Archives

W is Will in Scarlet, by Matthew Cody (book review) – Robin Hood, from the beginning

Apr26

book cover of Will in Scarlet by Matthew Cody published by Knopf Books for Young ReadersSwashbuckling revenge!
Concealed identities!
A legend in the making – Robin Hood!

While King Richard is Crusading, alliances in England twist and flip, forcing young Will from his home, into the arms of thieves in Sherwood Forest, then back to Shackley Castle with revenge burning in him.

This 2013 tale of a young lord forced to live like his vassals will have a new cover in its August 2014 paperback edition, but I prefer the hardback cover art.

What’s your favorite Robin Hood variation?
**kmm

Book info:  Will in Scarlet / Matthew Cody. Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2013.  [author site]  [publisher site]   Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk: Seized by evil King John’s men, Will flees into Sherwood Forest where he must gain the Merry Men’s trust before trying to recapture his own home castle.

With King Richard and his Crusaders captured for ransom abroad, Prince John’s grab for England’s throne punishes many loyal subjects. Will’s family is forced from Shackley Castle, but the young lord evades John’s men and meets up with a boy named Much, Little John, Rob the Drunk, and the other Merry Men.

Sneaking into the castle and filching the treasure of the man who took Will’s home at John’s bidding puts them on Sir Guy’s most wanted list and earns the Merry Men the wrath of Tom Crooked’s rival bandit gang.

Rob’s a great tactician when sober, Much is more than he seems, and now Will helps the vassals on Shackley land with silver stolen from Sir Guy.

Soon Sherwood Forest’s many hiding places may not be enough as the Sheriff of Nottingham joins in the hunt for Wolfslayer Will and his companions in this adventure tale of Robin Hood’s early days. (One of 7,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com)

Q is The Wild Queen, by Carolyn Meyer (book review) – Mary Queen of Scots as a young royal

Apr19

book cover of The Wild Queen by Carolyn Meyer published by Houghton Mifflin HarcourtCatholic vs. Protestant,
Cousin vs. cousin,
Room for both in the British Isles?

Step into the glittering royal court of France, the bitterly cold winter of Scotland, and the push-pull relationship between Mary Queen of Scots and her cousin Queen Elizabeth I in this fascinating novel filled with intrigue, plots, and danger.

Which royal person’s story most fascinates you?
**kmm

Book info: The Wild Queen: The Days and Nights of Mary, Queen of Scots (Young Royals series)  / Carolyn Meyer. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2012 (paperback, 2013).  [author site]  [publisher site]  Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk: Mary’s daring gamble for the Scottish throne could be her last royal act, but the risk is worth the reward.

Sent to France as a very young girl to be raised in the royal court and become wife of Francis I, Princess Mary is merely a bargaining chip to her ambitious relatives.

When widowed at age 18, Mary vows to rule over her homeland of Scotland as is her right, no matter who stands in the way.

However, she is not the only royal woman in the British Isles to master statecraft and subterfuge; her cousin Elizabeth is prepared to keep Mary’s ambitions from affecting her own reign, at any cost.

Another compelling tale of Young Royals in the acclaimed series by Carolyn Meyer, this Wild Queen‘s days (and nights) are surely numbered.  (One of 6,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com)

L is Lucier’s tale of Spanish flu and fear: A Death-Struck Year (book review)

Apr14

book cover of A Death Struck Year by Makiaa Lucier published by Houghton Mifflin HarcourtSwift, deadly, merciless,
striking the young and healthy first,
the “Spanish” influenza killed 3 times more people than World War I did in 1918.

When Jack taught younger sister Cleo to drive, he couldn’t have imagined that she would soon be traveling into Portland’s poorest neighborhoods, trying to stop the flu’s rapid spread with pamphlets and cotton face masks…

This fascinating story of a little-discussed major historical event shows us the pandemic’s impact on just one city, through Cleo’s eyes.

Where is the line between courage and foolhardiness?
**kmm

Book info: A Death-Struck Year / Makiia Lucier. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books for Young Readers, 2014.   [author interview]  [publisher site]   Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk: In 1918, Cleo impulsively volunteers with the Red Cross and finds herself surrounded by the world’s deadliest disease.

