Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

I am a rebelious reader - even against myself. It seemed the more I wanted myself to read the juvenile genre and finish the list of books I wanted to read - the less interested I was in reading them. I guess that's a strategy that just won't work. I love finding new books and I love the library (which is why I never read anything I buy - weird problem I have).
I found Cassandra Clare's Clockwork Angel in the list of new books at the library and tucked it under all the other books I wanted to read. With the book due Saturday, I finally picked it up and started it yesterday. Cassandra Clare is such a great storyteller. Her plots are thick and full of action. There are a ton of twists and turns (many you don't expect at all). She mixes fantasy, horror, romance and action into a runaway train - once you start you just can't stop. To my dismay, I finished the book today after starting it less than 24 hours ago (all 476 pages). She writes her books in trilogies so no problem - all get the next one except it's has yet to be published (drat).
For those not familiar with Cassandra Clare - her first series was the Mortal Instruments which introduced the world of the Shadowhunters - warriors created by angels to hunt demons. The books were amazing, in fact I am considering re-reading them just to get my fix until books 2 and 3 come out in her newest series The Infernal Devices. These books are "prequels" of a sort. They are set in 1878 and follow Tessa Gray as she discovers what she really is. In this book - she comes to London from America to find the brother who sent for her is missing. She, also, discovers that she can become anyone. She is rescued from the evil Dark Sisters by the Shadowhunters and it just goes from there.
Tessa just wants to be a normal heroine like the ones she reads about in books. She wants to be swept away by a dark and brooding hero and be happy. She never expected to have to fight demons to save herself and her brother. It's an interesting mix and really thought provoking concept - in this first book Tessa has her entire world turned upside down with no sign of it ever being righted. She is talking with another character about her discovery that she is not human and he replies "You've always been what you are. That's not new. What you'll get used to is knowing it." I like this idea - She's not different but her knowledge of herself is different - makes you think it can be applied in so many ways.
I really recommend this book and I'll even recommend it's sequels - I have that much faith in them.

The Book of Dragons by E Nesbit

The first story in this collection answers the question I asked previously about The Book of Beasts by E. Nesbit (it was that story). I couldn't understand why a picture book was included in juvenile reading lists. The reason - the story was originally published as a juvenile story. The Book of Dragons is a great collection of dragon stories. I was even more impressed to find that E Nesbit wrote these stories in 1899. They are timeless tales. The language never felt odd like some stories written in times past.
The dragon stories are varied from tales of St. George to a story of siblings who set off to find the north pole (it felt as if it could be modern day). Any child who loves fantasy stories will enjoy this book.
I am picking up another E Nesbit book and can't wait to share that with you.

School's Out by Wanda E Brunstetter

I have not read anything by Wanda E Brunstetter prior to this book but I know she is a very popular author in our area (I can't speak for anywhere else but her books always have waiting lists at the library). This is her first children's book and I must say it was good. It's the first in a series.
This book follows Rachel Yoder while on summer break. Rachel is a nine year old girl who's famliy is Amish. I have read a few Amish books so I have a basic understanding of a fictional version of that society (having never met anyone who is Amish - I can't say whether or not they are accurate). This book didn't really require an understanding of the culture. Wanda E Brunstetter made everything understandable in a way that didn't feel like a lesson. The Amish have their own language - sort of a German-English hybrid. I liked how the author gave a translation without it feeling like a translation.
Rachel Yoder is a very likeable character. She wants a skateboard for her birthday, would love to be able to wear pants and drive fast in a convertible. She's a typical nine year old girl who lives a unique life. I highly recommend this book and look forward to another edition.

Gingerbread Cookie Murder

This book consists of three stories by three authors - Joanne Fluke, Laura Levine and Leslie Meier. I am a huge Joanne Fluke fan so I couldn't wait to read this book (if you haven't noticed I have gotten a little bored with juvenile books). Last time I got one of these sorts of books with Joanne Fluke I just read her story and returned the book to the library. However, what I have waiting for me is juvenile literature so I thought I would read the remaining 2 stories. They were wonderful.
Joanne Fluke writes the Hannah Swenson cookie books. All the mysteries center around Hannah's Cookie shop in small town Minnesota. I love the character and the included recipes are always a happy bonus. Hannah is a woman after my own heart. She spends her day surrounded by cookies (and a few kookys), believes that chocolate can solve anything and is courted by 2 of the most eligible bachelors in town. They are great guys who appreciate Hannah for who she is and they even deal with each other. She's a real character. Her family is a fun addition to the stories. In this story, Hannah has a neighbor who bought his condo after winning the lottery. He is found murdered in his apartment when the police come to get him to turn down his Christmas music and laser light display. I won't say this was my favorite story because it was so short. As a fan of the books, I felt there was something missing but that was due to the length of the story not that it wasn't well written.
The second story by Laura Levine followed Jaine Austen who was visiting her parents in a retirement community in Florida. I really enjoyed this introduction to Jaine and her life. Laura Levine was amusing and engaging. This was a nice compliment to Joanne Fluke's story.
But before we could die from tooth decay because the stories are so sweet Leslie Meier sweeps us into a slightly darker Christmas tale of a boy who is kidnapped. Where the other stories remind us that families are quirky, this story reminds us that family is important. This somber tale was quite enjoyable and really left me feeling more sentimental than the other two.
I really look forward to reading more by Laura Levine and Leslie Meier and now have to wait for Joanne Fluke to put out another book (why can't authors write faster - really).

