I think the last time I did one of these was back in the spring, and I’m sure I called it something different. Ahem– while writing my review for The Extraordinary Adventures of Alfred Kropp I found out that there are quite a few different covers available, three totally different ones in North America alone! Check it out:
Continue reading »
The Extraordinary Adventures of Alfred Kropp by Rick Yancey
Publication: Bloomsbury USA Children’s Books (September 15, 2005), Hardcover, 375 pages / ISBN 1582346933
Genre: Adventure, Action, YA/Teen
Rating: 
Find @ Amazon or IndieBound
Challenges: Arthurian Challenge 2009-2010 (#1)
Read: August 2009
First sentence: I never thought l would save the world-or die saving it.
In one sentence: Mopey knights, magnificent fights, and a marvelously unusual lead.
I found this on the same shelf as Tanglewreck, and while I didn’t like it as much as Tanglewreck I did enjoy reading The Extraordinary Adventures of Alfred Kropp. I liked the unusual protagonist, and the bringing of old-fashioned characters (very Malorian characters, here) into the modern world is interesting. I liked it, mostly.
Summary from Amazon:
Alfred Kropp was just trying to survive high school when his guardian uncle gets him roped into a suspicious get-rich-quick scheme that changes his life forever: stealing Excalibur—the legendary sword of King Arthur. But after Alfred unwittingly delivers the sword into the hands of a man with enormously evil intentions, he sets off on an unlikely quest to try to right his wrong and save the world from imminent destruction.
There are lots of nifty little things in Alfred Kropp besides the Arthurian connection, like how Alfred is an atypical hero-who-isn’t-really, musings on what makes a hero a hero, things about responsibility and duty, and best of all: a secret organization that investigates unusual stuff, à la MIB or X-Files. I liked Alfred, though he isn’t the most easy of characters to read about (his “voice” is very even and nearly emotionless, even when he’s talking about emotions). (He reminds me of the narrator in Freak the Mighty, if that gives any idea of what he was like.) I even grew to like the mopey knights wandering around in the background.
Arthurian knights are inordinately mopey, and the knights in this book is no different. Well, maybe “mopey” isn’t the right word, but they do tend to have a self-sacrificing kind of attitude hanging around them, and while it’s noble and even sometimes useful, it’s also overdone and slightly annoying. Not that I expect people going to their death to be cheery, but it would have been nice to have a break from the gloom.
For some reason Alfred Kropp seemed like an old-fashioned Arthurian book set in the modern world. It’s very gothic and dark and resigned to talk about horrible things. The knights (and people in direct contact to them) are very old school and…stolid, I guess. They didn’t entirely seem like real people, but more like representations of different kinds of knight characters. They didn’t quite fit into the modern world, and that made the whole thing very interesting, especially as Alfred starts to take on some of their characteristics while still remaining a modern person. But those kinds of knights do tend to be dusty, nearly bland characters, and that’s no exception here.
Alfred Kropp isn’t on the same wavelength as The Sword and the Stone, but it’s still a very interesting take on the Arthurian myth. It’s a little old fashioned, a little bit bloody (okay, a lot bloody), and a lot exciting. I liked it, and you probably will, too!
Get your own copy from Amazon or your favorite independent bookstore!
What Arthurian books are your favorites? I like The Sword and the Stone and even some of the older books, but I haven’t read much more. I need some for a challenge, so bring on the recs, please!
Other reviews: A Catholic Mom’s Guide to Books | Interactive Reader | Bookshelves of Doom
Cat Royal #1-2 by Julia Golding
Publication: Book 1: Roaring Brook Press (May 27, 2008), Hardcover, 432 pages / ISBN 1596433515 | Book 2: Roaring Brook Press (September 2, 2008), Hardcover, 384 pages / ISBN 1596433523
Genre: Historical Fiction, YA
Rating: for both
Read: August 2009
Warning: Possible spoilers for book #2. I don’t mention anything more than that’s on the back of the book, but it might be a little bit spoiling for people who haven’t read the first book.