The Spanish flu arrives in Oregon when her brother’s house is closed during his travels, but 17-year-old Cleo knows how to drive and won’t stay at boarding school another minute.

Volunteering to distribute face masks and information in Portland, she encounters homes where all have sickened and died in a day, brave nurses risking their lives to save others, and one particular young doctor wounded in the Great War and now fighting death on the home front.

As the flu strikes down more and more healthy young people, will Cleo survive? (One of 6,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com)

I is India – All My Noble Dreams and Then What Happens, by Gloria Whelan (book review)

Apr10

book cover of All My Noble Dreams and Then What Happens by Gloria Whelan published by Simon Schuster Books for Young ReadersOppressed by outsiders,
India longs for independence,
Gandhi‘s eloquence speaks for millions.

In the 1920s, British young ladies like Rosy oughtn’t concern themselves with political matters, but she believes that her beloved India deserves freedom.

Even though All My Noble Dreams  is a sequel to Whelan’s 2011 Small Acts of Amazing Courage,  you’ll easily be able to follow Rosy’s journey without reading the first book.

Find this fictional look at a tumultuous historical era at your local library or independent bookstore in 2013 hardcover or the paperback edition published on April 1st.

When do you know that it’s time to stand up for what is right?
**kmm

Book info:  All My Noble Dreams and Then What Happens / Gloria Whelan. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2013 (paperback 2014). [author site]  [publisher site]   Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk: Rosy thinks it most unfair that India is ruled by England, but even she is surprised at what she will risk in 1921 for its independence.

Her British Army officer father tolerates the teen’s volunteer teaching of Indian children, but forbids her listening to Gandhi’s speeches, insisting that these people cannot govern themselves.

Rosalind agrees to take a letter from the independence leaders to the Prince of Wales himself when he visits. Sneaking the Prince out of his hotel in disguise to see India beyond the jeweled ceremonies is her own idea…

How much can one British girl do to help the land she now loves?

This well-crafted sequel to Small Acts of Amazing Courage  takes readers into the years of India’s struggle for independence with vivid accuracy and great heart.  (One of 6,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com)

Winner’s Curse, by Marie Rutkoski (book review) – a body is bought, the heart plots revolution

Mar4

book cover of Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski published by Farrar Straus GirouxShe loves music more than war – not the Valorian way.
He seeks bloodshed and revenge – not tastefully Herrani.
Master and slave, locked in a struggle that may destroy everything.

Somehow it’s no accident that a noted singer is being sold just as Kestrel and her best friend Jess arrive at the slave market in the newly-conquered Herrani city – or that being a slave in the Valorian General’s home is worth more to Arin than his own freedom. But love has a way of changing the best-plotted plans…

When the price is too low, the cost of keeping your purchase may be too high – that’s “the winner’s curse” and Kestrel will never have a chance to forget it.

This “Bridge of Snow” short story prequel at Tor.com will whet your appetite for Kestrel and Arin’s brutal, brilliant world, then chill your heart when you realize what’s about to unfold.

It’s publication day for The Winner’s Curse, so ask for it at your local library or independent bookstore now.

In this land so much like ancient Greece, can love conquer all?
**kmm

Book info: The Winner’s Curse (Winner’s Trilogy, book 1)  / Marie Rutkoski. Farrar Straus Giroux, 2014.   [author site]  [publisher site]  [book trailer] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk: Soldier or wife – the only options open to Valorian young women. But the General’s daughter Kestrel lives for her music, a waste of time in their war-hardened society.

Death or slavery – all that remains for the Herrani people after the General’s successful invasion. Arin vows to give the occupiers a taste of their own barbaric ways.

Buy or sell – Kestrel didn’t plan to purchase a slave who could sing, to keep him when he refused.

Honor – the Valorians admire it above everything else.
Revenge – the Herrani want it totally, completely.

