Little Brother

Biblio Bits Little Brother by Cory Doctorow, Tor Teen, 2008 (ISBN 9780765319852)

Reading Level/Interest Age 900 lexile/Ages 14+

Genre Fantasy, Urban Fantasy

Plot Summary

Marcus (screen name w1n5t0n) is just your typical, technologically savvy seventeen year-old. He lives in the San Francisco's Mission District, likes hanging out with his friends, and playing Harajuku Fun Madness (an ARG---Alternative Reality Game). He's figured out some quick hacks to get around the school's security firewalls and subvert the motion-recognition software on the CCTV monitors. Marcus convinces his buddies to ditch school and pursue the next clue for HFN, but while they're out there is a terrorist attack and a big explosion. In the mayhem that ensues, the teens are picked up and whisked away in large, black SUVs, as suspects; they are interrogated and held and they are not sure by whom. When they are finally released, with orders not to say anything to anyone about their interrogation, they return to a new San Francisco. In order to protect its citizens, there are now strict security measures in place all over the city, and Marcus and their friends know they are being watched. Marcus is determined not to give up and to subvert the system that is threatening democracy, in whatever way he can.

Critical Evaluation

Doctorow packs a lot of civics into this one volume: everything from activism to democracy to privacy to a police state to the Department of Homeland Security...and more. Sometimes the narrative takes a distinctly lesson-like turn that slows the pace of the action and plot, but these sections never last too long and the content is really interesting/scary. Doctorow has created a novel of empowerment: these are engaged teens who realize what they are losing in favor of being "safe." This is a refreshing change from books in which teens are powerless and disaffected. There are two stellar Afterwords and a Bibliography that are not to be missed.

Reader's Annotation

Big Brother is Watching; Little Brother is Fighting Back!

Author Information

Cory Doctorow was born in Toronto and now lives in London with his family. He is the co-editor of Boing Boing, a blogger, science fiction author, journalist, and activist. Doctorow used to work for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, "a non-profit civil liberties group that defends freedom in technology law, policy, standards and treaties" (Doctorow, here). He has delivered some great speeches about privacy and rights, like this one. (Information in this brief bio was found at the author's official site.)

Challenge issues

I wrote a blog post about this title when I first read it and bemoaned the fact that there is this one sex scene which definitely limits the audience to whom I would recommend this title. Yes, it's protected sex, and yes, it's between two people who care about each other. But it would still probably make some younger teens/tweens uncomfortable who otherwise might have really loved this book. I usually feel this out with a question like "there's some boy/girl stuff in here..." and the reader either cringes visibly or shakes it off as no sweat. (And as an aside, the author emailed me a response!) Also, there is a very graphic description of water-boarding that is totally, and appropriately, disturbing.

Booktalking Ideas

This title would be at home with other books that portray a clever twist on an idea, similar to The Last Book in the Universe (Philbrick) or So Yesterday (Westerfeld).

Curriculum Ties

Oooh, oooh---this book screams to be in a middle/high school civics class! The power of this book lies in the "it could be now," post-9/11 setting. It could provide some good fodder for debate: what liberties are we sacrificing in favor of protecting ourselves? What current or recent events fall into this tricky catch 22?

Why this book?
Because Cory Doctorow is this librarian's idea of a modern hero: so smart, so savvy, so forward-thinking that I might even admit to having a small crush on his ideas.

Awards
School Library Journal, Best Books, 2008; New York Times Notable Children's Books, 2008; Booklist Editors' Choice Award, 2008.

Rockport Public Library owns?

Yes.

Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians

Biblio Bits Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians by Brandon Sanderson, Scholastic Press, 2007 (ISBN 9780439925501)

Reading Level/Interest Age 730 lexile/ages 10-12

Genre Fantasy, Humor

Plot Summary

Alcatraz has been bouncing through foster families for as long as he can remember. The trouble is, he has a knack for breaking things in a big way, and after a while, his foster parents can't keep up with the replacement costs. On his thirteenth birthday, Alcatraz receives an unusual package from his parents: a bag of sand. He's still scratching his head about this (Aren't his parents dead? How did the package come to the right address when he moves so often? Who sends their son a bag of sand for his birthday?!) when a strange man shows up who claims to be his Grandfather. This alleged grandfather is a stranger to Alcatraz, though he seems to be quite familiar with Alcatraz's situation, and he says some pretty bizarre things. When the bag of sands is discovered missing, his Grandfather convinces Alcatraz that time is of the essence and they must go after the Evil Librarians to recover these priceless sands before it is too late. This adventure story will keep readers guessing and entertained as they follow the twisting tale and meet the outrageous characters.

