Tag Archive | non-US author

Nix Minus One, by Jill MacLean (book review) – save his sister, a dog, himself?

Jul10

book cover of Nix Minus One by Jill MacLean published by Pajama PressA dog, beaten and ignored.
A girl, risking and reckless.
A boy who must step out of his safe-place to save them…

I lived in Newfoundland in early grade school (on a now-closed Air Force base), so I have a strong mental picture of the isolated small coastal town that Roxy longs to escape, where Nix’s solitary ways are known to everyone, where a story can never be untold.

Request this novel-in-verse from your local library or independent bookstore; they might have to order it (Pajama Press is a small Canadian firm, not one of the “Big 5”), but it’s so worth waiting for!

Have you ever felt like the only person who could fix a situation?
**kmm

Book info: Nix Minus One / Jill MacLean. Pajama Press, 2013.  [author site]  [publisher site]  [book trailer] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk: Nix helps hide Roxy’s wild nightlife from their parents, like he wants to help the mistreated dog he meets, but the consequences may be too much for the quiet teen to handle.

Now that cod fishing is done for good, coastal Newfoundland towns are shrinking fast, but there are still enough bullies at the regional high school to taunt Nix about his weight and red hair. All the ninth grader wants to do is be left alone to play video games and work in Dad’s furniture workshop, pretending that beautiful Loren will pay attention to him some day.

Just by chance, he sees a beaten and half-starved dog at a neighbor’s house and wishes yet again that Mom would have let them have one instead of worrying about clean floors. Maybe the old grump will let Nix walk the dog, just to get her out of that poop-strewn yard full of junk.

Big sister Roxy decides to party with a senior and expects Nix to cover for her when she misses curfew. Their conservative parents warily respect his smooth manners and rich family, but have no idea that he’s the area go-to-guy for drugs. Everyone at school knows Bryan will dump her after a few weeks… everyone but Roxy.

Nix finally coaxes the dog into walking up into the hills with him, occasionally meeting classmate Blue when she’s birdwatching, both laughing about how they’ll never be popular at school with these hobbies.

And then that rainy night, when Roxy doesn’t come home, when silence becomes the fourth person at their dinner table…

Why couldn’t Nix keep his sister safe?
Why can’t he get Twig away from the master who mistreats her?
Why can’t he make Mom and Dad happy?

This powerful novel-in-verse echoes with the rhythms of family life, school tensions, unexpressed dreams and desires, and a long-hidden story that suddenly re-orients everything that Nix ever knew. (One of 6,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com)

SYNC audiobooks – humorous reads!

Jul5

So, hopefully you’ve been downloading the free SYNC audiobook pair each week when I remind you. But are you secretly thinking, “audiobooks aren’t really reading”?

Nay, my friends! Research has shown that ‘reading with your ears’ actively engages your brain in much the same way that reading text does. And of course, we all know that some of us are visual learners and others are auditory learners.

Over on The BookRiot blog, Rachel recently debunked “‘Listening to Books is Cheating’ and 7 More Myths About Audiobooks” so what are you waiting for? You only have until Wednesday to download either or both audiobooks, then you can listen as long as you keep them on your electronic device.

Ready, set, read — with your ears!

CD cover of Carter Finally Gets It by Brent Crawford read by Nick Podehl published by Brilliance AudioCarter Finally Gets It
By Brent Crawford
Read by Nick Podehl
Published by Brilliance Audio

 

 

 

CD cover of She Stoops to Conquer by Oliver Goldsmith read by full cast at LA Theatre WorksShe Stoops to Conquer
By Oliver Goldsmith
Read by Rosalind Ayres, Adam Godley, Julian Holloway, James Marsters, Christopher Neame, Paula Jane Newman, Ian Ogilvy, Moira Quirk, Darren Richardson, Joanne Whalley, Matthew Wolf
Published by L.A. Theatre Works
Two different comedies, two different settings, just too funny!
**kmm

Raising the dead with free SYNC audiobooks!

