Skip to main content

Shorter Musings MG

Here are some shorter musings on recently read MG novels.

Disenchanted: The Trials of Cinderella by Megan Morrison
I liked this so much more than I expected to going into it. I had not read the first book in the series and was expecting a typical fairy tale retelling. You can read this without reading the first book, but now I want to read that too. This was nothing like a typical MG fairy tale retelling. It delved into some pretty deep political and social justice themes. Fairy Tales are the PERFECT place for that. I very much liked both Ella and Dash and how their relationship developed, but how there was also a lot of other important things going on. Looking forward to reading the first book and continuing with the series now!

The Dragon's Return by Stan Lee, Stuart Moore, Andy Tong
I did not read book one of the Zodiac Legacy but read this volume because it was nominated for a Cybils. (I am a round one MG Spec Fic panelist.) I did not find it at all difficult to pick up on what was going on even though I had not read the first. Like a Marvel movie, it seemed designed for that. This is pretty much a Marvel movie in novel form in every way imaginable. The characters can all be matched to a movie counterpart. The plot is fast moving and follows a similar formula: major team action sequence, team tired and angsting, various team members cause minor to major disasters with more action scenes, major team action sequence with threads dangling for next installment, team tired but renewing their bond minus some who are MIA. It even has two epilogues. There is a diverse cast and several female characters of importance. All in all a good read for any kid addicted to super hero stories and tropes. The sentence level writing is mediocre and I do feel this would work better as a graphic novel series. I really did love the illustrations that are included though.

My Diary From the Edge of the World by Jodi Lynn Anderson
Let me say the one good thing I can: The MG voice here is strong and well done. It definitely gets you invested and keeps you reading. However, that also left me feeling greatly betrayed and incredibly angry by the time I reached the end of the book. I wanted to rage and shake my fists at the sky, "I READ 400 PAGES FOR THAT???" Ugh. Engaging voice aside, it is just not worth it. The story takes place in an alternate modern US world wear fantastical creatures (dragons, mermaids, sasquatches, etc. exist and so infrastructure (highways, railways, etc.) did not develop as they did in our world. What was able to develop was bad fast food. Plenty of Taco Bells and Dairy Queens to be found! It got to the point where I was ready to set the book on fire if Taco Bell was mentioned one more time. The world being so similar to ours was a big problem for me. The history of the US and its technological development would be VERY DIFFERENT if the entire middle of the country were uninhabitable.   Where were the First Nations peoples? Wouldn't regions have developed their own governments and ways of surviving?  The. World. Makes. No. Sense. You want to know what else this alternate world has besides fantastical creatures? Ominous clouds that show up in your town, then your street, then your house. They hover just outside waiting to take the soul of an unknown occupant. Dun Dun Duh. Want to try to outrun the cloud? It will follow you. There is no escaping the Clouds of Death. The whole plot of the book revolves around an attempt at this. Road Trip! Gracie (the main character) and her family hightail it out of their town trying to not let the doomed person from their house die. And that's the book. Family road trip to escape a Death Cloud. (They pick up an orphan and Sasquatch on the way. Hilarious right?) The ending made me furious from a thematic angle and a plot/storytelling angle. Also a characterization angle. It is the thematic angle that made the most upset though which I can't talk about without spoiling the book.

The Secret Keepers by Trenton Lee Stewart
I found reading this to be the ultimate experience in frustration. There is such a good story here. Reuben is an excellent main character and I loved his relationship with his mom. The supporting characters are all equally wonderful. The mystery is good too. But all of that is lost in an avalanche of verbiage. There are so many unnecessary words. This book is 500 pages long. 500 pages full of long detailed tiny print worded paragraphs. These long paragraphs outnumber the segments of dialogue by a lot. This story could have been told in half the pages and been an amazing read.

When the  Sea Turned to Silver by Grace Lin
This is an excellent addition to Grace Lin's lovely set of books that take place in Ancient China. Lin brought elements from Where the Mountain Meets the Moon and Starry River of the Sky together in this story. What's truly brilliant is that you don't have to read those two books to enjoy and fully understand this one. They are a rich layer for those who have, but the book stands well on its own too. Pinmei and Yishan are my favorite heroes of this set. They complemented each other so well. As I've come to expect from Lin, the setting was rich and lovely, all the characters important, and the way the plot wove together was magical.

