children's fiction
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
J.K. Rowling
Raincoast Books
©2007
ISBN 1-55192-976-7
607 pages
$45.00
"Harry is waiting in Privet Drive. The Order of the Phoenix is coming to escort him safely away without Voldemort and his supporters knowing – if they can. But what will Harry do then? How can he fulfil the momentous and seemingly impossible task that Professor Dumbledore has left him?"
There is no gentle saunter into the story in this final instalment of the Harry Potter series. It starts with a bang and keeps a relentless pace throughout its six hundred pages. It may be the finest book I’ve ever read. Every single thing ever uttered in the books preceding it is explained, even the origin of the blood on the Bloody Baron’s clothing. The death count is inconceivable; I think I cried all day while I read it.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione don’t return to Hogwarts for their final year. Instead they set out on a quest to find and destroy all the horcruxes of Lord Voldemort so he can finally be beaten. It is a journey filled with trepidation and horror, as they are captured, escape, and are captured again. But in the end, every question is answered and the theme of the whole series comes into focus: love. It is all about love. The love that Severus Snape had for Lily Potter saved the world. The love that Harry Potter had for his friends also saved the world. And the courage of Neville Longbottom proved greatest of all.
It is a fitting conclusion to the series that has rocked the foundations of our world. Thank you, J.K. Rowling, for bringing it into my life.
Showing posts with label childrens fiction. Show all posts
Showing posts with label childrens fiction. Show all posts
Monday, August 13, 2007
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Four Stars)
Children's fiction
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
J.K. Rowling
Raincoast Books
©2005
ISBN 1-55192-756-x
607 pages
$41.00
"It is the middle of the summer, but there is an unseasonal mist pressing against the windowpanes. Harry Potter is waiting nervously in his bedroom at the Dursleys’ house in Privet Drive for a visit from Professor Dumbledore himself. One of the last times he saw the Headmaster was in a fierce one-to-one duel with Lord Voldemort, and Harry can’t quite believe that Professor Dumbledore will actually appear at the Dursleys’ of all places. Why is the Professor coming to visit him now? What is it that cannot wait until Harry returns to Hogwarts in a few weeks’ time? Harry’s sixth year at Hogwarts has already got off to an unusual start, as the worlds of Muggle and magic start to intertwine…
"J.K. Rowling charts Harry Potter’s latest adventures in his sixth year at Hogwarts with consummate skill and in breathtaking fashion."
So the world knows of the existence of Lord Voldemort and Harry may expect his life to get a little easier. Especially as he is getting private lessons from Professor Dumbledore. Yet to his dismay, Professor Snape is finally handed the Defense Against the Dark Arts position he had been vying for every single year. A new Potions teacher, Professor Slughorn, is an intriguing character who holds the key to Voldemort’s downfall.
As Harry and Dumbledore search for hidden objects that contain bits of Voldemort’s soul, tensions between magic and muggle escalate, and battle lines are drawn even within Hogwarts itself. The greatest mystery of all? Who is the Half Blood Prince?
Rowling once again proves her mastery over the world she has created, and her narrative style brought me to both tears and laughter.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
J.K. Rowling
Raincoast Books
©2005
ISBN 1-55192-756-x
607 pages
$41.00
"It is the middle of the summer, but there is an unseasonal mist pressing against the windowpanes. Harry Potter is waiting nervously in his bedroom at the Dursleys’ house in Privet Drive for a visit from Professor Dumbledore himself. One of the last times he saw the Headmaster was in a fierce one-to-one duel with Lord Voldemort, and Harry can’t quite believe that Professor Dumbledore will actually appear at the Dursleys’ of all places. Why is the Professor coming to visit him now? What is it that cannot wait until Harry returns to Hogwarts in a few weeks’ time? Harry’s sixth year at Hogwarts has already got off to an unusual start, as the worlds of Muggle and magic start to intertwine…
"J.K. Rowling charts Harry Potter’s latest adventures in his sixth year at Hogwarts with consummate skill and in breathtaking fashion."
