to meet Buster Keaton through the eyes of another boy.  Those of us who grew up watching Keaton perform amazing stunts will recognize the amazing man in this young boy with no hesitation.  Fascinatingly, the book does not rely on his feats to tie the boy to the man, instead it is about attitude and a defiant fearlessness. 

Strong characterization, a glimpse of summers gone by, and one amazing true story create a graphic novel that is pure radiance.  Appropriate for ages 8-12.

Reviewed from library copy.

Review: Al Capone Does My Homework by Gennifer Choldenko

| Tasha

al capone does my homework

Al Capone Does My Homework by Gennifer Choldenko

Released August 20, 2013

This is the third and final book in the Alcatraz trilogy.  Moose is growing up on Alcatraz where his father has just been made Assistant Warden.  But with the promotion also comes dangers that he had not faced as a guard.  Moose quickly discovers that the inmates have a point system where his father is now worth a lot more points if he is attacked.  Moose has far more to worry about though, when there is a fire in their family apartment.  Moose feels very guilty because he had been watching his sister Natalie who is autistic, but he fell asleep.  Others are all too quick to blame Natalie for setting the fire, though Moose and his family don’t see her doing something like that.  Now Moose feels that he has to solve the mystery of the fire as well as protect his father as best he can, but there may be more mysteries along to solve, one that is even hinted at by a note from Capone himself!

I have loved this series from the first book.  The historical perspective of a family living on Alcatraz is tantalizing.  Yet it is Choldenko’s skill in creating characters who are immensely human and wonderfully heartfelt that makes this series so good.  Moose is a character who grows from one book to the next and within each book as well.  The growth is strong and believable.  The mystery here fits nicely in the historical setting and one finds out from the Author’s Note that the reason it is so credible is that Choldenko based much of it on real events of the time.

This series has been strong from the first book, never suffering from lagging in the middle book or from the final book trying to do too much.  Nicely, each book is individually satisfying as well, so they stand just as nicely on their own as they do in a trio.  However, I could never not find out what happened next to Moose and the other children on the island.

Satisfying and superbly written, this book is a great conclusion to a wonderful trilogy.  Appropriate for ages 9-12.

Reviewed from ARC received from Dial Books.

Review: The Mouse with the Question Mark Tail by Richard Peck

| Tasha

mouse with the question mark tail

The Mouse with the Question Mark Tail by Richard Peck

I thoroughly enjoyed Peck’s first mouse characters in Secrets at Sea, so I looked forward to meeting more whiskered characters in this new book.  The two books are unrelated except for Peck’s elaborate mouse society which has the same charm as The Borrowers or The Littles.  In this book, we meet a little mouse who really doesn’t even have a name.  He has no idea where he came from, but he is now cared for by his Aunt Marigold who is the Head Needlemouse in the Royal Mews in London.  He is sent to school at the Royal Mews Mouse Academy, where he is quickly bullied by bigger mice.  Finally, he ruins all of his prospects by appearing in front of a human wearing clothing.  Now he has to find his own way, his destiny and his past. 

Peck weaves a fine adventure in this book.  The romp of mishaps and close scrapes make for fun reading as does the mystery of this little mouse’s past.  Add to that the appeal of being near royalty, even speaking directly with Queen Victoria herself, and you have a book where you never know what is going to happen next. 

The writing is skilled and detailed.  Peck offers action enough for any book but also builds a wonderful second, shadow society with the mice too.  There is just enough detail to tantalize and clearly visualize the world, but not so much that the story slows.  In fact, the pacing here is superb.

Fans of Stuart Little and The Borrowers will enjoy discovering life in the Royal Mews and a little nameless mouse with a big destiny.  Appropriate for ages 7-10.

Reviewed from ARC received from Dial.

Review: Listening for Lucca by Suzanne LaFleur

| Tasha

listening for lucca

Listening for Lucca by Suzanne LaFleur

Siena and her family move to Maine from Brooklyn to help her little brother Lucca.  He doesn’t speak, using only gestures to communicate with them.  Siena isn’t sad to move, since she didn’t have lots of friends to leave behind.  Maine should be a new start for all of them.  When they arrive at their big old house on the beach, the family gets to work fixing it up.  But both Lucca and Siena believe that the house is haunted by a family that used to live there.  Siena finds a pen on a high shelf in her closet that seems to connect her to a young girl who used to live in the house.  She also dreams about the girl’s brother Joshua as he fights in World War II.  The stories of the two families have striking similarities that give Siena the idea that she may be able to not only fix the present but also the past.

I adored this book.  LaFleur tells a story of mystery and ghosts where the past is just as alive and changeable as the present.  Throughout the book has a sweetness and wistfulness to it that makes it a pleasure to read.  I also appreciated the way that Siena has a tie to the past through her collection of lost items.  LaFleur builds her story carefully, so that each element makes an innate sense as it happens.  Beautifully done.

The characters are strongly written.  Siena is a heroine who can be prickly at times, but has the courage and talents to make a difference.  She is an incredible older sister, loving and attentive, but is much more critical of herself.  Her parents and younger brother are just as fully realized in the story.  The friends that Siena makes in town all also have touches that make them whole as people.