Jun29

This week’s free audiobooks from SYNC are deadly delights, as we hear tales of a grave-robber and a mad scientist…

Remember that although each download is only available from Thursday through Wednesday, you have free use of the audiobooks for as long as you keep them on your computer or electronic device

We have several more weeks of full-length audiobooks to look forward to this summer. Have you bookmarked the SYNC site yet?  http://www.audiobooksync.com/
 
CD audiobook cover of Rotters by Daniel Kraus read by Kirby Heyborne published by Listening LibraryRotters
By Daniel Kraus
Read by Kirby Heyborne
Published by Listening Library

 

 

FrankensteinCD cover of audiobook Frankenstein by Mary Shelley read by Jim Weiss published by Listening Library
By Mary Shelley
Read by Jim Weiss
Published by Listening Library

Do you dare listen to these creepy tales before bedtime?
**kmm

Anthem for Jackson Dawes, by Celia Grant (book review) – cancer, friendship, music, and love

Jun26

book cover of Anthem for Jackson Dawes by Celia Grant published by Bloomsbury Books for Young ReadersCancer?
Stuck in a pediatric ward?
What 13-year-old wants any of that?

When her friends don’t make the trip into London to visit her in the hospital, when the first clumps of her hair start falling out during chemo, only Jackson’s brilliant smile can start to cheer up Megan.

Grab some tissues when you get this memorable book from your local library or independent bookstore for the happy-sad story.

Is our time together here on Earth ever really long enough?
**kmm

Book info: Anthem for Jackson Dawes / Celia Grant.  Bloomsbury Books for Children, 2013.  [author site]  [publisher site]

My book talk: Stuck in the children’s ward of a London hospital, teens Megan and Jackson battle cancer, boredom, and their unknown futures as they forge a friendship that could be more.

Megan knew these horrible headaches weren’t normal for 13-year-olds, but she’d never have dreamed that a cancerous brain tumor was causing them. Her doctors are quick to order chemo, quick to hustle her into the first available hospital spot, not so quick to realize that being in a noisy ward with little kids isn’t very healing for teenagers… thank goodness she’ll be there a few weeks, then home for a while before the next round. And her friends will come in from the suburbs to visit her, right?

The brightest spot in the whole whirlwind of noise, nausea and IVs is Jackson, another teen like her, stuck in the kiddie ward as he fights off a rare cancer with more and more experimental treatments. But Jackson isn’t like anyone else. Tall, thin, blackest skin, brightest smile, he roams the hospital at all hours, especially where he shouldn’t be going. When Meg is at her lowest, he’ll tell her stories in his late Jamaican grandfather’s accent, sing the songs the two Jacksons shared, for music is his greatest passion.

When she’s home between treatments, Megan is so tired from the chemo that she can’t even go back to school half-days – and forget about playing soccer on the school team as she used to do. Her friends come over, but no one knows what to talk about – cancer will do that, Jackson says. If only Dad wasn’t working so far away, if Granddad could travel to the hospital to cheer everyone up…

Every time Jackson or Megan goes home from the hospital, they miss one another terribly and worry that they won’t be in for treatment at the same time next round. As Megan’s tumor shrinks and her surgery approaches, the pair escapes the ward nightly to wander through the hospital… in search of what?

How many of the kids in their ward will beat their cancer?
Why can’t Megan’s friends understand that it’s still her under the wig?
Are their days and nights in hospital all the time that Megan and Jackson will ever have together?

Full of heart and feeling, but never sentimental, Anthem for Jackson Dawes  pays tribute to all the youngsters who fight full-force against cancer, their caregivers and parents, and their schoolmates and siblings who watch bewildered from the sidelines.  (One of 6,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com) Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

SYNC audiobooks – yes, listening IS reading!

Jun23

It’s  time for my weekly reminder about this week’s free audiobooks from SYNC so you can read with your ears!

You only have until Wednesday June 26 to download this pair of complete audiobooks. However, you have free use of them as long as you keep them on your computer or electronic device

And in case you’re worried that listening to audiobooks isn’t considered “real reading,” check out this recent Forbes  article on the question. (sorry for the “Forbes quote” screen you must click through to get to the article)

CD audiobook cover of Once by Morris Gleitzman read by the author published by Bolinda AudioOnce
By Morris Gleitzman
Read by the author
Published by Bolinda Audio

 

 

Letter From Birmingham JailCD audiobook cover of Letter From Birmingham Jail by Martin Luther King Jr read by Dion Graham published by Christianaudio
By Martin Luther King Jr.
Read by Dion Graham
Published by ChristianAudio

 

 

What do you think of this audiobook pairing – a Jewish boy escaping across Nazi-occupied Poland and Dr. King’s famous letter about injustice ?
**kmm

A Corner of White, by Jaclyn Moriarty (book review) – barrier between worlds slips, danger enters

Jun17

US book cover of A Corner of White by Jaclyn Moriarty published by Arthur A Levine BooksColors so strong that they’re living entities,
Skies so gray that they smother all cheerfulness,
One white piece of paper forges a forbidden link between worlds.

