Genius Kids » Birdbrain(ed) Book Blog

Review: Kiki Strike: Inside the Shadow City by Kirsten Miller

Posted by Anastasia on August 19, 2009 2 Responses »

Aug 192009

Kiki #1 Kiki Strike: Inside the Shadow City by Kirsten Miller
Publication: Bloomsbury USA Children’s Books (May 30, 2006), Hardcover, 387 pages / ISBN 1582349606
Genre: Action, Adventure, YA/Teen
Rating:
Find @ Amazon or IndieBound
Read: August 2009
First sentence:

In one sentence: It’s the Babysitters Club with bite.

This is the first time in several months that I’ve written a review for a book I’ve JUST finished, and I’m doing it now because the book I read? Is. so. AWESOME!

I spotted the spine on a shelf in the library where I work, and I immediately thought it’d be entertaining if nothing else. It sounded like a version of Alex Rider or CHERUB– and it is. But better.

Summary from Amazon (slightly edited for spoilers):

White-haired, leprechaun-size Kiki Strike is a new student at Atalanta School in New York City when she meets 12-year-old Ananka Fishbein, the narrator of Miller’s debut novel. Together they begin a detailed exploration of the Shadow City, the subterranean rooms and streets under New York’s subway system, and Kiki recruits a team of other precocious 12-year-olds, whose skills include hacking, chemistry, lock picking, forging, making handmade explosives, and mechanical engineering, to join them. Ananka, the team’s urban archaeologist, will supply her family’s extensive library and learn everything about rats, the current Shadow City inhabitants. As the girls try to obtain layered maps of New York City’s infrastructure, they fear that terrorists with the same goals are putting the city in terrible danger.

To keep my review from simply being filled with gushing enthusiasm (and capslock), I’ve made a list of what I loved best about Inside the Shadow City:

1. The characters. Strong female characters who aren’t defined by their relationships with men (well, they’re 12/14, so there isn’t a lot there anyway), who don’t back down when adults tell them to, and who can take of themselves and put plans into action that would make Alex Rider hesitate. Yay!

2. The plot. It’s a little bumpy, but it’s so interesting. Spies? Princesses on the run? Secret underground cities?! This is the stuff action movies are made of, and it’s all made better by the fact that 12-year-old girls are a part of it.

3. The fact that it shows girls can do absolutely anything, even if no-one thinks they can. Even if they’re young, short, and being threatened by assassins! Even if they don’t think they can do it themselves– the girls in Inside the Shadow City are in charge of their own lives, and it makes for an awesomely empowering story.

4. Mixed up with the chapters are practical how-to guides and notes about interesting things related to the story, and if I was still 12 I’d totally be out doing everything in this book. Heck, I was a copy of Harriet the Spy for about four years after I read the book, and Inside the Shadow City has even more exciting stuff in it than just writing down observations in a notebook. Urban exploration! How to escape kidnappers! How to tail people! Famous underground cities that actually exist! I feel like putting together an exploration kit right now and carrying it around with me, and I’m 21!
Continue reading »

Review: Earthseed by Pamela Sargent (1984)

Posted by Anastasia on May 30, 2009 3 Responses »

May 302009

Earthseed by Pamela Sargent
Publication: Armada (April 16, 1984), Hardcover, 290 pages / ISBN 0001842064
Genre: Sci-Fi, YA
Rating:
Find @ Amazon or IndieBound
Challenges: Support Your Local Library Challenge (#14), The Final Frontier Challenge (#2)
First sentence: Zoheret rolled slowly down the corridor, flexing her knees as she skated.

In one sentence: Exciting YA sci-fi with iffy characterization but a fascinating plot.

I discovered this book by browsing the YA section at the library where I work– one of my favorite pasttimes, actually– and based on the first page (which you can find on Amazon here) I thought I might enjoy it. And luckily, I did!

Summary from Amazon:

Ship hurtles through space. Deep within its core, it carries the seed of humankind. Launched by the people of a dying Earth over a century ago, its mission is to find a habitable world for the children—fifteen-year-old Zoheret and her shipmates—whom it has created from its genetic banks.

To Zoheret and her shipmates, Ship has been mother, father, and loving teacher, preparing them for their biggest challenge: to survive on their own, on an uninhabited planet, without Ship’s protection. Now that day is almost upon them…but are they ready to leave Ship? Ship devises a test. And suddenly, instincts that have been latent for over a hundred years take over. Zoheret watches as friends become strangers—and enemies. Can Zoheret and her companions overcome the biggest obstacle to the survival of the human race—themselves?

The whole concept of humankind travelling out into space to populate some other planet is one that’s been done since, like, sci-fi was invented, but it’s always one that interests me. I love all the technical aspects of getting humans there, getting them to survive, and then getting them to get along. Earthseed is a great example of all those things I love, plus it’s got lots of other interesting stuff (AI computer! Cloning! Asteroid-turned-spaceship!) and it all coincides with puberty and growing up. It’s not just a sci-fi novel: it’s also a coming-of-age tale. Woohoo!