So the world knows of the existence of Lord Voldemort and Harry may expect his life to get a little easier. Especially as he is getting private lessons from Professor Dumbledore. Yet to his dismay, Professor Snape is finally handed the Defense Against the Dark Arts position he had been vying for every single year. A new Potions teacher, Professor Slughorn, is an intriguing character who holds the key to Voldemort’s downfall.
As Harry and Dumbledore search for hidden objects that contain bits of Voldemort’s soul, tensions between magic and muggle escalate, and battle lines are drawn even within Hogwarts itself. The greatest mystery of all? Who is the Half Blood Prince?
Rowling once again proves her mastery over the world she has created, and her narrative style brought me to both tears and laughter.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Four Stars)
Children's fiction
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
J.K. Rowling
Raincoast Books
©2003
ISBN1-55192-570-2
766 pages
$43.00
"Dumbledore lowered his hands and surveyed Harry through his half-moon glasses. ‘It is time,’ he said, ‘for me to tell you what I should have told you five years ago, Harry. Please sit down. I am going to tell you everything.’
"Harry Potter is due to start his fifth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He is desperate to get back to school and find out why his friends Ron and Hermione have been so secretive all summer. However, what Harry is about to discover in his new year at Hogwarts will turn his world upside down…
"This is a gripping and electrifying new novel full of suspense, secrets, and – of course – magic, from the incomparable J.K. Rowling."
Author J.K. Rowling steers her incredible craft into seething waters in this novel. Considerably darker than the novels that have preceded it, The Order of the Phoenix chronicles Harry’s obsession with dreams that lead him down a mysterious hallway to a prophecy that tells the final truth about he and his enemy, Lord Voldemort. The Ministry of Magic proves that it is under the thrall of power-seeking wizards who try to tell the wizarding world that Harry is lying about the return of Lord Voldemort to power. They even send an evil witch, Umbridge, to be a High Inquisitor at Hogwarts, who eventually takes over the running of the school.
Whatever boundaries Rowling may have created in previous books are shattered in this tale, as Umbridge devises cruel detentions, Snape’s past is revealed and Harry’s own fond memories of his father and Sirius are blown apart. At the close of the book there is an explosive battle between Voldemort and Dumbledore, and the whole wizarding world is finally forced to believe the awful truth: Voldemort is back.
The longest book in the series and, personally, the most painful to read, this book stays true to modern teenagers in their angst, their inadequacies, and their first loves. This book is phenomenal.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
J.K. Rowling
Raincoast Books
©2003
ISBN1-55192-570-2
766 pages
$43.00
"Dumbledore lowered his hands and surveyed Harry through his half-moon glasses. ‘It is time,’ he said, ‘for me to tell you what I should have told you five years ago, Harry. Please sit down. I am going to tell you everything.’
"Harry Potter is due to start his fifth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He is desperate to get back to school and find out why his friends Ron and Hermione have been so secretive all summer. However, what Harry is about to discover in his new year at Hogwarts will turn his world upside down…
"This is a gripping and electrifying new novel full of suspense, secrets, and – of course – magic, from the incomparable J.K. Rowling."
Author J.K. Rowling steers her incredible craft into seething waters in this novel. Considerably darker than the novels that have preceded it, The Order of the Phoenix chronicles Harry’s obsession with dreams that lead him down a mysterious hallway to a prophecy that tells the final truth about he and his enemy, Lord Voldemort. The Ministry of Magic proves that it is under the thrall of power-seeking wizards who try to tell the wizarding world that Harry is lying about the return of Lord Voldemort to power. They even send an evil witch, Umbridge, to be a High Inquisitor at Hogwarts, who eventually takes over the running of the school.
Whatever boundaries Rowling may have created in previous books are shattered in this tale, as Umbridge devises cruel detentions, Snape’s past is revealed and Harry’s own fond memories of his father and Sirius are blown apart. At the close of the book there is an explosive battle between Voldemort and Dumbledore, and the whole wizarding world is finally forced to believe the awful truth: Voldemort is back.
The longest book in the series and, personally, the most painful to read, this book stays true to modern teenagers in their angst, their inadequacies, and their first loves. This book is phenomenal.