In one sentence: Wonderful historical YA fiction that is, surprisingly, not as famous as it should be.
The first book, The Diamond of Drury Lane, is an excellent start to a series. It’s rich in details and characters and adventure, and it’s so satisfying as a whole I couldn’t wait to start the next book.
Continue reading »
Thursday Tea is a weekly meme hosted by yours truly. To play along, all you need is some tea, a book, and the willingness to answer these questions: what tea are you drinking (and do you like it)? What book are you reading (and do you like it)? Tell us a little about your tea and your book, and whether or not the two go together.
The tea: I spend so much time on campus now (I work there as well as take classes) I decided to bring a packet of tea along with me so I could drink it instead of buying more coffee from Starbucks (who pissed me off by raising their prices recently). I decided to bring bagged tea, since it’s easier to brew/clean up than loose, and I brought Orange Spice tea (also Super Irish Breakfast tea, but that’s for another day).
I had to use powdered milk (easier to transport than live milk, and cheaper than buying milk on campus) and that was an interesting experience, but it wasn’t too bad. I really liked the tea itself! Slightly orange-y and delicious.
(By the way, I found this interesting recipe for Hot Spiced Orange and Fruit Tea on the Stash Tea website. It looks good! Maybe I’ll try it this winter and then post about it here, eh?)
The book: Classes started this week and so my time has been filled with that and work, and I haven’t had much space for pleasure reading. No more one-book-a-day months this semester! But I’ve still managed to finish half a book! It’s March Upcountry by David Weber and John Ringo, and it’s really good. I don’t normally go for military sci-fi, but I’ve found quite a few good ones in Baen’s catalog, and this one seems to be heading to at LEAST a four bird rating.
Continue reading »
Petronella Saves Nearly Everyone: The Entomological Tales of Augustus T. Percival by Dene Low
Publication: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children (June 1, 2009), Paperback ARC, 200ish pages / ISBN 0547152507
Genre: Historical Fiction, Children’s
Rating:
Find @ Amazon or IndieBound
Read: August 2009
Challenge: The 2009 Pub Challenge (#5)
First sentence: There is something terribly wrong with Mr. Augustus T. Percival.
In one sentence: If this was a movie, it’d be A Series of Unfortunate Events mixed with Little Miss Sunshine.
I read the ARC of this, but I actually got it from BookMooch and not from a publisher. Yay, kind people on BookMooch! I don’t remember where I first learned of Petronella Saves Nearly Everyone, but I have a hunch it was on a book blog somewhere. Aha! It was Bookslut! I was immediately drawn to the name and the cover, and while the book itself didn’t really live up to my expectations, I enjoyed reading it nevertheless.
Summary from Amazon:
You would think Petronella’s sixteenth birthday would be cause for celebration. After all, fashionable friends are arriving at her country estate near London, teas are being served, and her coming out party promises to be a resplendent affair. Everything is falling nicely into place, until, suddenly—it isn’t. For Petronella discovers that her guardian, Uncle Augustus T. Percival, has developed a most unVictorian compulsion: He must eat bugs. Worse still, because he is her guardian, Uncle Augustus is to attend her soiree and his current state will most definitely be an embarrassment.
During the festivities, when Petronella would much rather be sharing pleasantries with handsome Lord James Sinclair (swoon), important guests are disappearing, kidnapping notes are appearing, many of the clues are insects, and Uncle Augustus is surreptitiously devouring evidence. It’s more than one sixteen-year-old girl should have to deal with. But, truth be told, there is far more yet to come…
My favorite parts of the book were actually the secondary characters, especially Petronella’s uncle (the Augustus T. Percival in the title). I liked the plot, too, especially once the wackiness started taking over and made things more interesting. I laughed, I sighed, I had some fun. The language seemed spot-on, though I’m no expert on Edwardian speech, and I was surprisingly fascinated with the clothing described within.
