The Seer of Shadows

The Seer of Shadows

Author: Avi
Rating: 3.5/5 Stars
Reviewer: Christi

Summary: In 1872 New York, a 14-year-old boy becomes an apprentice to a photographer. When a rich lady dressed in black comes in to ask them to try and take a spirit photo of her recently deceased daughter, things start to happen. The photographer decides to create a ghost photo for his client while his apprentice is seeing the real thing. With the help of the maid girl will they be able to stop this ghost from trying to murder?

Review: I would recommend this book to kids 5^th grade and up who like to get scared. When Horace (the apprentice) takes his first picture he can’t believe he’s captured a ghost in it. Eventually he realizes the more pictures he takes the more the ghost is made real. The ghost in this book (Elenora) is angry that she was murdered (starved to death) and she wants revenge. I found this book a little creepy, but that’s probably what the kids will like about it.

Icefall

Icefall

Author: Matthew J. Kirby
Rating: 4/5 Stars
Reviewer: Lydia

I rarely read youth fiction, but I'm happy I stepped outside of my comfort zone and read this book. Icefall is a superbly written tale for youngsters (and adults alike!), and it's a unique story which draws on various Norse myths.

The main character is a timid girl named Solveig, who has been banished to an ice-locked fortress so that she and her siblings/fellow heirs to the throne can stay safe while their father wages war. Along with her family is a legion of soldiers, maids, and a storyteller. The setting is excellently described, and the icy wonderland around them almost becomes its own character.

As the story progresses, it becomes clear that even though the king only sent his closest friends to guard his children, there is a traitor amidst the group. Strange and even violent incidents occur, and the group is in peril of starving or perishing in such a treacherous and unforgiving landscape.

What began as a plan to keep them safe backfires when it becomes apparent that the very wall of ice keeping them safe is also keeping them trapped. Solveig simultaneously tries to uncover the culprit while also coming to terms with her own interests as a future storyteller, even when these dreams clash with her family’s expectations.

This book contains an excellent message for kids: never stop believing in yourself, and don’t give up on your dreams! Cuddle up with a cup of hot cocoa and read this fantastic book before the weather turns!

Found

Found
by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Reviewer: Denise

Summary: Found is book one of The Missing series by Margaret Peterson Haddix. The series starts off by describing a plane that appears out of nowhere filled with babies when it suddenly vanishes in thin air. Then, Haddix introduces two adopted 13-year-old boys, Jonah and Chip, who are receiving mysterious messages that provoke them to investigate their past and find out who is sending them these letters. The boys, along with Jonah's sister, go on an exciting journey to piece everything together.

Review: Found starts off a bit slow, but once the teens start piecing all their clues together, the mystery keeps you reading while the main characters try to understand messages, strange disappearing people, and the tale of a disappearing plane. This series is a nice start for a science fiction reader who wants to explore topics such as time travel, adoption, and the unknown. Readers who enjoyed The Kane Chronicles series by Rick Riordan will appreciate this book. Caught, book five, is available now.

A Brief History of the Dead

The Brief History of the Dead

Author: Kevin Brockmeier
Rating: 4/5 stars
Reviewer: Cheryl

Laura Byrd is alone at the end of the world. Stranded in Antarctica while a man-made pandemic sweeps the planet, she’s trying to piece together the mystery of what’s happening and what her future holds. On the other side of the veil of death, a city copes with the effects of the plague and pieces together the mystery of Laura Byrd.

In some respects, this is a survival story. There is an element of adventure in Laura’s struggle as she travels the frozen wastes in search of contact with others. In some respects, it is a warning. Though it seems to be set in the future, this is a familiar and realistic future. Threats from terrorism and ecological damage as well as the response to each from society as a whole are a natural extension from what we see today, reminding us that our fate is in our own hands. However, this is really a story about human nature, the strength of memory, and the ways that we connect throughout our lives. When all the busy work of life is stripped away, we find the small and inconsequential moments that mean everything.

While the style of writing is comfortable, it also has a dreamlike quality, at times fluttering back and forth through a character’s memory, lighting on minor details. These little things serve to illuminate aspects of their stories. We are introduced to a crowd of personalities and invited to discover the connections between them, which we do gradually, in quiet ways through the course of the book. Though the ending leaves us with no clear answer, it does leave us with a deeper understanding.

Nothing Gold Can Stay

Nothing Gold Can Stay

Author: Ron Rash
Rating: 5/5 Stars
Reviewer: Lydia

Ron Rash has compiled a collection of dark, gritty short stories that are nearly perfect in form. These narratives cast an unflinching eye at the other side of life; a view which reveals the depth—and oftentimes depravity—of human nature. There are no flashy attempts at postmodernism or big words here; rather, these stories are quiet, haunting, and exquisitely crafted.

The book begins with a selection of macabre stories that ruminate on death and the downward spiral into corruption. This section also happened to contain most of my favorite choices from the novel, among them “The Trusty” and “Something Rich and Strange.”

In “The Trusty,” a “prisoner sent to fetch water for his chain gang tries to sweet-talk a farmer’s young wife into helping him escape, only to find that she is as trapped as he is,” while in “Something Rich and Strange,” a “diver is called upon to pull a drowned girl’s body free from under a falls, but he finds her eerily at peace below the surface” (quotes courtesy of the inside book jacket). While the stories are short, the characters are deftly developed, and each narrative features a distinctive voice of its own. I also enjoyed “Those Who Are Dead Are Only Now Forgiven” and “Three A.M. and the Stars Were Out”, which are later selections in the novel. Both of these stories are a bittersweet look at loss, love, and life.

As I read more, I found that Rash’s book carried me through the short stories like a wave: the high points of the novel were great and chilling to the bone, while others only gently glided past me. I felt that the first handful of stories were the strongest, the middle of the book lagged in depth and creativity, and then the ending of the book picked up the energy and innovativeness of the beginning.

Overall, Ron Rash has compiled a collection of stories that look at the darker side of life, a life filled with pain, sorrow, and solitude, familial tension, drug and alcohol abuse, and the descent into sickness, madness, despair, and ultimately, death. These raw stories are deserving of a read, and not just once, but many times in order to catch each subtle and beautiful nuance.

Goliath

Goliath

Story and art by Tom Gauld

4.5/5 stars

Reviewer: Marina

This is the story of Goliath.  The infamous Goliath.  You know, David and Goliath- Goliath.  Gauld’s rendition tells a different side to the story, one that is touching and a little heart breaking.   Since it is told as a graphic novel, it makes for a quick read, but one that I found stayed with me long after I had returned the book. 

The art is simple and powerful at the same time.  Between the fantastic art and the new take on an old story, this book is a definite winner.  You can bet I’ll be picking up the next thing by Tom Gauld that crosses my path. 

Disney Pixar All Time Favorites CD

Disney Pixar All Time Favorites CD
by Various Artists
4/5 Stars
Reviewer: Christi

Summary: Walt Disney Records presents their all-time favorite songs and scores from favorite Disney Pixar films in one CD. The album includes music from Toy Story 1,2, and 3, Cars 1 and 2, Brave, Finding Nemo, and more! This collection includes 15 tracks featuring vocal and score music from Pixar films.

Review: There are some great songs from some of Pixar's best movies! This is one CD that will be universally appreciated in your home, from kids to the adults. There is a lot of good variety and recognizable songs. I was a little disappointed that the last few songs were instrumental, but I still think it's a fun CD. I enjoyed the Randy Newman tracks a lot. This would make a great gift or be something to listen to in the car and would make a great addition to your child's music collection.