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Five Stars)
Children's fiction
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
J.K. Rowling
Raincoast Books
©2000
ISBN: 1-55192-337-8
636 pages
$35.00
"The summer holidays are dragging on and Harry Potter can’t wait for the start of the school year. It’s his fourth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and there are spells to be learnt, potions to be brewed and Divination lessons (sigh) to be attended. Harry is expecting these: however, other quite unexpected events are already on the march…"
It has taken J.K. Rowling an impressive 17 years, but she’s accomplished what no author ever has before. Other than making billions of dollars, she has reintroduced the love of reading to a generation of children (and adults), who now read more than ever before. She has created a phenomenon, and part of her secret is this: her characters, though magical, go through many of the life-changing events as normal children do; the story takes place in a familiar, present-day world; and her characters have magic, literal magic, talents and abilities that all of us wish we had. She has also created a super villain, Lord Voldemort, who threatens to take away all that is good in the world.
This is the fourth book in her seven book series. It is also drastically longer than the three previous novels. Harry Potter is fourteen, and begins to experience true adolescence; terrified of talking to girls, daydreaming of Cho Chang, wishing he were a hero… The story is intricate yet it never loses you. This is storytelling at its finest.
There has been a sharp increase in sales of juvenile fiction in the past few years. This is partly due to J.K. Rowling and a bespectacled boy named Harry Potter.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
J.K. Rowling
Raincoast Books
©2000
ISBN: 1-55192-337-8
636 pages
$35.00
"The summer holidays are dragging on and Harry Potter can’t wait for the start of the school year. It’s his fourth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and there are spells to be learnt, potions to be brewed and Divination lessons (sigh) to be attended. Harry is expecting these: however, other quite unexpected events are already on the march…"
It has taken J.K. Rowling an impressive 17 years, but she’s accomplished what no author ever has before. Other than making billions of dollars, she has reintroduced the love of reading to a generation of children (and adults), who now read more than ever before. She has created a phenomenon, and part of her secret is this: her characters, though magical, go through many of the life-changing events as normal children do; the story takes place in a familiar, present-day world; and her characters have magic, literal magic, talents and abilities that all of us wish we had. She has also created a super villain, Lord Voldemort, who threatens to take away all that is good in the world.
This is the fourth book in her seven book series. It is also drastically longer than the three previous novels. Harry Potter is fourteen, and begins to experience true adolescence; terrified of talking to girls, daydreaming of Cho Chang, wishing he were a hero… The story is intricate yet it never loses you. This is storytelling at its finest.
There has been a sharp increase in sales of juvenile fiction in the past few years. This is partly due to J.K. Rowling and a bespectacled boy named Harry Potter.
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Junie B. Jones and her Big Fat Mouth (Five Stars)
Children's fiction
Junie B. Jones and her Big Fat Mouth
Barbara Park
A First Stepping Stone Book (Random House)
©1993
ISBN: 0-679-84407-4
66 pages
$3.99 US/$5.50 CAN
"Sometimes life is P.U. Junie B.’s having a rough week. First she got punishment for shooting off her mouth in kindergarten. And now she’s in big trouble again! ‘Cause Monday is Job Day, and Junie B. told her class that she’s got the bestest job of all. Only, what the heck is it?"
Barbara Park has accomplished the near impossible. Her ‘Junie B. Jones’ books are written in first person, all the hopes and fears of her protagonist come through a five-year olds vocabulary. This is extraordinarily difficult; but Park manages to weave a story through it all.
Park also manages to capture the true spirit of being a kindergartner; excitement, fighting, yelling, hugging. The reader feels close to Junie B. because she’s a typical kid. Park is a very funny writer as well, and the book made me laugh out loud! A definite buy for anyone raising children.
Junie B. Jones and her Big Fat Mouth
Barbara Park
A First Stepping Stone Book (Random House)
©1993
ISBN: 0-679-84407-4
66 pages
$3.99 US/$5.50 CAN
"Sometimes life is P.U. Junie B.’s having a rough week. First she got punishment for shooting off her mouth in kindergarten. And now she’s in big trouble again! ‘Cause Monday is Job Day, and Junie B. told her class that she’s got the bestest job of all. Only, what the heck is it?"