The Discworld Graphic Novels by Terry Pratchett

I am not sure I am going to become a Terry Pratchett fan but this book was enjoyable. I find his imagination to be fun and full of adventure. I have yet to read one of his novels (I have seen a couple of films based on his works).
This story follows Twoflower as he goes on vacation. That is a very funny idea for a book because his vacation becomes a huge adventure but he never stops being a tourist. He meets Rincewind, a failed wizard who has a great spell stuck in his head. They go on this great journey to all sorts of faraway lands and meet all these people. Rincewind has to save the world from crashing into the sun but doesn't really want to be a hero.
I can't really share much more since it's a graphic novel. The pictures are fascinating. The concept of discworld is amazing. The world is a flat land that rests on 4 elephants all standing on the back of a large turtle. This is a no holds barred story and touches on all sorts of mythology and concept. I think I may try a novel in the near future and see where it goes.

The Gypsy Game by Zilpha Keatley Snyder

I was a little disapointed with this book. It was obviously written long after the first book so some of the language had changed (the same language that had made the first one a little outdated) but there were also some subtle modernization. The first book was obviously set in time it was written so to have the book go from the 1960's to the 1990's was a little unsettling especially since I read them back to back. Most children may not pick up on these things but as an adult reader it was a little distracting.
With that said, however, the plot was still just as good. The Gypsy Game kind of faltered for the children as a real life drama took over but the book never let down the reader. I especially liked Ms. Snyder's discussion about what Gypsy life was like and the hardships that particular group of people have faced. I like the realism and the hidden education in the book. This would be a great book to talk about prejudice and oppression.
There are so many themes in this book that make it wonderful. This time you meet Toby's father who is a very eccentric artist. It's an interesting contrast to his best friend Ken who's parents are practical and well-to-do. The two ends of this spectrum are nicely balanced and really are more subtle. There is no beating the reader with a cause. Ms. Snyder talks about homelessness when Toby runs away and ends up living in an abandoned house with three homeless people.
This is a really powerful book and a great sequel.

The Egypt Game by Zilpha Keatley Snyder

Two things ran through my head as I read this book 1). I had read this book as a kid and 2). this book was on the 2009-2010 banned books list for occult themes. I didn't exactly remember the book but there were little passages that caught at my memory. The biggest thing was I had read the book during the same time "Walk Like an Egyptian" was popular - which also caused that song to pop into my head at random times as I re-read the book.
As for the banned booked issue - I found that really sad because this is a really good book. It doesn't encourage children to suddenly worship the devil (or Egyptian Gods), it encourages imagination, play and learning but I'll get more into that in a moment.
The book I have in my hand says the copyright date is 1976 but has a note about being a 1968 Newberry Honor. I don't know when it was first written/published and the only importance about that is that some of the language is a little odd, especially since one of the main characters is a Negro girl. Negro is just not a word you hear all that often in modern literature. Aside from a little language "barrier" you would not guess that this book wasn't a modern book. The kids don't own cell phones or play on the computer but then so many fun tales omit this part of our culture anyway (Harry Potter wasn't looking up spells on Google).
The story follows twelve year old April as she is forced to live with her Grandmother in an apartment in some place that is not exactly disclosed but doesn't seem to have snow. April's mother is a starlet in the making and has sent April off so she can make her career. April has an amazing imagination and makes fast friends with Melanie, a girl in her apartment building.
In exploring her new neighborhood, April (and Melanie) discover a magic land (okay it's the yard behind an antique store). This yard is only accessible through a broken part of the fence. In the yard, the find a bust of Nefertiti which sends the girls on an adventure starting at the local library. They learn everything they can about Egypt and play act it out in the yard with Melanie's 4 year old brother Marshall.
I can see where some people might think that pretending to be ancient Egyptians is occult like but the truth is everything they play is rooted in fact. They pretend to be Priestesses and even include a few other kids from the neighborhood. They don't believe it's real. Every story must have a climax and this one begins when a child in the neighborhood is murdered and everyone believes it's the old man at the antique store. The kids are stuck between trying to be safe and continuing a game that makes these children feel at home.
It's a really good story and I am so glad that Ms Snyder wrote a sequel which I will be picking up next. I was a really imaginative child and having people who understood that imagination would have been the best treat I could ever have had - not all of us are so lucky to have friends who would recreate a world with you. For those who might be concerned - at no time do the children believe it's real, however when they add in the Oracle, they begin to wonder if they have gone too far.