A truly magical castle...

Review:

Meet the castle that can build itself... and the children who will do anything to defend it.
-from the back cover

Whenever Castle Glower became bored, it would grow a new room or two.
- first sentence

Castle Glower picked kings based on some other criteria all its own... Legend had it that the Castle had repeatedly steered the old king's barber to the throne room via a changing series of corridors for days until the Royal Council had him declared the next king, while the young man who should have been Glower the Seventieth found himself head-down in a haystack after having been forcibly ejected from the Castle through the water closet.
- Chapter 1

This is an exceptional book. I love Princess Celie's character. She is strong and independent and she believes in the castle's magic more than anyone. She trusts in the castle and knows it will protect her. All three of the children are great characters. It is pretty obvious that some of the characters have nefarious plans and others aren't so evident. Throughout the book, I was pretty sure I knew how it would end, but along the way, there were a few surprises.

Recommended to:
Ages 9-12; readers who like magic; the castle being "alive" is great fun!

Original post: readingismyescape.booklikes.com/post/1392621/a-truly-magical-castle

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A young girl's fight to stay alive

Review:

I kept my eyes closed, trying to see Polly happy, joking, maybe stealing a kiss with Matthew, then bursting through the door to tell me. It couldn't be real. How could Polly be dead?
- Chapter 3

Some doctors warn we may see a thousand dead before it's over. There are forty thousand people living in Philadelphia, William. Can you imagine if one in forty were to die?
- Chapter 8

My eyes closed. It was never going to stop. We would suffer endlessly, with no time to rest, no time to sleep.
- Chapter 25

In the year 1793, yellow fever hits Philadelphia and hits it hard. Mattie is separated from her sick mother and forced to flee the city with her grandfather. When he falls ill, Mattie must help him and take care of herself. She must fight to survive.

I read this book as part of my study of books for ages 9-12 with strong female protagonists.

This book deals with a lot of suffering, but Mattie is a survivor. No matter what happens, she doesn't give up. Despite all the death and sadness, there is a message of hope. Towards the end, Mattie spends a great deal of time caring for others. She also shows that she knows what she wants and is determined to get it.

This is a good historical fiction book and the first book I read on this topic. It is well-written and easy to read.

Recommended to:
Ages 9-12; readers who enjoy historical fiction or books with strong female characters.

Original post: readingismyescape.booklikes.com/post/1391693/a-young-girl-s-fight-to-stay-alive

A young girl fights to hold on to her identity

Review:

"Remember who you are Milada.
Remember where you are from. Always."
- Milada's gradmother

The Nazis come to Milada's home and take her away from her family. Because she fits the Aryan ideal, they rename her Eva and train her to speak only German. They want to make "Eva" into the perfect German citizen and then have her adopted by a German family. Before the Nazis take her, Milada's grandmother gives her a garnet pin shaped like a star as a talisman to help her remember her identity.

I read this book as part of my study of books for ages 9-12 with strong female protagonists.

This book was touching. I felt for Milada and the other girls. I can't imagine what it was like to be taken from their families to a cold place with no comfort and being forced to answer to a different name. Most of the time, they had no idea what was going on or what was going to happen next. Milada is a very strong character, with faults of course, but she is quite resilient.

I like reading books with a World War II theme. Instead of focusing on the concentration camps and the war itself, this book brings to light a different part of the Nazi agenda.

Recommended to:
Ages 9-12; readers, especially girls, who enjoy historical fiction or empowering books for girls.

Original post: readingismyescape.booklikes.com/post/1391672/a-young-girl-fights-to-hold-on-to-her-identity

The Tip of the Iceberg

Reblogged from: Hol

Original post: readingismyescape.booklikes.com/post/1376013/the-tip-of-the-iceberg

Virtual Reality Fantasy Game

Review:

I was going to die. I was never going to get past the first step of the game, and I was going to die. 
-Chapter 4

Between the barbarian hordes waiting at our northern border for the first sign of weakness, and the peasant uprisings in the east, now is not the time for an inexperienced sheepherder to play at being king.
-Chapter 8

Giannine is playing a virtual reality game called Heir Apparent, using a gift certificate from her father for her 14th birthday. But, a protest group attacked the facility and now Giannine is stuck in the game. Her only way out is to win the game, but her time is limited. If she doesn't defeat the game, the computer could fry her brain. She must use her intelligence and her sarcastic sense of humor to keep going, figure out the puzzles and be crowned king before time runs out.

I enjoyed this book. It is a fresh take on sci-fi. Giannine lives in the future, but she plays a virtual reality game that takes her to medieval times. Most of the time we are with Giannine in the game and it is exciting and frustrating to watch her try to get through the situations with no idea what the right choice is.

Giannine is a great strong female character. She is clever and persistent, but she still has flaws. She gets annoyed and frustrated by her lack of progress, but she never gives up. She has to deal with ghosts, a dragon, barbarians and a royal family who doesn't want her around.

Recommended to:
Grades 4-8. Readers who enjoy fantasy and adventure.

Original post: readingismyescape.booklikes.com/post/1375517/virtual-reality-fantasy-game

George - review

Review:

Ms. Udell passed by George's desk. "To be honest, I'm not sure what I think of a person who doesn't cry at the end of Charlotte's Web."
"You didn't," George mumbled.
"I did the first three times ... and a good number of times since." Ms. Udell paused, and for a moment it looked as if she might tear up right then. "My point is, it takes a special person to cry over a book. It shows compassion as well as imagination." Ms. Udell patted George's shoulder. "Don't ever lose that, George, and I know you'll turn into a fine young man."
- Chapter II

The problem is, George considers herself a girl. And even well-meaning people, like her 4th-grade teacher, hurt her feelings without realizing it. Throughout the book, the narrator refers to George using female pronouns - the same way George refers to herself. This reinforces for the reader the sense of George being a girl. We see George, during private moments looking at women's magazines and being herself. This contrasts with George's public life with her mom and older brother and with everyone at school. George really wants to play Charlotte in the school play and the teacher refuses to even consider her because she is a boy. George finds acceptance in her best friend who helps her find ways to be true to herself.