The characters are a slight problem, as they tended to be rather bland and interchangeable. Even Zoheret, the heroine, never managed to capture my affection and only barely had my interest. However, I loved seeing them mature and figure out how to survive– and I do think that later in the book they somehow found more distinctive personalities. Because I wasn’t particularly close to Zoheret, I did feel more like an observer than a participant and that created a bigger wall between myself and the characters than I think is good– but I enjoyed observing nonetheless.

Besides the problem with the characters, I do think the writing style is very good. It’s somehow both elegant and harsh at the same time; it doesn’t hold anything back, but it does it in a gentle sort of way. It’s a good fit for the story, which was oftentimes violent, bloody, and dark. I also thought it got across big concepts– what makes a person human, tyranny, even artificial intelligence– with grace and subtlety, something that I think is somewhat rare in YA books.

I had a lot of fun reading Earthseed, despite its flaws. It’s engaging, exciting, and, overall, an excellent YA book.

Other reviews: Dewey’s Stacks | Phoebe Eating

Review: The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart (2007)

Posted by Anastasia on March 15, 2009 7 Responses »

Mar 152009

The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart
Publication: Little, Brown Young Readers (2008), Paperback, 512 pages / ISBN 0316003956
Genre: Mystery, Children’s/YA
Rating:
Find @ Amazon or IndieBound
First sentence: In a city called Stonetown, near a port called Stonetown Harbor, a boy named Reynie Muldoon was preparing to take an important test.

I spotted the cover of The Mysterious Benedict Society around, oh, a year or so ago. It looked interesting, but it was in hardback and I don’t have that kind of moola to spend. I decided to wait until it came out in paperback, and then I had to wait until it was actually in stock at a bookstore around here and then I had to rediscover it because I had actually forgotten about it. Whoops. Anyway, I bought it last weekend, and I’m glad I did. It was a lot of fun!

Summary from Amazon:

“Are you a gifted child looking for special opportunities?”

When this peculiar ad appears in the newspaper, dozens of children enroll to take a series of mysterious, mind-bending tests. (And you, dear reader, can test your wits right alongside them.) But in the end just four very special children will succeed. Their challenge: to go on a secret mission that only the most intelligent and resourceful children could complete. To accomplish it they will have to go undercover at the Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened, where the only rule is that there are no rules.

As our heroes face physical and mental trials beyond their wildest imaginations, they have no choice but to turn to each other for support. But with their newfound friendship at stake, will they be able to pass the most important test of all?

Welcome to the Mysterious Benedict Society.

The front inside cover compares The Mysterious Benedict Society to Blue Balliett, Lemony Snicket, and Roald Dahl. That is a LOT of comparison to live up to, lemme tell ya. I don’t entirely agree with it: TMBS’s not as wacky as Roald Dahl’s books, nor is it as depressing (or wacky) as Lemony Snicket’s books. It’s just a little too wacky for Blue Balliett books, but I suppose in tone it fits most closely to her. (If you haven’t read Chasing Vermeer yet, by the way, get to it. I loved it, and you will too.) It very much comes off like a first book trying to find its voice, and while that’s not a bad thing at all, it makes for a little awkward reading. But, er, unfortunately it’s not Mr. Stewart’s first book, so I don’t know why there was such a problem.

For the most part, I enjoyed the book. I liked the characters, I liked (almost all) the writing, and I liked the story. I have a huge soft spot for orphans, and this book’s got a ton of them. I also have a huge soft spot for kids with gumption, and TMBS has a lot of them, as well. Also I like secret societies and boarding schools and interesting gadgets. So I was nearly giddy with excitement for the majority of the book. It was fun!

The story is nearly completely ridiculous, but in a good way. Mysterious messages being beamed through television and radio that no-one can hear? AWESOME. Sounds kinda like an X-Files episode, or a BBC kids show. The characters, even the adult ones, are unusual and interesting and quite kind and sweet (except for the baddies, of course). I was glad that Mr. Benedict had reservations about using children in his plan, as it seems that a lot of books where adults use kids somehow don’t think of that. The kids probably wouldn’t mind either way, but it makes the character more likable and real. Anyway, moving on.

The story drags a bit in the middle, and in some ways I think if Mr. Stewart had cranked the weirdness level up it would have actually been better. Not that it needed to be more farcical, just that around the middle, in the bit that dragged, it kind of…lost it’s creativeness. It became stagnant and less zany and I was bored. Luckily it picked itself back up in the last part, or else I would have been extremely disappointed (and bored as well).

There’s some reader interaction with puzzles and codes, but not as much as in The Name of This Book is Secret, say. And unfortunately some of the puzzles can only be solved by the characters because they have inside knowledge that we don’t, rather like a Hercule Poirot story. It’s not a horrible thing, but I’ve never like that about Hercule Poirot and so I was a little disgruntled.