Elliot’s family and neighbors try to raise crops in a land where summer could arrive four times in a month or never all year.  Madeleine’s latest attempt to run away from her wealthy parents somehow dragged her mother along, too. Communication between their two worlds is treason in the Kingdom of Cello, unknown by Madeleine’s world… and suddenly happens.

I wish that the US cover (at top right) were more like the original Australian cover (below right) which better reflects the colors and whimsicality of the story (yes, Madeleine wears bright colors to counteract the gray Cambridge weather, but that’s not the real essence of color in the story).

Grab this one today at your local library or independent bookstore to slide through that narrow gap between the Kingdom of Cello and The World – and prepare to be entranced.

Would you dare to communicate with someone if it were forbidden, illegal, necessary for your mental health?
**kmm

Book info: A Corner of White (The Colors of Madeleine, book 1) / Jaclyn Moriarty. Arthur A. Levine Books, 2013.  [author site]  [publisher site]  [author interview video]

My book talk: Separated by a spectral barrier for their own good, The World and the Kingdom of Cello haven’t communicated in 300 years. Yet through a small crevice, a boy and a girl send letters back and forth, perhaps changing both for the better, perhaps setting dire danger into motion.Australian book cover of A Corner of White by Jaclyn Moriarty published by PanMacmillanAustralia

Elliot is ready out again to search for his father who was kidnapped a year ago by the rogue Purple that killed his uncle, while his neighbors anxiously await the Selectors who might choose their town for the Princess Sisters’ tour of the Kingdom. His pal Cody makes all the unrepairable machines from Dad’s shop into a sculpture in the schoolyard, and one day Elliot notices a small note stuck in it, a note that’s not from anyone in Bonfire…

As Mum answers every quiz show question wrong, Madeleine wonders yet again how they came to be here – an attic apartment in a university town, eating baked beans again – when just months ago they were jetsetting around the world with her financier father, platinum credit cards at the ready.

Thank goodness for Jack and Belle and for their home-schooling arrangement, so none of them have to deal with the bullies and drama of high school. Jack’s uncle makes their minds stretch with his assignment to ‘become’ the Cambridge historical figure selected from the hat – that’s Isaac Newton for Mad, Charles Babbage for Belle, Lord Byron for Jack.

As Madeleine muses on Newton and Cambridge, she passes an out-of-service parking meter with a note stuck in it “Help! I’m being held against my will!” and decides to answer it, little imagining that it’s a message from a world that’s been sealed off from ours for over three centuries.

The correspondence between Elliot and Madeleine is interesting, as he knows about The World from history class and she thinks he’s a just local who’s trying a huge hoax. Trying to explain the color attacks and momentary seasons of Cello doesn’t convince her of the Kingdom’s reality, but something finally does.

Why is it so dangerous to have an opening between Cello and The World?
Will the Princess Sisters visit Bonfire once the Butterfly Child arrives?
Would Jack and Belle ever believe Madeleine about Cello?

Escapes and worries, attacks and misunderstandings – so much begins when that corner of white paper crosses the gap from the Kingdom of Cello to Cambridge, England. First in a series that mixes teen concerns with philosophical science, family drama with political intrigue, and what-is-not-now with what-might-someday-be. (One of 6,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com) Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

William and the Lost Spirit, by Gwen de Bonneval and Matthieu Bonhomme (book review) – quest for father trapped in time

Jun16

book cover of William and the Lost Spirit by Gwen de Bonneval, art by Matthieu Bonhomme, published by Graphic UniverseA way-finding goat,
Mythical creatures and legendary people,
Trust your spirit, not your eyes.

Hilane is sure that Father is alive when everyone else thinks he’s dead, and her quest to find him turns into brother William’s odyssey through lands of fable and myth to discover a way to release his spirit from whoever (or whatever) holds it captive.