Barbara Park has accomplished the near impossible. Her ‘Junie B. Jones’ books are written in first person, all the hopes and fears of her protagonist come through a five-year olds vocabulary. This is extraordinarily difficult; but Park manages to weave a story through it all.
Park also manages to capture the true spirit of being a kindergartner; excitement, fighting, yelling, hugging. The reader feels close to Junie B. because she’s a typical kid. Park is a very funny writer as well, and the book made me laugh out loud! A definite buy for anyone raising children.
Wayside School Gets a Little Stranger (Five Stars)
Children's fiction
Wayside School Gets a Little Stranger
Louis Sachar
Avon Camelot
©1995
ISBN: 0-380-72381-6
168 pages
US $4.50/CAN $6.50
"Hooray! Wayside School is open again!
"All the kids from Wayside School had to spend 243 days in horrible schools while Wayside was closed to get rid of the cows (Don’t ask!). Now the kids are back and the fun begins on every floor. Miss Mush has prepared a special lunch of baked liver in purple sauce, and it’s Pet Day on the 30th floor – with dogs and cats and frogs and skunks and pigs, and an orange named Fido causing a terrible commotion. In Mrs. Drazil’s class, they’re throwing a coffeepot, a sack of potatoes, a pencil sharpener, and a light bulb out the window to see which hits the ground first. But the big surprise is Mrs. Jewls is expecting a baby – but one named Cootie Face or Bucket Head – and a substitute teacher is coming – and everyone knows what that means…"
Louis Sachar is one of the funniest writers I have ever known. I own the first ‘Wayside School’ book, and I love reading it. I like the character development; each child has a little quirk that makes them special, and the book is totally about revealing it. This ‘Wayside School’ book comes in chapters that are like short stories, but the entire book does move smoothly down a story line and to the conclusion. He never drops characters or forgets an important reference. As far as writing humour for children goes, Sachar reigns supreme!
Soon I’ll read and review another Sachar favourite, ‘Holes’.
Wayside School Gets a Little Stranger
Louis Sachar
Avon Camelot
©1995
ISBN: 0-380-72381-6
168 pages
US $4.50/CAN $6.50
"Hooray! Wayside School is open again!
"All the kids from Wayside School had to spend 243 days in horrible schools while Wayside was closed to get rid of the cows (Don’t ask!). Now the kids are back and the fun begins on every floor. Miss Mush has prepared a special lunch of baked liver in purple sauce, and it’s Pet Day on the 30th floor – with dogs and cats and frogs and skunks and pigs, and an orange named Fido causing a terrible commotion. In Mrs. Drazil’s class, they’re throwing a coffeepot, a sack of potatoes, a pencil sharpener, and a light bulb out the window to see which hits the ground first. But the big surprise is Mrs. Jewls is expecting a baby – but one named Cootie Face or Bucket Head – and a substitute teacher is coming – and everyone knows what that means…"
Louis Sachar is one of the funniest writers I have ever known. I own the first ‘Wayside School’ book, and I love reading it. I like the character development; each child has a little quirk that makes them special, and the book is totally about revealing it. This ‘Wayside School’ book comes in chapters that are like short stories, but the entire book does move smoothly down a story line and to the conclusion. He never drops characters or forgets an important reference. As far as writing humour for children goes, Sachar reigns supreme!
Soon I’ll read and review another Sachar favourite, ‘Holes’.
Dracula Doesn't Drink Lemonade (Two Stars)
Children's fiction
Dracula Doesn’t Drink Lemonade
The Bailey School Kids #16
Debbie Dadey and Marcia Thornton Jones
Scholastic
©1995
ISBN: 0-590-22638-X
71 pages
$3.50 US/$4.50 CAN
"There are some pretty weird grown-ups living in Bailey City. But could the new guidance counselor really be Count Dracula, the famous vampire? The Bailey School Kids are going to find out!
"’You won’t be laughing when Count Dracula nibbles your neck while you sleep,’ Howie warned. ‘At least I plan to be safe.’
"’For all you know, he’s a sickly cousin of Mrs. Jeepers,’ Melody argued. ‘After all, who ever heard of a vampire breaking up fights?’