Critical Evaluation

Though Sanderson's plot is brisk and there is plenty of action, his storycrafting and wordplay makes this a book that can be enjoyed by a diverse audience. It would make an excellent classroom or family read-aloud. The situations are often absurd and silly, but Sanderson's world is seamless fantasy (meaning that there are not a lot of distracting gaps in the story, so readers can fully immerse themselves). The humor and conventions are tongue-in-cheek and directed at bibliophiles, like Alcatraz's assumption that no librarians will recommend this title because it exposes them for the villains they really are. This is a fun and funny read, a clever and lighthearted take on the fantasy genre.

Reader's Annotation
Oh, inhabitants of the Hushlands, you are ignorant that your world is controlled by dastardly librarians! In Alcatraz, you have an unlikely hero whose talent of breaking things helps him on his quest to foil their latest plot.

Author Information

Brandon Sanderson was born in 1975 and is a noted writer of fantasy books for adults. The Alcatraz books are his only series for children. He graduated from Brigham Young University in their Master's program in creative writing. Sanderson was selected to complete Robert Jordan's final installment of The Wheel of Time series, after Jordan's death. Sanderson currently resides in Utah with his wife. (Information in this author biography is from the author's official website as well as Wikipedia.)

Challenge issues

Librarian stereotyping alert! Horn-rimmed glasses and buns! But the librarians do get to rule the world...Anyway, besides for this stereotype, there are not many other objectionable sections of this book. Just plain, good, fun, fantasy.

Booktalking Ideas

I would have to read the first sentence aloud in a booktalk for this title, it's just too good to resist (see below "Why this book?"). Terry Pratchett comes to mind as a booktalking bedfellow and readalike, for this genre of clever, humorous, fantasy.

Curriculum Ties

Sanderson does a lot of circuitous storytelling here (which some critics seem to hate), where the narrator tells us in advance that we won't believe what we are about to read or gives us a cliff-hanger sentence and then tells us that we'll have to wait for a minute while he digresses. A language arts class in a unit on creative writing or storytelling might discuss what this literary convention is contributes to the story, plot, and Alcatraz's narrative? What is the experience of the reader when they encounter this?

Why this book?
I couldn't resist this first line: "So, there I was, tied to an altar made from out-dated encyclopedias, about to get sacrificed to the dark powers by a cult of evil librarians."

Series/Sequel
This title is followed by two more installments (as of November 2009): Alcatraz Versus the Scrivener's Bones (2008) and Alcatraz Versus the Knights of Crystallia (2009). There are five titles planned for the series.

Awards
None.

Rockport Public Library owns?

Yes.

Dragon Rider

Biblio Bits Dragon Rider by Cornelia Funke, translated by Anthea Bell, read by Brendan Fraser, Random House/Listening Library, 2004 (ISBN 9781400090907)

Reading Level/Interest Age Ages 10-12

Genre Fantasy

Format Audio book

Plot Summary

When humans threaten to expand into the desolate north and into dragon country, the dragon Firedrake decides to search for the Rim of Heaven, a place of safety that only the oldest of dragons even remembers hearing about. Sorrel, Firedrake’s brownie companion, goes along for the adventure, though she’s not always happy about the lack of tasty provisions. Ben, a homeless human orphan, joins the mission, and frequently serves as a mediator between the human and non-human worlds. The party of travelers quickly learns that they are not the only ones seeking the Rim of Heaven, and sinister elements are aware of their progress towards that goal. The pace of the story builds toward an action-filled conclusion and the cast of supernatural characters (dwarves, djinns, humunculi, and mapmaking rats, for example) will delight fans of fantasy. Listeners of all ages will appreciate this wild adventure, full of humor, plot twists and unlikely heroes.

Critical Evaluation

This book comes alive through Fraser’s reading: he uses unique and memorable voices that augment the characterizations from the text. This story is a bit lighter than Funke's other works (like The Thief Lord and the Inkworld series), and has engaging chapters that alternate between various angles of the story. This technique creates suspense for the reader, as the action in the different story threads may be deferred for a chapter or so, while we hear about other elements and characters. Funke gives readers/listeners a solid, classic fantasy story, by using elements of humor and excellent character development and relationships to balance the suspenseful plot twists and action.

Reader's Annotation

Looking for a great audio book to take on your next family car trip? Fan of fantasy? Do you like a solid adventure story full of great plot twists and humor? Try this one!