Win or lose – Kestrel can sense the right cards and the wrong play in Bite and Sting, but no gamble is the right one when she realizes how she feels about Arin, how he feels about her.

Masters, slaves, romance, rebellion – perhaps the gods of this ancient land have raised the stakes and are betting against either side winning…. (One of 6,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com)

Flygirl, by Sherri L. Smith (book review) – flying for her country, despite prejudice

Feb21

book cover of Flygirl by Sherri L Smith published by PenguinWorld War II made Uncle Sam let women fly military planes.
Grit made women pilots endure ‘this man’s Army’ to become WASPs, flying routine Stateside runs in 1943-44.
Ida Mae dared to  ‘pass for white’ so she could fly again, in memory of her father.

While this book is fiction, the prejudices faced by “farm hick” Ida and her bunkmates “rich Jew” Lily and “carnie” Patsy the air show wing-walker were commonplace during World War II, as was the constant danger that Ida would be lynched if her not-white origins were revealed.

Training was tough; only half of WASP trainees made it to actual missions – delivering aircraft to bases, stress-testing new military planes, towing targets for artillery practice – but they weren’t recognized for their military service until 1977!

Flygirl has been out in paperback since 2010, so you should easily be able to find this riveting story at your local library or favorite independent bookstore.

How far can Ida fly and remain true to herself?
**kmm

Book info: Flygirl / Sherri L. Smith. Speak, 2010 (Penguin hardcover, 2008).  [author site]  [publisher site]  [fan-created book trailer] [author video interview] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk: If passing for white will get Ida Mae back into the sky during World War II, she’ll do it – but how long can she live the lie and stay away from her family?

When the Women’s Airforce Service Pilots begin to test and transfer planes so military pilots are free for combat missions, Ida dreams of flying again, wondering if Uncle Sam is desperate enough to take black women pilots.

Light-skinned Ida applies anyway – she can use her late daddy’s flying lessons to serve her country, though she can never allow anyone to know her true roots.

One error at the WASP training base, and Ida will be sent home as a failure.
One mistaken calculation, and she could crash a much-needed training plane.
One slip-up that shows she’s not white, and the consequences could be deadly.

Test flights in unstable new planes, competition to be on a crew, bad news from overseas and from home – there really is a war on, and Ida is fighting it on more fronts than any of her fellow WASP pilots can imagine. (One of 6,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com)

A2Z Blog Challenge this year? My TBR shelf says yes!

Feb18

logo of A to Z Blog Challenge April 2014 Every spring, I agonize over whether or not to participate in the April AtoZ Blog Challenge.

Twenty-six posts in 26 days…

By no means impossible, but it sure is tough for me to get all the posts’ subjects to align with the A-through-Z daily schedule in April (we have Sundays off, thank God!).

However, my to-be-reviewed shelf of worthwhile reads is so overflowing that I  easily set aside 26 great books, each with a wee-bitty alpha tag, just waiting for April – and I still have scads more to write about in the meantime!

So yes, I’m committing myself to 26 A2Z posts in April again – third time’s a charm? See me at #785 on the AtoZ list?  (This will also help immensely with my pre-2014 books backlog as part of the Bookish blog TBR2014 Challenge)

Are you up for the Challenge too?
**kmm

Palace of Spies, by Sarah Zettel (book review) – impersonation, extortion, treason!

Nov6

book cover of Palace of Spies by Sarah Zettel published by Houghton Mifflin HarcourtDanger, passion, politics, treason,
strictest etiquette ruling every word and movement,
secrets upon secrets in the palace!

Laced tight into her gowns and her role, imposter and spy Peggy is treading on dangerous ground at court with every hand of piquet played and every meaningful glance from her sister ladies-in-waiting.

So much upheaval when Queen Anne died and left no clear successor – George of Hanover is now king of Protestant England, James Stuart the Catholic is sure he’s the true king, and spies in both their courts are trying to make sure the “right” king reigns.