"’And I’m sure Count Dracula doesn’t drink pink lemonade,’ Eddie added."
Well, once again I’m a little unimpressed with the book. Maybe I should try a non-vampire one and see if I like it. This book furthers the vampire myths of no sunlight, hates garlic, has no reflection, and, of course, sucking blood from kids.
I got a little confused with the story line; hoping to hear how a kid named Huey survived his encounter with Counselor Drake, and not hearing at all about it, as the other characters rushed towards an ending that didn’t really make sense.
As far as children’s books go, there are far more educational ones written that still have memorable characters and resolved story lines, such as the Magic Tree House series.
Dracula Doesn’t Drink Lemonade
The Bailey School Kids #16
Debbie Dadey and Marcia Thornton Jones
Scholastic
©1995
ISBN: 0-590-22638-X
71 pages
$3.50 US/$4.50 CAN
"There are some pretty weird grown-ups living in Bailey City. But could the new guidance counselor really be Count Dracula, the famous vampire? The Bailey School Kids are going to find out!
"’You won’t be laughing when Count Dracula nibbles your neck while you sleep,’ Howie warned. ‘At least I plan to be safe.’
"’For all you know, he’s a sickly cousin of Mrs. Jeepers,’ Melody argued. ‘After all, who ever heard of a vampire breaking up fights?’
"’And I’m sure Count Dracula doesn’t drink pink lemonade,’ Eddie added."
Well, once again I’m a little unimpressed with the book. Maybe I should try a non-vampire one and see if I like it. This book furthers the vampire myths of no sunlight, hates garlic, has no reflection, and, of course, sucking blood from kids.
I got a little confused with the story line; hoping to hear how a kid named Huey survived his encounter with Counselor Drake, and not hearing at all about it, as the other characters rushed towards an ending that didn’t really make sense.
As far as children’s books go, there are far more educational ones written that still have memorable characters and resolved story lines, such as the Magic Tree House series.
Monday, July 9, 2007
Magic Tree House #33 - Carnival at Candlelight (Four Stars)
Children's fiction
Carnival at Candlelight
Magic Tree House #33
Mary Pope Osborne
A Stepping Stone Book (Random House)
©2005
ISBN: 0-375-83034-0
106 pages
"History, mystery, and magic! Merlin has a new mission for Jack and Annie: save the Grand Lady of the Lagoon from a terrible disaster! To find her, they must travel back in time to Venice, Italy, on the night of Carnival. But before long, they find themselves thrown into a rat-infested dungeon! How will Jack and Annie save themselves and the Grand Lady, too? Does their new book of magic rhymes hold the key? Find out in Magic Tree House #33 Carnival at Candlelight."
This Magic Tree House story follows a new story line called the Merlin Missions. Merlin has sent two young sorcerers, Teddy and Kathleen, to Frog Creek, Pennsylvania, to give a mission to Jack and Annie. They are told they must save the Grand Lady of the Lagoon, and they are given a spell book of ten rhymes in order to help them. Jack and Annie are transported back in time to Venice, Italy. But their instructions are hard to follow, and a few wrong turns finds them in a dungeon! They escape and find a painter who will help them. They discover that the Grand Lady of the Lagoon is another name for Venice itself, which is about to be destroyed by a massive flood. They appeal to Neptune, the god of the sea, to help them save Venice.
Once again the research is impeccable. I learned a lot of things about Venice I never knew before. The children are wearing authentic costumes, and they visit places that are so richly described I could practically see them. The plot has enough twists and turns to keep a child wholly enthralled (adults, too, for that matter!). Magic, mystery, adventure, this book has it all! For anyone who wants to write for children, they should study these books carefully, for Mary Pope Osborne has perfected the formula.
Carnival at Candlelight
Magic Tree House #33
Mary Pope Osborne
A Stepping Stone Book (Random House)
©2005
ISBN: 0-375-83034-0
106 pages
"History, mystery, and magic! Merlin has a new mission for Jack and Annie: save the Grand Lady of the Lagoon from a terrible disaster! To find her, they must travel back in time to Venice, Italy, on the night of Carnival. But before long, they find themselves thrown into a rat-infested dungeon! How will Jack and Annie save themselves and the Grand Lady, too? Does their new book of magic rhymes hold the key? Find out in Magic Tree House #33 Carnival at Candlelight."