Although I enjoyed some parts very much, unfortunately the parts I didn’t like outnumbered the parts I did. I didn’t really like Petronella, since she seems too obsessed with her love interest and being respectable. That makes for some funny scenes, but it also makes for a slightly boring character, especially compared with the interesting, unusual characters she’s surrounded with. Her personality didn’t seem to mesh with what other characters said about her: that she was a mischievous troublemaker who knew how to have fun and went out and had it. The new “adult” Petronella seemed entirely too bland to have actually done any of the interesting things she was supposed to have done, though she does become more vibrant near the climax of the plot (i.e. where she actually saves nearly everyone).
Because Petronalla was so bland, the strangeness of the events around her were not so much left of center as completely off the map. I don’t know if that makes the weirdness better or worse– but I do know that the strange bits were also the most exciting, and Petronella’s drabness dragged the book down. Sometimes it rose above, but mostly I was just confused re:how I was supposed to feel about Petronella Saves Nearly Everyone. On the one hand, it’s funny and unusual and really cute. On the other hand, it’s kinda boring and the tone is all over the place.
Overall, I liked Petronella Saves Nearly Everyone. It has some problems, but it wasn’t bad and I’ll for sure read the sequels (two of them in progress, according to Ms. Low’s website!). And I’ll for sure try out Ms. Low’s other books, as well, which look just as quirky and potentially adorkable. I just probably won’t, uh, buy them. So, try it out if you think it has potential– just maybe get it from the library or a book trading website before buying it.
Get your own copy from Amazon or your favorite independent bookstore.
Other reviews: Pop Culture Junkie | Title and Statement of Responsibility | Bookslut
Unexpected Magic: Collected Stories by Diana Wynne Jones
Publication: Greenwillow Books (February 7, 2006), Paperback, 608 pages / ISBN 0060555351
Genre: Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Children’s/YA
Rating:
Find @ Amazon or IndieBound
Read: August 2009
In one sentence: An excellent collection of short stories from one of my favorite authors.
I’m not entirely sure how long this had been sitting on my bookshelves before I started reading it (I’m not entirely sure where I got it from, either), but the only reason it took so long for me to actually read it was purely because I have a small prejudice against short stories. More often than not a short story collection leaves me cold (with a few exceptions), but this collection was a pleasant surprise. I enjoyed every single story, even the ones with problems!
Summary from Amazon:
Master storyteller Diana Wynne Jones presents a riveting collection of unpredictable tales, including:
* A cat tells how the kindhearted wizard she owns is suddenly called upon to defeat a horrific Beast.
* When Anne has mumps, her drawings come to life, and she must protect her home from them.
* Four children become involved in the intrigue surrounding an innocent prince, an evil count, and a brave outlaw.These fifteen stories and one novella will enchant, startle, and surprise!
I don’t particularly feel like going story by story through the whole collection (probably it’d be boring, as well), so instead I’m going to talk about my favorite story, “Everard’s Ride”. It’s actually a novella, and fantastic enough to have been made into a full-fledged book if DWJ had wanted to. It’s the typical “siblings witness something mysterious and then go off onto an adventure where dangerous things happen, and also there is a snotty prince who turns out to be really okay, and also lots of people die but the best ones live so it’s okay.” But it’s grand.
The other stories were really good, as well, though of course I didn’t like them all equally. In fact, I pretty much hated the first story, “The Girl Jones,” but the next story, “Nad and Dan Adn Quaffy,” a sci-fi mind-bender, made up for it. Oh, jeeze, I’m doing it. I’m going through each story, and I said I wouldn’t. Okay, I’m stopping here.
If you’ve never read any of Diana Wynne Jones’ books before, or if you’re already a hardcore fan, Unexpected Magic is well worth picking up. It’s fun, it’s adventurous, and it’s made me love DWJ even more if possible. Of course, I could just be biased. (But I’m not.)