Brigands and knights and political treachery are all part of this sweeping medieval tale in graphic novel format.

Is their father dead or alive? You’ll have to read William and the Lost Spirit for yourself to find out.

May your Father’s Day be much less-adventurous than William and Hilane’s travels!
**kmm

Book info: William and the Lost Spirit / Gwen de Bonneval; art by Matthieu Bonhomme; translation and commentary by Ann and Owen Smith. Graphic Universe, 2013.   [author Facebook – in French]  [artist biography]  [publisher site]  [book trailer]

My book talk: Bandits roam the French countryside and their widowed mother prepares to wed the seneschal for safety, but William and his sister Hilane still sense their father’s life-force and undertake a treacherous journey to find him.

As the Count’s business manager, the seneschal should have ensured that the knights have the resources to clear the area of bandits, yet somehow the peasants are still being killed or run off. Now that Brifaut is marrying the widow of the Count’s son, he will receive a title and much of the abandoned land. Hilane and William think that their father’s “death” was most suspicious – how can a healer die of unknown poison?

When Hilane runs away before the wedding, William follows, turning to their other-worldly aunt Ysane for clues to her whereabouts and meeting up with a Crusades-experienced knight, a troubadour, and a friendly goat. Ysane says that William’s father is alive in “the Far-Off Lands” and that he’ll be guided on his journey as needed. So off they go, encountering turn-coat knights, fearsome creatures, Prester John of legend, and many perils along the way.

Can William find Hilane before it’s too late?
Will he survive the challenges and bring justice to his grandfather’s land?
Is his father truly alive?

This action-packed French graphic novel includes all three original volumes of William’s adventures, plus extensive commentary by the translators in the US publication.  (One of 6,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com) Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

Pieces, by Chris Lynch (book review) – brother’s organs donated, life still in pieces

Jun9

book cover of Pieces by Chris Lynch published by Simon SchusterPulling the plug means giving up,
Giving up all hope that he’ll come out of the coma,
That he’ll wake up again for his brother and best friend.
How can they say goodbye?

This family’s tough decision is made the tiniest bit better by knowing that their 20-year-old son’s organs will improve life for several other people.

Today and every day, 18 people in America will die waiting for an organ transplant. Read answers to myths about organ donation, talk to your family about it, sign up at your state registry or on your driver license as an organ donor, and hope the day never comes.

While Pieces  is the sequel to Iceman,  in this book you get enough glimpses of irreverent Duane in Eric’s reminiscences of his big brother  to have the gist of their relationship. But I’m sure that reading Iceman  first (just out in paperback this spring) would add even more to this journey of discovery, with all its stops and starts and roller-coaster emotions.

Lynch tackled a similarly tough topic in Hothouse  (my recommendation here) as best friends who are sons of best-buddy firefighters must cope with their fathers’ deaths amid questions about that last fire they fought together.

How do you go on when a vital person in your life is gone?
**kmm

Book info: Pieces / Chris Lynch. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2013.   [author interview]  [author video interview]   [publisher site]

My book talk: Diving into unknown water was so like Duane. Eric didn’t want to let his big brother and best friend go, but their parents decided organ donation is the right thing. Now pieces of Duane are inside other people all over New England, and Eric finally decides to find out how that changed their lives.

As the life support machines beeped, Eric pleaded with Duane to wake up, to get back to his crazy self, to stay with him as his best (maybe only) friend. But no miracle occurred, despite Mom’s constant prayers, so the doctors asked if Duane’s organs can be used to help others. Eric’s anger still isn’t enough to stop his world from crumbling…

A year passes and Eric decides to take up donor services on their offer to connect him with those who received a new lease on life because of Duane. Out of high school a year, and still in a fog of grief, replaying the Navy recruiting video, but never having the strength to carry through, Eric needs to know that something good came out of Duane’s accident.

Donor Services arranges for 3 recipients of Duane’s organs to join Eric for high tea at a fancy Boston hotel – teenaged Phil who can hear at last with Duane’s earbones, young mother Melinda whose new kidney will allow her to see her son grow up, and brash Barry who seems to be using Duane’s liver as a cocktail strainer. They’re nice people (except Barry), and they really enjoy hearing about the adventures that Eric shared with his big brother, telling him that if he wants to stay in touch, they do too.