Just published on Nov. 5th, Palace of Spies asks “How brave could you be if your country’s future was at stake?”
**kmm

Book info: Palace of Spies (Palace of Spies, book 1) / Sarah Zettel. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013.  [author site]  [publisher site]  Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk: Impersonating a lady-in-waiting is the least of the dangers awaiting Peg in King George’s court, as the orphaned teen must uncover a treasonous plot before the killer strikes again.

Nothing could prepare 16-year-old Peggy for the shock of being thrown bodily into the street when she refuses to marry the abusive man chosen by her guardian. As the poor cousin, she’s always been at the fringes of London society events, so now must accept “Mr. Tinderflint’s” offer of help, curious about how he knew her late mother.

How very odd! Her unladylike skill with languages will help Peg become Lady Francesca, a lady-in-waiting whom Princess Caroline thinks is recovering from a terrible illness. Evidently, no one knows that Fran died while away from the court, so Peg will step into her silk brocade shoes and continue spying in the palace! Dangerous times in 1761 England, as King George has been placed on the throne over James Stuart, who is still trying to become King.

Now Peg/Fran must balance not only her towering wig and court etiquette, but also the demands of Tinderflint’s partners for daily reports, the jealousy of other ladies-in-waiting, a handsome artist, and an unsuitable suitor with Stuart sympathies!

Can she keep fooling everyone in Hampton Court?
Which side of the royal dispute is Tinderflint on?
How can a Lady ever be with a mere artist?

Spies everywhere, coded messages in the woodwork, and no way to let her cousin know she’s still alive – Peggy has her clever hands full in this first book of the Palace of Spies series. (One of 6,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com)

Ravens of Solemano, by Eden Unger Bowditch (book review) – journey of secrets, families lost?

Sep25

book cover of Ravens of Solemano by Eden Unger Bowditch published by Bancroft PressBelongings vanish, then reappear.
Mysterious coins and curious murals.
Fabulous food, but no parents to share it with.

The remote village hides the five Young Inventors and their teacher well, but it also hides many secrets, perhaps even the origins of the Mysterious Men in Black who guard, guide, and confuse them! Hopefully, its ravens can hide the children from evil Komar Romak long enough for them to solve a baffling problem which endangers the world.

Just published on Sept. 24th, The Ravens of Solemano  surprises with clever puzzles, endearing characters (except for Romak),and links to historical figures famous and obscure. Ask for it today at your favorite local library or independent bookstore – if they don’t have it, use the Book Info below to request it.

Of course, you’ll enjoy these further adventures of the Young Inventors Guild even more  if you’ve already read The Atomic Weight of Secrets (my no-spoiler recommendation here) , so check it out, too.

If the expectations of the world are on your shoulders, can you ever put family first?
**kmm

Book info: The Ravens of Solemano: The Order of the Mysterious Men in Black (Young Inventors Guild, book 2) / Eden Unger Bowditch. Bancroft Press, 2013.   [author site]  [publisher site]  Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk: A daring escape, a too-brief family reunion, then the five Young Inventors must solve cryptic puzzles in a puzzling village before their dreadful enemy strikes again – now the world itself is in danger!

Fortunately, their schoolteacher Miss Brett is with Jasper and little sister Lucy, Wallace, Noah, and Faye as they must travel across the sea from the explosion site where they spent such a short time with their parents, on the run from evil Komar Romak. The Men in Black hustled the children and Miss Brett to safety aboard the strangest ship, crewed by more like them. Such wonders in its library and labs!

But a murdered man’s message sends danger their way, even before the Young Inventors reach the Italian village of Solemano with its ever-present ravens, mysterious garden labyrinth, and many puzzles to solve. Miss Brett helps the children settle in and resume their experiments – their inventive minds find much to ponder here.

Underground passageways with possible clues, garden statues that are not what they appear to be, friendly villagers with secrets of their own. How long will the children stay in Solemano? The Men in Black who guard/protect them cannot (or will not) say.

Has Komar Romak discovered their hiding place yet?
Can the Young Inventors discover enough of Solemano’s secrets to protect themselves?
Will they ever see their parents again?