Author Information

Cornelia Funke was born in Germany in 1958. She worked as a social workerand then decided to work as a children's book illustrator. When she became bored with the stories she was illustrating, she decided to start writing stories that would be more interesting to illustrate. In 1996, Dragon Rider was Funke's international debut and was on the New York Times' bestseller list for 78 weeks. Her books have been very popular in the US, and include the books in the Inkworld series and The Thief Lord, both of which are appropriate for tweens. She now resides in Los Angeles, CA with her two children.

Challenge issues

I guess that there are people that might object to anything, but seriously, with this one it's pretty much just a good story----nothing overly mature, rude, no swear words, sex, etc.

Booktalking Ideas

Stressing the relationships part of this book would be the angle I would recommend, something that identifies the interesting cast of characters: from the terrifying djinn, to the tetchy Gilbert Graytail, to the moody but loveable Sorrell. It is a book with a quest and a cast of unlikely heroes, and will have plenty of booktalking bedfellows in the fantasy genre. What is unique here is that Funke includes so much humor in the story, without making it overdone.

Curriculum Ties

This would make a fabulous read-aloud, if you can't get the Fraser reading of it. One fun way to link this to curriculum is with map-making. Gilbert Graytail's map for the travelers includes many colorful areas to indicate regions of danger, safety, cultures, friends and foes. However, he delivers this information to Sorrel and Ben orally; there is no key on the map to remind them of what the various colors mean. Students could draw maps to scale of their school playground, their route to school, or some place like a park or recreation area. With shading, students could indicate social groupings (for example on the playground), geographic features, and farming/industry/business. They could create keys for themselves but have other students guess at what the colors might indicate.

Why this book?
Truly, it is not often that I would recommend the audio version of a story over the book format, but in this case, Brendan Fraser's reading is exemplary. This may be the audio book that we have listened to, as a family, more than any other and each time, it delights us again.

Awards
None.

Rockport Public Library owns?

Yes.

City of Bones

Biblio Bits City of Bones by Cassandra Clare, Margaret K. McElderberry Books, 2007 (ISBN 9781416914280)

Reading Level/Interest Age 740 lexile/age 14+

Genre Urban fantasy

Plot Summary

When Clary Fray starts seeing things that her friend Simon can't, that's the first tip-off that Clary's understanding of reality is about to expand in a major way. She's still trying to understand the murder she witnessed (that appeared to involve some fantastic beings), when Clary's mom, Jocelyn, leaves her a garbled message and disappears. Clary has never known her dad, who died in a fatal car accident when she was too little to remember him, so suddenly Clary is on her own. When one of the murderers shows up and offers to help Clary, she is as confused as ever, and pretty soon is on a race against time to solve the mystery that will save her mom, with the help of a few Shadowhunters and some Werewolves. Clary discovers that her own history is not what she thinks it is and that her mother kept some important secrets from her.

Critical Evaluation

This fast-paced urban adventure story is compelling. It appears on several lists that liken it to Twilight ( Meyer), and though it deals with supernatural beings and has a girl protagonist, it has many differences that readers who are expecting a Twilight-like read might be disappointed in. First, the pacing is brisk: this book is action-driven, not character-driven. In this way, I would liked it more to the Percy Jackson or Maximum Ride series, where practically every chapter has an element of surprise/danger. There are more relationships in this book to sort out and many more plot twists. Because of the larger cast of characters, some characters seem a bit one-dimensional and predictable. Again, with the pace at which the plot moved, there really wasn't time to get too deep with any one character except for the most central ones. Romance? Well, sort of. Definitely some romantic tension, but this gets complicated as the story unfolds. The fun part is the details like the vampire motorcycles that run on demon energies or the eccentric character of Magnus Bane, the warlock of Brooklyn. But there are a lot of holes in this fantasy world which makes it difficult to enter into the story fully, if you are a picky reader.

Reader's Annotation

A great romp through New York City's underworld of the supernatural, normally invisible to us "mundies" (short for mundanes), on a fast-paced adventure to keep the balance of good and evil in order, with many plot twists to keep you guessing!

Author Information

Cassandra Clare (pseudonym) was born in Tehran, Iran, and spent her childhood traveling with her parents to various places around the world. She spent her high school years in Los Angeles, where she also lived after college and worked as a writer for entertainment magazines and tabloids. Clare began writing this first installment of the Mortal Instruments series in 2004, and took inspiration from the city of New York for the setting. Clare has also written Harry Potter fan fiction, and gained attention for her extensive works in this genre. (Information for this author bio is from here and here.)