Duane’s on-again-off-again girlfriend, who left the country to volunteer overseas just before the accident, is back in town, having missed the funeral and the chance to mourn with the family. Meeting the people who now have pieces of Duane sounds like a good idea to her, so suddenly Eric is taking Martha to a birthday for Melinda’s 4-year-old son at Chuck E. Cheese, helping her host a cookout at her apartment for Phil and his mom, trying not to gag when Barry flirts with her over sangria.

How are these people related to him, now that they are part-Duane?
Can’t his parents understand that meeting them would help them heal, too?
Now where does he go in life without Duane?

Walking the long road of grief recovery gets a little easier for Eric with new friends and expanded possibilities in this follow-up to Iceman,  Lynch’s first novel about the brothers.  (One of 6,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com) Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

SYNC free audiobooks for June 6-12: most mysterious!

Jun8

Time to download this week’s free audiobooks from SYNC so you can read with your ears!

Remember that although these complete audiobooks are only available from Thursday through Wednesday, you have free use of them as long as you keep them on your computer or electronic device

Bookmark the SYNC site now so you can download great audiobooks all summer long: http://www.audiobooksync.com/

CD cover of Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place The Mysterious Howling by Maryrose Wood read by Katherine Kellgren for HarperAudioThe Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place, Book 1: The Mysterious Howling
By Maryrose Wood
Read by Katherine Kellgren
Published by HarperAudio

 

 

Jane Eyreaudiobook cover of Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte read by Wanda McCaddon for Tantor Media
By Charlotte Brontë
Read by Wanda McCaddon
Published by Tantor Media

Have you read either of these spooky titles before?
**kmm

Ghost Knight, by Cornelia Funke (book review) – murder long-passed, a knight long-dead, danger now!

Jun7

book cover of Ghost Knight by Cornelia Funke translated by Oliver Latsch published by Little BrownGhostly rider with blood on his sword,
evil sidekicks with murder on their minds,
how many centuries can a death vow stay alive?

Every ancient cathedral and old castle has unexplained deaths in its history, many have ghosts who appear with a bit of regularity, but most don’t feature bloodthirsty murderers’ specters threatening schoolkids in their beds!

Listen to an excerpt of the audiobook version here and be sure to view the book trailer of the author visiting Salisbury Cathedral and reading aloud the section where Jon meets the Ghost Knight  for the very first time.

The paperback version was published in May 2013, so you should be able to find it in several formats at your local library or independent bookstore.

Would you call on a ghost to help you solve a dangerous mystery?
**kmm

Book info:  Ghost Knight / Cornelia Funke.; translated by Oliver Latsch. Little Brown, hardback 2012, paperback 2013.  [author site]  [publisher site]  [book trailer]

My book talk: Boarding school, rain, Mum in love with a dentist – Jon thought life couldn’t get worse…until he’s threatened by ghosts who can injure him, meets a girl with an adventurous streak, and invokes a dead knight to right the wrongs!

It definitely wasn’t Jon’s idea to attend the same boarding school as his late father, but after his many attempts to make his mother fall out of love with The Beard (as Jon called the dentist who tricked his little sisters and dog into liking him) all backfired, the 11-year-old found himself on the train to Salisbury. He doesn’t care about the ancient city’s history that his houseparents love and doesn’t care that he wasn’t selected for the cathedral school’s famous choir.

But the ghosts whispering threats about killing him, trying to ride him down on ghostly horses – those are another matter! Ella at school takes Jon to visit her grandmother who gives ghost tours. They discover that Lord Stourton and his henchmen were hanged for the death of Jon’s relatives centuries ago, vowing revenge. Zelda says Jon is in danger if he stays here, but he doesn’t want to go home to Mum and The Beard.

So Jon calls on the knight Longspee who originally captured Stourton, asking the ghost knight to help him rid the school of these wicked specters and save him from their vengeance.

Can Jon and Ella trust Longspee who wants to stay away from this world?
Can the trio truly send Stourton and crew back to their graves forever?
Can Jon find any way to keep The Beard from becoming his stepfather?

Through Latsch’s flowing translation, the noted German fantasy author of the Inkspell trilogy brings readers into the echoing aisles of Salisbury Cathedral and the windswept ruins of old castles as Jon and Ella fight enemies they cannot touch with mortal hands. (One of 6,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com) Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.