Comments

Katy K. said…
I really enjoyed Megan Morrison's Rapunzel retelling last year and am looking forward to reading this one! I also loved When the Sea Turned to Silver, enough that I was glad to read it twice in a row, as it was nominated in the audiobook category right after I read it in print.
Brandy said…
I am going to read the Rapunzel one when Cybils is finished and will continue the series. The Sea Turned to Silver is definitely good enough to read twice in a row!
Kim Aippersbach said…
My library has the Rapunzel book and Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, so I just put them on hold. Too bad about the Stewart book: I really enjoyed the Benedict Society stories.

Popular posts from this blog

Favorite Kissing Scenes

When thinking of a favorite things post I could do for February I decided it would have to be kissing. I've already done couples and I was feeling in the mood to do something fluffy and Valentine's related. So kisses it is. I read more MG than YA, and the YA I read tends to not focus on romance so this was actually harder than I expected it to be though a few jumped into my head right away. (And one of my choices does actually come from a MG book. One is adult. Gasp!) The actual scene from the book is quoted followed by my thoughts. The king lifted a hand to her cheek and kissed her. It was not a kiss between strangers, not even a kiss between a bride and a groom. It was a kiss between a man and his wife, and when it was over, the king closed his eyes and rested his forehead against the hollow of the queen's shoulder, like a man seeking respite, like a man reaching home at the end of the day . - The King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner Turner doesn't write the

TTT: Most Recent Additions to My TBR List

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly themed blog hop created by  The Broke and the Bookish  and now hosted at  That Artsy Reader Girl . This Week's Topic: Most Recent Additions to My TBR List From Most Recent to Least: What books have recently caught your eye?

This Side of Home

What attracted me to This Side of Home by Renee Watson was the cover. The story hooked my interest. The characters made me fall in love. Maya has lived her entire life in the same neighborhood in Portland hanging out with the same group of friends: her twin sister Nikki, their best friend Essence, and Ronnie, Malachi, and Devin-three boys her father mentors. They have plans for the future that involve each other: prom, college, life. But things in their neighborhood are changing. People are moving in and starting new businesses. Property values are going up as a result. In addition to change, this is also causing trouble. Essence has to move out of her  house when the owner decides he can make more money selling it than renting it. The racial demographics of the school, which has been mostly African American, is shifting. This presents new challenges and choices for Maya and her friends. It brings new people into their lives at the same time. Maya has to figure out how-and if-she wa

Serafina and the Black Cloak

Serafina and the Black Cloak  by Robert Beatty is a thrilling tale of mystery and adventure set at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC in 1899. Having lived in Asheville and visited the house several times, there was no way I was going to pass up a chance to read this. (Also it's MG fantasy, always a bonus for me.) Serafina lives in secret in the basement of the Vanderbilt's spacious vacation home. She has lived there most of her life. Her father worked on the house as it was being built and is the mechanic who runs the massive generator and keeps the electricity going. Serafina is the chief rat catcher, slipping through the halls of her massive home secretly and quietly. She is light on her feet, sees well in the dark, and is quick enough to catch the vermin and keep them out. Serafina knows she if different and strange. Her father insists she stay hidden. But all that changes when one night Serafina witnesses a horrible crime. A little girl, a guest in the house, is fleein

Shorter Musings MG Fantasy

Here are some shorter musings on recent MG fantasy reads. Anya and the Dragon   by Sofiya Pasternack This book is fun. It is a book full of adventure, an obvious bad guy, some more complicated morally gray area characters, and a strong, brave heroine. It is also a book about friendships, community, and fighting for what is right. All things that usually work for me really well. While I enjoyed this, I did feel it was a little overlong and there were certain plot points at the end I didn't love. However, there were things I thought were done really well, such as Anya's Jewish faith and the idea that power needs to be challenged. In the end it was a middle of the road read for me, but it is one I will certainly be recommending to dragon and fantasy adventure lovers I know! R is for Rebel   by J. Anderson Coats This is tough because I usually really like Coats's books. I had such a hard time with this one though on so many levels. It's difficult to get into because t