This lovely book transcends genres with its mix of mystery, historical fiction, and fantasy.  It’s a winning combination.  Appropriate for ages 9-12.

Reviewed from digital galley received from Edelweiss and Wendy Lamb Books.

Review: The Water Castle by Megan Frazer Blakemore

| Tasha

water castle

The Water Castle by Megan Frazer Blakemore

After Ephraim’s father has a stroke, the family moves to the Water Castle, an ancestral home in Crystal Springs, Maine.  Ephraim is convinced that coming from the big city, he will be more popular and seem smarter than he ever had before.  After all, his older brother has always been popular and his little sister is very smart.  But things don’t work out the Ephraim expects.  The house itself is unusual, filled with strange rooms and different levels; it glows blue at night and hums.  Ephraim is definitely not popular, quickly showing how awkward he is and then also demonstrating how little he knows compared to his classmates.  Luckily though, the mystery of the house draws in two other children his age who want to figure out how their own families are tied to the Water Castle and its connection to the Fountain of Youth. 

Blakemore writes with a wonderful mix of science and fantasy here.  The blend is compelling, making the book impossible to put down until the mystery is solved.  Readers will not know if they are reading a fantasy book or one that could have actually happened until the very end.  Told with flashbacks to the past that add to the understanding of the intertwined families as well as the fascination with explorers, this book is complex in the best of ways, keeping readers guessing right up to the end.

Ephraim is a character that has quite a few flaws.  Readers will flinch as he is too brash and too confident for his own good, especially when trying to make friends.  Happily, it is when he calms down and shows his feelings that Ephraim becomes entirely himself, a side that readers see long before the other characters in the book. 

Complex and multilayered, this middle grade book will be embraced by historical fiction, science and fantasy fans.  Appropriate for ages 9-12.

Reviewed from library copy.

Review: Stolen Magic by Stephanie Burgis

| Tasha

stolen magic

Stolen Magic by Stephanie Burgis

This third in the Kat, Incorrigible series continues the magical story of Kat who continues to romp through the social rules of the Regency-era with reckless abandon.  In this book, she is attending the wedding of her sister Angeline or at least she hopes that it will turn out that way.  But someone seems to be trying to kill her, cutting the axle of their carriage.  She has spotted someone lingering in the shadows, watching her, but has yet to figure out what she has done to anger them.  Kat is due to be initiated into the Order of the Guardians finally but that is delayed when it is discovered that their collection of spare portals has been stolen.  Then there is the woman who looks disturbingly like Kat’s dead mother who is also attending the wedding and the fact that Kat’s brother Charles has chosen a very bad time to finally wake up and become responsible.  It all makes for another delight of a novel in this charming series.

Burgis has created a heroine in Kat who is dynamic, ignores the social niceties of the day, and manages to get into all sorts of trouble, both magical and normal.  Through it all, she finds herself in incredible scrapes and adventures, that are great fun to go along on.  The writing is light handed, clear and makes for a rollicking read that is easy to read greedily and almost impossible to read slowly.

I see that this is said to be the conclusion of the series, though I admit that I hope for more about Kat.  I want to see what happens when she actually enters the Guardians, what happens to the hint of romance in the air, and what scrapes she gets into next. 

A grand ending to a great trilogy, this series is perfect to hand to both fans of fantasy and fans of historical fiction since it is a wonderful sweet concoction of both genres.  Appropriate for ages 9-12.

Reviewed from copy received from Atheneum.

Review: The Mighty Lalouche by Matthew Olshan

| Tasha

mighty lalouche

The Mighty Lalouche by Matthew Olshan, illustrated by Sophie Blackall

Over 100 years ago in Paris, there was a postman named Lalouche who thanks to his job delivering the mail was nimble, strong and fast.  He lived a quiet life with just his pet finch and a view of the Seine River.  When his job was replaced with an electric car, he was forced to turn to boxing to support himself.  At first, he was laughed at because he was so small and slight, but once he got in the ring, he proved that those same postal service skills made him a great boxer.  Soon he was pitted against The Anaconda in a major fight.  What happens when Lalouche finally meets a boxer just as strong, nimble and fast as himself? 

This is going to be one gushing review, since I complete adore this picture book.  Olshan’s writing strikes just the right balance between history and humor.  His text is completely readable and ideal to read aloud to a group.  The names of the wrestlers are delightful: The Piston, The Anaconda, The Grecque.  The story is satisfying and complete, one of those picture books that is all about the tale it is telling, much to its credit.

Blackall is the ideal illustrator for this quirky French picture book.  She plays with proportions and size here, creating wrestlers that dwarf the little Lalouche.  Her cut paper illustrations have a great dimension to them, the layers of paper creating shadows and depth.  I love the warmth of the world she creates in her version of Paris, everything faded, watermarked and somehow familiar.

Highly recommended, this picture book would make a stellar pick to read aloud to elementary classes thanks to its boxing, action and humor.  Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from copy received from Random House.