Mr. Who?

"Mr. Stink". That is the name of a very funny book written by David Williams and the art by Quentin Blake is as entertaining as the book itself. The heroine is Chloe, a young misfit of a girl, who befriends a homeless man who, well, stinks. He hasn't had a bath in a year! Because she is such a sensitive girl, as opposed to her phony, cold mother who is running to become a M.P. and wants to rid the town of tramps, Chloe invites the tramp to live in the shed in her back yard. There is definitely more than meets the eye to Mr. Stink and hilarious happenings result with poor Chloe caught in the middle of it all.

What are you reading today?

The Red Pyramid

Of course here is one you have all been waiting for.. the latest by Rick Riordan who wrote the "Percy Jackson and the Olympian " series. While the first series was interwoven with the Greek gods and myths this new one, "The Kane Chronicles," is full of the ancient Egyptian gods and myths. So much so that I know a ton about ancient Egypt without even realizing it. I can recite the facts easily that Geb and Nut gave birth to 5 children on the last 5 days of the year - and these children were the gods Osiris, Isis, Horus, Set and Nephthys. All of them, who were husbands and wives, brothers and sisters, father and son, loved each other or hated each other, and always tried to best each other.
The main characters in "The Red Pyramid" are Carter Kane and his sister Sadie, children of a famous Egyptologist, who brings them to the British Museum to "make things right". Disaster occurs and their father disappears in a fiery explosion after a mysterious figure is summoned from the Rosetta Stone. It is their quest to find and save their father however they are now the object of the dangerous and evil god, Set. They have their supporters who help them, like Bast and in the process learn some amazing things about themselves. Could it be true that they are godlings themselves?
This book is full of action - think Indiana Jones! And it is truly intriguing how Riordan has created a modern adventure using so many facts and figures from ancient times. I thoroughly enjoyed the ride.... and think you will too. And I know you will learn so much in the process!

What are you reading today?

Zen

How could I forget "Zen and the Art of Faking It"? This funny book by Jordan Sonnenblick was a favourite of the Grade 7 students who were reading all the YRCA choices this past year. Check out the MapleGroveYRCA blog to see their comments. Some of the students compared it to "Schooled" by Gordon Korman except Cap is just being himself while San is an anti- hero who lies in order to fit in with each new school he attends. Because he is Chinese and because he answers one question about Buddahism in class, his fellow students think he is a Zen master. Oops - he better head to the Library to find out all about it before they find out he is a fake!

What are you reading today?

Avi's Ghosts

I am a huge fan of Avi. Beginning with the wonderful story about Poppy, a mouse, and all of its connected tales, followed by many historical fiction pieces like Crispin Cross of Lead and The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle as well as Beyond the Western Sea are just a few that I have read and loved. So it is interesting to see where the authors interests lie as he heads into the realm of the supernatural. Two books - one just finished, one in the middle but both about ghosts. The "Seer of Shadows" is another YRCA for 2011 and once again off to a slow start with alot about the main character who is a photography apprentice to an unscrupulous master and detail about the art of devleoping pictures just over 100 years ago. The excitement begins when the pair are hired to photograph a wealthy woman whose daughter has just died. Right from the beginning Horace is seeing images in the photographs, the image of a very angry young girl who seems to be bent on revenge. And revenge she has. Lots of suspense keep you engaged right to the end.

And I am off now to keep reading "Something Upstairs". This one set is in modern times about a young boy, Kenny, who has just moved to a very old house in Rhode Island. His very first night in his attic bedroom he hears noises coming from behind a door into a very small room that was once perhaps used for servants or slaves. He opens the door to find arms coming out of a stain on the floor that are moving a box placed on it. After, a body heaves itself out of the stain and a young ghost-boy comes face to face with Kenny... I will keep you posted on what happens next!

Next up - The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan.

What are you reading today?

Magical

Another of the YRCA for 2011 is "Savvy" by Ingrid Law. This Newberry Honor book is quite magical. When I begin a new book I look for 3 things; an interesting main character whom I connect to, a plot that is original with twists and turns to keep me turning pages quickly and finally, good writing that stops me in my tracks and has me reread a passage simply for the beauty of the language or the images it evokes. Ideally it also has to hook me in the first few pages. I found Savvy to have an unusual main character named Mibs, an equally unusual plot about a family that attains supernatural powers when they turn 13, with some exquisite language woven into it. Confusing at first I was not hooked easily and did have to keep at it till I realized I needed to keep reading. 37 chapters full of an adventure for Mibs, her older brother Fish, her younger brother Samson and a preacher's rebellious daughter along with her likable brother. It is Mibs 13th birthday, the day she will find out what her savvy, her magical power, is. But her father is injured seriously in a car accident and all she can think of is getting to the hospital in the neighbouring town to see her father to help him. She stows away on an old pink bus that is making delivers to the town but following her on board are the above cast of characters. When the bus pulls out however it does not turn left like it should, it turns right! Uh - oh.....

I also know I like a book when it makes me cry and this one did - just a little!

What are you reading today?

Oh, Canada

Two books down.... about 20 to go! I have just finished two books both set in Canada but on opposite sides of the country and opposite in most every other way as well.
I laughed my way through "Neil Flambe and the Marco Polo Murders" by Kevin Sylvester. I am not sure who this book will appeal to but I loved it. Neil is a 14 year old chef prodigy. That means he's really really good at cooking at a very very young age! Cooking is his life and he even owns his own restaurant where he goes after school. But Neil also has an outstanding sense of smell and he helps solves murders in his spare time. Set in Vancouver, many of the city's outstanding chefs are being murdered with notes left at the scene that chronicle Marco Polo's return trip to Venice from the court of Kublai Khan in China. This becomes very personal for Neil and for a time it looks like he may even be involved. Lots of cooking stuff in this book that, for me, is very entertaining. Did you notice how even his name is connected to cooking? Hope you will like it.

The second book is very different; dark, gruesome and violent. In "The Secret Ministry of Frost" by Nick Lake, Light is the name of a young girl whose father is a research scientist in Canada's Arctic. He has disappeared and Light meets up with a strange and unusual group of protectors to help find him. Inuit mythology is woven into this story with the main antagonist, a being named Frost, who with his band of horrific creatures, wants all mankind to die. While this book has garnered good reviews it is not my kind of book. I saw it through to the end but would like to hear what you think.

What are you reading today?