This Magic Tree House story follows a new story line called the Merlin Missions. Merlin has sent two young sorcerers, Teddy and Kathleen, to Frog Creek, Pennsylvania, to give a mission to Jack and Annie. They are told they must save the Grand Lady of the Lagoon, and they are given a spell book of ten rhymes in order to help them. Jack and Annie are transported back in time to Venice, Italy. But their instructions are hard to follow, and a few wrong turns finds them in a dungeon! They escape and find a painter who will help them. They discover that the Grand Lady of the Lagoon is another name for Venice itself, which is about to be destroyed by a massive flood. They appeal to Neptune, the god of the sea, to help them save Venice.
Once again the research is impeccable. I learned a lot of things about Venice I never knew before. The children are wearing authentic costumes, and they visit places that are so richly described I could practically see them. The plot has enough twists and turns to keep a child wholly enthralled (adults, too, for that matter!). Magic, mystery, adventure, this book has it all! For anyone who wants to write for children, they should study these books carefully, for Mary Pope Osborne has perfected the formula.
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
Magic Tree House #1 - Dinosaurs Before Dark (Four Stars)
Children's fiction
Dinosaurs Before Dark
Magic Tree House #1
Mary Pope Osborne
Random House
©1992
ISBN: 0-679-89233-8
68 pages
"Where did the tree house come from? Before Jack and Annie can find out, the mysterious tree house whisks them back to the prehistoric past. Now they have to figure out how to get home. Can they do it before dark… or will they become a dinosaur’s dinner?"
This first book of the Magic Tree House series has spawned a phenomenon. Jack and Annie (a brother and sister) discover a tree house filled with volumes of books of every subject imaginable. In leafing through the books, Jack finds one about dinosaurs and wishes he could see them in real life. With a spin, the tree house takes them far into the past, into the Cretaceous period. While there they evade a Tyrannosaurus Rex, ride a pterodactyl, and discover a mysterious medallion that obviously doesn’t belong there. Jack and Annie discover that they have to find a book about Frog Creek, Pennsylvania (where they are from) and wish themselves back.
This book has all the makings of a classic. It has two winning protagonists, a brother and sister (thereby teaching children that your siblings can also be your friends). It has magic, a way for the children to access any part of history. It has adventure, in their harrowing escape from the Cretaceous period. The research is impeccable; this book provides a doorway for children to read non-fiction books about the topic at hand. Most importantly, adults should enjoy reading this book nearly as much as children.
Check out this link for more information on the Magic Tree House Series
http://www.magictreehouse.com/
Dinosaurs Before Dark
Magic Tree House #1
Mary Pope Osborne
Random House
©1992
ISBN: 0-679-89233-8
68 pages
"Where did the tree house come from? Before Jack and Annie can find out, the mysterious tree house whisks them back to the prehistoric past. Now they have to figure out how to get home. Can they do it before dark… or will they become a dinosaur’s dinner?"
This first book of the Magic Tree House series has spawned a phenomenon. Jack and Annie (a brother and sister) discover a tree house filled with volumes of books of every subject imaginable. In leafing through the books, Jack finds one about dinosaurs and wishes he could see them in real life. With a spin, the tree house takes them far into the past, into the Cretaceous period. While there they evade a Tyrannosaurus Rex, ride a pterodactyl, and discover a mysterious medallion that obviously doesn’t belong there. Jack and Annie discover that they have to find a book about Frog Creek, Pennsylvania (where they are from) and wish themselves back.
This book has all the makings of a classic. It has two winning protagonists, a brother and sister (thereby teaching children that your siblings can also be your friends). It has magic, a way for the children to access any part of history. It has adventure, in their harrowing escape from the Cretaceous period. The research is impeccable; this book provides a doorway for children to read non-fiction books about the topic at hand. Most importantly, adults should enjoy reading this book nearly as much as children.
Check out this link for more information on the Magic Tree House Series
http://www.magictreehouse.com/
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