Challenge issues

Yes there are! The supernatural beings might be enough to give some readers pause, but there is definitely some language and swearing in this book that may be inappropriate for younger readers.

Booktalking Ideas

Supernatural beings...the unexplained...searching for your identity...urban fantasy...myths. These are all potential booktalking buddies for City of Bones. Maximum Ride (Patterson) would be a good companion here, particularly because of the female protagonist and the angelic themes. This book also has plenty of suspense and "creepy" so it could be a good one to promote around Halloween.

Curriculum Ties

Students could be asked to take one of the Downworld groups, (like vampires, werewolves, faeries, etc.), and flesh-out their cultures a bit more. Students could research cultural explanations of the supernatural group they choose and begin to build a world in present day New York for them. How would their history with Shadowhunters influence their alliances, survival, and leadership? Where would they hang out? What would their headquarters look like?

Why this book?

The Mortal Instruments series has appeared a few times on lists of "If you liked Twilight, you'll also like..." so I decided to try it and see what I thought.

Series/Sequel

Yes, this one is followed by City of Ashes and then City of Glass.

Awards
None.

Rockport Public Library owns?

Yes.

Ranger's Apprentice: The Ruins of Gorlan

Biblio Bits The Ranger's Apprentice, Book One: The Ruins of Gorlan by John Flanagan, Puffin, 2004 (ISBN 9780399244544)

Reading Level/Interest Age 920 lexile/ages 11+

Genre Fantasy, Adventure

Plot Summary

15 year-old Will is a castle ward, meaning that he has been raised with a small group of other orphans. On the day of the Choosing, Will is devastated when he is not chosen to attend Battleschool to train to be a knight. Instead, he is apprenticed to the mysterious ranger Halt, who trains him in the complex skills that are required of a ranger. Will shows his willingness to learn, his persistence and cunning, forms a special bond with his ranger's pony, and begins to earn the respect of his taciturn master. When Will saves the life of his former wardmate and rival, Horace, a unique bond of friendship develops between the two boys. But the real climax comes when Will accompanies Halt to the annual ranger's gathering, only to find out that the power-hungry Morgarath is marshaling his forces. Halt and Will must hunt down the monstrous kalkara, the mythical and deadly creatures who are now the trained assassins of Morgarath.

Critical Evaluation

This book is an engaging choice for those readers in the mood for a classic and well-conceived fantasy book, even adults. The writing, language, and description are literary, but without seeming dry or slow. The pace is a good balance between character development and action, and the rivalry between Horace and Will is developed in a satisfactory way. Horace's own experience at Battleschool is also explored, giving the reader a sense of what Will is missing out on, as Horace encounters three brutal bullies who target him. Also equally enjoyable was the way that the relationship between Halt and Will develops through the story. I was pleasantly surprised and impressed by this book and look forward to reading others in the series.

Reader's Annotation

The rangers are weird, solitary types, maybe even associated with witchcraft. What's Will to do when he is apprenticed to a ranger, instead of to the Battleschool where he would have learned to be a knight?

Author Information

John Flanagan initially conceived of the Ranger's Apprentice series as a way to interest his own son in reading, and wrote installments in short story form. He had worked in advertising and television prior to becoming one of Australia's premier YA/fantasy authors. He lives in a suburb of Sydney, Australia with his wife. They have several grown children and four grandchildren. (Information in this author biography can be found here, in the author's reading guide to the series.)

Challenge issues

Some violence during the battle against the kalkara, as well as during a boar hunt, although not out of proportion or overly graphic.

Booktalking Ideas

A booktalk that included this title might also include other books that deal with a medieval setting, such as the Protector of the Small series by Tamora Pierce, Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! by Laura Amy Schiltz, or Catherine, Called Birdy by Karen Cushman.

Curriculum Ties

Again, the medieval setting is the obvious choice. While it is not overly underscored, the world of Araluen is clearly a kingdom that is comprised of smaller fiefs, ruled by barons. The stratification of classes is discussed tangentially, and the concept of apprenticeships is a main theme. A complete guide to the series, including an author interview and discussion questions, is at this address.

Why this book?
Good, solid fantasy series are always popular with tweens and it's great to know another one. The book will appeal to those with somewhat literary tastes, but there's enough action, some humor, and plot development to engage other readers as well.

Awards

None.

Series/Sequel
Yes. This book is followed by several others; the second in the series is The Burning Bridge (2005). Since the books are published first in Australia, there is some lag time between that first printing and a US version.

Rockport Public Library owns?

Yes.