This is a touching story about a child trying to get people to accept her for who she is. Her struggle is presented in an age-appropriate way that while difficult at times, remains hopeful.

The reason I became interested in this book is because a third-grade teacher at school was complaining about it. She didn't like that one of the students in her class was reading it. She came into the library to ask if we had the book and to point out that she thought it was inappropriate for third-graders. I looked into it and School Library Journal recommends it to grades 4-6, Kirkus Reviews says ages 9-12 and Publishers Weekly says ages 8-12. The student got the book from home so it wasn't really an issue.

I am glad I read the book. I believe it is well thought out and appropriate for kids. As I learned in my grad school class, books like this can be mirrors or windows, depending on the reader. It helps children who might be transgender to understand themselves and have a character they can relate to (mirror). It also helps children empathize with what others might be going through (window).

Recommended to:
Generally, 4th grade and up, but as always parents know their own kids best.

Original post: readingismyescape.booklikes.com/post/1365135/george-review

Touching, Poetic Story

Review:

I'm not really a loud kid, I swear. I'm just me and
sometimes I maybe make a little bit of noise.
If I was a grown-up maybe Miss Edna
wouldn't always be telling me to be quiet
but I'm eleven and maybe eleven's just noisy.

Maybe twelve's quieter.

- Chapter 1

I read this book as part of our poetry unit in my Information Needs of Children graduate class. I am not usually a fan of poetry. I didn't think I would like this book, but I was wrong. It didn't feel like poetry. The poetry in this book took various forms, not necessarily rhyming the last word in each line.

The main character, Lonnie C. Motion lost his parents in a fire and has been separated from his sister. His 5th-grade class is learning to write poetry and through this, Lonnie (nicknamed Locomotion) finds a way to express his feeling about his parents, his sister, and his world. He has been through a lot and it comes through in his writing.

This novel was moving and very well written.

Recommended to:
Children (and adults) who enjoy historical fiction and stories of overcoming hardships.

Original post: readingismyescape.booklikes.com/post/1364939/touching-poetic-story

Secrets of Blood and Bone

Review:

Following her showdown with Elizabeth Bathory, Jackdaw Hammond is running from her past, hiding from her future, and hoping to contain her newfound thirst for blood. Buying an overgrown home in the middle of nowhere seems like the perfect place to escape…at least until she finds herself in the sights of a murderous family with a terrible secret and a penchant for dark magic. Meanwhile, her old ally Felix Guichard has gone to New Orleans to conduct his own investigation into the nature of blood magic, but is soon sucked into the intrigues of the city’s occult underworld. But Jack will need Felix more than she knows, for the battle for her soul is set to begin.
 
Her only salvation may lie with the secrets of 16th century master occultist Edward Kelley, and a dangerous mission he undertook in Venice to confront the Inquisition, the darkest deeds of his own past, and the fearsome power of Elizabeth Bathory.
- from the back of the book

This book combines historical fiction with the supernatural. Before I read the first in the series, I had never read a book like this before. In order to follow the story, I had to really focus. The historical part was fascinating to me, a real serial killer (Elizabeth Bathory) is included in the story and made into something supernatural.

Jack is a flawed but likable character. Drinking Felix's blood has changed her, but even she isn't sure exactly how. The garden behind the house is a character in itself. It protects itself and the occupants and responds only to Sadie.

I really don't want to give the book away, so I won't add any more details.

For more information on the author:
http://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/2136050/rebecca-alexander/

For more information on the book:
http://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/237072/the-secrets-of-blood-and-bone-by-rebecca-alexander/

I received a copy of this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for this review. I have not received any monetary compensation for this review.

Recommended to:
Fans of urban fantasy mixed with historical fantasy. Whatever that means. :)

Original post: readingismyescape.booklikes.com/post/1364931/secrets-of-blood-and-bone

My First Lovecraft

Review:

What I heard in my youth about the shunned house was merely that people died there in alarmingly great numbers. That, I was told, was why the original owners had moved out some twenty years after building the place. It was plainly unhealthy, perhaps because of the dampness and fungous growth in the cellar, the general sickish smell, the draughts of the hallways, or the quality of the well and pump water. These things were bad enough, and these were all that gained belief among the persons whom I knew. Only the notebooks of my antiquarian uncle, Dr. Elihu Whipple, revealed to me at length the darker, vaguer surmises which formed an undercurrent of folklore among old-time servants and humble folk; surmises which never travelled far, and which were largely forgotten when Providence grew to be a metropolis with a shifting modern population.
-from the story

This is the first time I read a book by Lovecraft. I love horror stories, but I will admit my tastes run more along the lines of Stephen King and not the classic writers. But, once again the Serial Reader app encouraged me to read a new type of book.

The story was good and mildly creepy. I think there was too much other information in there for it to be intensely scary. Maybe the line was different back in the day. It didn't take as much to scare people.

The scene in the basement was creepy, I will admit, but it was such a small part of the story. It was a quick read, only 4 issues compared with 23 for War of the Worlds.

Original post: readingismyescape.booklikes.com/post/1363554/my-first-lovecraft