This second tale in the Young Inventors Guild series takes readers far away, into an imaginatively peopled land of puzzles and parallels as the brilliant children who first met in The Atomic Weight of Secrets  must work together to save themselves and the world. (One of 6,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com)

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Boxers & Saints, by Gene Luen Yang (book reviews) – two views of war, graphic novel style

Sep18

book cover of Boxers by Gene Luen Yang published by First Second Booksbook cover of Saints by Gene Luen Yang published by First Second BooksChina at war with itself in 1900,
tradition versus new beliefs,
cultural identity versus change.

We may have heard of the Boxer Rebellion or Uprising because of its unusual name (and inevitable juvenile snickers about the word ‘boxer’), but didn’t realize that Western countries were eyeing China for conquest and colonialism in the late 1800s.

Now this pair of  well-scripted and evocatively drawn graphic novels examines the larger conflict from the viewpoints of two individuals whose paths cross once (or was it twice?), neither of whom can realistically expect to win the fight of their lives.

Yang uses a muted palette for the drabness of village life, reserving strong colors for battles when Bao and his disciple-brothers and sisters transform into all-powerful Chinese gods and for Joan of Arc’s appearances to Vibiana. The boxed set of both books is gorgeous; check out the spine art’s continuation of the cover sequence.

When is it too late to change your beliefs? When is it too soon to stand your ground, despite the odds?
**kmm

p.s. I wrote and scheduled this post before the National Book Awards‘ long-list was announced on 16 September – congratulations, Gene!

Book info: Boxers / story and art by Gene Luen Yang, color by Lark Pien. FirstSecond Books, 2013.   Saints / story and art by Gene Luen Yang, color by Lark Pien. FirstSecond Books, 2013.  [author site]  [publisher site – Boxers]  [publisher site –  Saints]  [book trailer for both books]   Review copies and cover images courtesy of the publisher.

My book talks:    BOXERS – Foreign powers want to take China’s wealth in 1900, but patriotic men (and women) will use fists, swords, and fire to reunite their country.

This graphic novel of the Boxer Rebellion traces the roots of the Society of the Righteous and Harmonious Fist, a people-led army rising from impoverished villages, dedicated to getting justice for the wrongs committed by foreign devils, including Christian missionaries and Chinese converts.

Youngest brother Bao becomes strong and mighty through the Society’s practices, eventually leading them against foreign and imperial troops at Peking. When he allows the Red Lantern maiden warriors to join the cause and fight alongside men, some Brother-Disciples question his motives, though not the women’s killing skill.

Practicing martial arts and stern rituals, Brother-Disciples of the Fist feel themselves transformed into gods of Chinese legend as they fought to wrest the capital city from the ’round eyed’ foreigners uncontrolled by weak emperor Ching.

Yet time doesn’t stand still for gods or empires or young men who are visited in their dreams – the Boxer Rebellion ends just as this book portrays it.

Yang’s companion book, Saints, shows this historic conflict from the viewpoint of a Chinese convert to Christianity who escapes her abusive family to watch history unfold.

SAINTS – The God preached by foreign missionaries might rescue an unwanted daughter in 1900 even as a peasant army marches to kill all the foreign devils who want to drain China of its wealth and debase its heritage.

Four-Girl, born on the most inauspicious day of the year, doesn’t even merit a name as her grandfather blames her for the untimely death of her father. A devil, he calls her, and nothing she does is right. To fight back, she begins secretly learning about Christianity, since its missionaries are known as ‘foreign devils’ to everyone.

Escaping from abuse at home, Four-Girl receives the saint-name Vibiana when she is baptized and travels with the foreign priest to a town with its own church. Away from its orphanage, she sees visions of a slim girl in bright metal armor – the priest says her name is Joan of Arc, a champion of her Church and her country.

Now Vibiana knows she is being called to save someone, even in the face of the Righteous Fist army killing Christians and foreigners wherever they go as the Boxer Uprising begins.

Be sure to read Yang’s companion book, Boxers, to see how a peasant army tries to push out the foreign devils and their converts to reunite the China they love.  (Two of 6,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com)