John Newbury Medal Winner (2009)
Hugo Award Winner (2009)
Locus Award (2009)
Carnegie Medal (2010)

FTC Disclosure: I own it baby!!

Not long ago I decided to give up on reading lists. I’d only keep up with any personal ones I had. No more feeling guilty for not keeping to an agenda.

One of my first reads, as suggested by many, many friends, was The Graveyard Book. My first Neil Gaiman novel. I’d read several of his short stories, and have liked every one.

This book was different. It was better. As in OH MY GOD WHY HAVEN’T I READ ANY OF HIS BOOKS SOONER?!

(Yes, according to interwebs etiquette putting an exclamation point after all-caps is redundant and annoying, but in this case, completely necessary.)

In addition to falling in love with the narrative, the illustrations add a great deal. I don’t see how this book could be as good, or as complete, without them. (The artwork shown here is by Dave McKean who illustrated the edition I read)

This could be considered a children’s book, but the opening scene and some themes I feel are more for a pre-teen or teenager. Of course, adults will love this book – and from what I hear, many have.

As a children’s book, there are times in the story you can determine where it is going. Even so, you enjoy the journey. Immensely. The story has a happier ending than the beginning. This is good too. We need those from time to time.

There are times in our reading life, we need to get back to basics and in a way, this book is just that. Gaiman is a storyteller of extraordinary skill.

In terms of showing and telling the story, he handles both deftly, and never loses the reader with gaps in the narration or characterizations. They all have their purpose and you always know just enough about them to develop feelings for the good as well as the bad.

For the few – very few – who may have never read Gaiman, I recommend this as your first read. He also has a couple of short story collections that I love, and recommend highly: Smoke and Mirrors and Fragile Things.

Hope you had a great Summer, and here’s to having a wonderful Fall!

FTC Disclosure: Review copy provided by publisher

It’s books like these that allow me to offer a solid example when defending, and recommending young adult fiction to adults.

Considering recent discussions about the increasing darkness of the genre, this story is a welcome diversion and proof of how well it can be done when the author has a solid plot and endearing characters.

It may not satisfy the older portion of the age range who tend to like the popular dark fantasy or steampunk, but for those wanting a good mystery – this is just the book.

What makes this a unique and interesting mystery is the children who strive to solve it. I enjoyed every one of them. Not all of them are likeable at times, but who is? We all have our quirks, our faults and these characters are no different.

Even better is watching the development of their relationships and selves throughout the story. I was pleased to see how well this was done considering there are five children. Bowditch does an amazing job making each authentic and unique.

To balance the “coldness” of the children, who have never been able to “be” children, the author provides a balancing character, Miss Brett, their teacher. She  quickly understands that as brilliant as her students are in understanding science, math, and engineering, they lack that aspect of their personality that makes kids….kids.

She helps them discover this side of themselves by reading them stories such as Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and insisting they take a recess and play.

Through alternating chapters, we learn about each child. This helps the reader see how much they have changed by the end of the book. The author manages these shifting perspectives in a way that does not lose the reader, even a younger one.

The initial problem the children face is being taken away from their parents and never told why. They have no idea where they are but feel they are in danger.

But while planning their escape to rescue them, they face a greater challenge: how to interact and work together.  Through a common enemy and goal, they learn how and this is the most powerful aspect of the book:  the attempt to solve the mystery of their parents disappearance, and the solving of the mystery of how to make and maintain friendships.

I really liked this book and look forward to future installments to the Young Inventors Guild. This is a perfect summer read for those grades 5 and up. (Not to mention a great summer read for adults too.)

The Declaration by Gemma Malley (Book One in the Declaration Series)
ISBN: 9781599902951
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA
Young Adult Fiction/Speculative Fiction, Ages 13 & up

In order to better diversify my reading (and home library), I’ve been trying to read other genres. This book is one that has me kicking myself in the keister for not doing this sooner.

It’s been a long time since I’ve read a book in one sitting. ONE. As in I didn’t realized I had, until I finished and looked up to find my cats very grumpy from lack of attention. Maybe I should change my rating system from stars to a “grumpy kitty meter”. If I did, The Declaration gets 5 out 5 Shredded Shoes.

The premise for this dystopian novel derives from the author wondering what a society would be like if humans could live forever. However there remains the issue of population control.

In the year 2140, this is managed by the Declaration, an oath taken by those wanting immortality:

Longevity drugs are a fountain of youth. Sign the Declaration, agree not to have children, and you too can live forever. Refuse, and you will live as an outcast. For the children born outside the law, it only gets worse – Surplus status. – From the back cover

The story is told from the point of view of Surplus Anna: a young, indoctrinated, yet authentic voice. The realization of what is really going on in the world would not have the dramatic impact it does, if the main narrator were anyone else.

. . . captured when she was young and brought up in a Surplus Hall, a place where she is taught to hate herself and her parents; to be told again and again that she owes a debt to society, to Mother Nature, whose generosity she has abused by her very existence. – Description of Anna by the author

To help her enlightenment is Peter. Another Surplus, but not like any Anna has known before. He’s spent most of his life on the “outside”. What unnerves her most is that he knows things about her that he shouldn’t. Luckily, seeds of doubt have already been planted in Anna’s mind, so it isn’t too hard to accept her sudden decision to turn her back on the only life she’s ever known.

The author states that “The Declaration is, I hope, a story that will challenge its readers, that will stay with them, that will make them think about the freedoms and privileges we take for granted and about the price paid for these. But, ultimately, The Declaration is Anna’s Story.

This story does stay with you. Makes you wonder how many of us are willing to accept our true role on this planet, and whether or not it should be an infinite one. What price would any of us pay in order to have a longer life? Would we accept a Fountain of Youth if what we had to sacrifice, is youth itself?

Another highly recommended read. I can’t wait to get my hands on The Resistance and The Legacy.