Other reviews: Green Man Review (+) | Luann (-) | Reviewed by T89 (-)
Tanglewreck by Jeanette Winterson
Publication: A & C Black Publishers Ltd (March 1, 2008), Hardback, 416 pages / ISBN 0713686898
Genre: Sci-Fi, Children’s/YA
Rating:
Find @ Amazon or IndieBound
Read: August 2009
First sentence: At six forty-five one summer morning, a red London bus was crossing Waterloo Bridge.
In one sentence: Surreal, sweet, and full of SCIENCE!
Alright, I admit it. The shiny text on the spine lured me into borrowing this from the library. Well, the shiny text and the supremely interesting title– and once again I have been lucky in that this was actually, happily, a really good book!
Summary from Amazon:
A little way in the future, time is distorting. Time Tornadoes are causing havoc. People are whirled out of their own time, never to return, and a Woolly Mammoth has been seen on the banks of the River Thames. But time is big business, and whoever gets control of time controls life as we know it! In a house called Tanglewreck lives a girl called Silver and her aunt Mrs Rokabye. Unbeknown to Silver there is a family treasure in the form of a 17th-century watch called the Timekeeper, and this treasure holds the key to the mysterious and frightening changes in time. When the sinister Abel Drinkwater arrives at Tanglewreck in search of the watch, Silver realises she must embark on a journey through Time and Space to find the Timekeeper.
There’s a lot I love about Tanglewreck, but the biggest thing is how weird it is. It’s hard to pick out specific things because the whole thing is just a little off-center, like how Alice in Wonderland is just a little different from what our own world is like. It all starts off very normally, but then quickly proceeds to throw out these strange little facts and people and events, and it’s all a lot of fun.
Take, for instance, the people who live below ground, deep within London’s sewers and lower. Or the fact that Silver’s house talks to her of the future and that it sets up traps for burglars to fall into. Or what about Bigamy the rabbit, who spies on Silver and reports her doings to his owner (and Silver’s caretaker), Mrs. Rokabye? Strange, and fun.
The plot is terribly exciting, but it doesn’t go in a straight line from start to finish. It meanders, goes a little slow in parts, and when the end comes it was as much a surprise to me as it was to the characters. It’s a good plot, though, and worth following to the end.
Tanglewreck is a little confusing in the way that I’m still not entirely sure what happens in A Wrinkle In Time, but there’s much less science (no tesseracts at all) and I’m pretty sure I figured everything out. I do think the emphasis is more on the characters and their relationships with each other than the science/magic bits, and surprisingly those relationships aren’t complicated at all.
When science isn’t being discussed the prose can be a bit sappy (love moves faster than the speed of light? O-kay.), but I didn’t mind most of the time. It wasn’t too sappy, and some sweetness is a nice thing, I think.
The only real issue I had with Tanglewreck is that I had a hard time connecting emotionally to the characters. I liked them, and I was interested in reading about them, but I never felt close to them. I was always slightly distanced from them, and that’s a tough thing to have to read with, a lot of times. Also I think the characters came off sometimes like cardboard props waiting to say their lines– Mrs Rokabye, especially, comes off as a prop character. If Tanglewreck had characters with more depth, I think it would have been even more enjoyable than it is now. And also I think sometimes the explanations of what a black hole is, or describing something Einstein said, etc., can come off as rather teach-y, but not in an entirely annoying way. Sometimes it was pretty useful– like how fast exactly the speed of light is. All I remembered before was “really, really fast.”
Despite those problems, I had a really good time reading Tanglewreck. It’s a little surreal, a little strange, and a lot of fun.
Other reviews: The Shiela Variations | Tamaranth’s Non-Ephemera | Becky’s Book Reviews
More about my rating guide, including the buy/borrow/bin rating system used Sept. 2010-May 2011.
Loading ...