By the end of the book I was smiling like a loon, and the happy ending totally made my day. There was also enough room left open for a sequel or two, which of course there is. I do plan on reading them, as I want to find out what happens to everyone.

Rereading over this review I do feel a bit mean, as it wasn’t a horrible book by any stretch of the imagination and I did very much enjoy reading it. I probably was just a little bit too nitpicky, but I hope that doesn’t discourage anyone from reading The Mysterious Benedict Society because I think you’ll like it!

Other reviews: Blogging For A Good Book | Letters From A Hill Farm | The Written World

Review: The Vanishing Chip by Mark Delaney (1998)

Posted by Anastasia on March 4, 2009 No Responses »

Mar 042009

The Vanishing Chip by Mark Delaney
Publication: Peachtree Publishers (1998), Edition: 1st, Paperback, 188 pages / ISBN 1561451762
Genre: Mystery, YA/Teen
Rating: 2/5
Find @ Amazon
Challenges: Read Your Own Books 2009 (#13)

Okay, so, yeah, you’ve probably never heard of this book. It’s horribly dated, it’s not really popular, and it’s not particularly well written. I found it at one of the library book sales I went to last year, and while I don’t necessarily regret buying it I do feel kinda bad for it. It’s got a lot against it, and while the good parts don’t really overcome the bad, it wasn’t entirely horrible.

Summary from Amazon:

Meet Misfits, Inc. Investigations: Peter, the Genius; Jake, the Athlete; Byte, the Computer Whiz; and Mattie, the “Magician.” These four talented teenagers don’t quite fit in with their peers, but they do manage to find true friendship with each other as they crack a mystery.

In their first case, the super-sleuths band together to clear Mattie’s grandfather, who stands falsely accused of stealing a million-dollar computer chip from a local science museum. When the FBI and local police can’t turn up any leads, the Misfits draw upon their own special talents to lead them to the thieves and solve the mystery of THE VANISHING CHIP.

As with any book with computer and technology playing a big part in the plot, it all gets really dated really fast. 1998 was only 11 years ago, yet a lot has changed since this book was written. Programs used on Byte’s latptop, the “vanishing chip” which touted to be the size of a quarter, etc. etc.

I’m not ragging on it because of those things, though; I actually like reading older books and the technology used in them. It’s like a little retrospective, or a historical document. However, The Vanishing Chip isn’t yet old enough to be truly interesting historically. Maybe in a few more years it will be, but today it just reads old-fashioned and outdated. The characters spend around three chapters figuring out that the “vanishing chip” was actually– spoiler alert!– a hologram. That’s after watching it flicker out. Oh dear. Surely at least one of them has seen a Star Trek episode?

Besides the technology, though, there’s a pretty decent story about four friends who get into big trouble with the wrong people and have to get out of it without getting killed. The plot’s not sensational but it has some exciting parts, and I honestly did fear for the kids’ lives in the later parts. I didn’t really care about the characters besides that, but I did like the inter-group romantic entanglement hints. Made things more realistic! Also, the mystery itself was well done. Nothing too complicated, but it was twisted enough that I kept reading the book.

Not really recommended except for those who like reading about old tech. Younger kids today will probably find it stupid, unfortunately.

Review: All-American Girl by Meg Cabot (2002)

Posted by Anastasia on March 2, 2009 2 Responses »

Mar 022009

All-American Girl by Meg Cabot
Publication: HarperTeen (2003), Mass Market Paperback, 416 pages / ISBN 0064472779
Genre: Chick Lit, Teen
Rating: 4/5
Find @ Amazon
First sentence: Okay, here are the top ten reasons why I can’t stand my sister Lucy: I get all her hand-me-downs, even her bras.

I’ve never read Meg Cabot before. I know, I know! I kinda remember reading part of The Princess Diaries, but I didn’t like it enough to continue and I never tried anything else. Until now, obviously.

Summary from Amazon:

While waiting for her ride home from an after-school art class, Samantha Madison, a sophomore at John Adams Preparatory School in Washington, DC, inadvertently saves the President’s life by jumping on the back of a would-be assassin. Suddenly, she is a celebrity, invited to the White House for dinner, named the teen ambassador to the U.N., and revered by her fellow classmates. Yet, even her new star status doesn’t allow her to get what she really wants-a date with her sister’s boyfriend, Jack. Hoping to make him jealous, she asks out the President’s son. The plan backfires, but Samantha discovers who she really is in the process.

I was pleasantly surprised with this book! Yeah, the situation is impossible but it’s fun, and cute, and it’s got some good thoughts hidden in amongst the silliness. Samantha unfortunately annoys me a little too much, but it’s more in a stupid-little-sister way than this-character-is-fake way. If that makes sense. I still rooted for her and David (the President’s son) to get together, and for Sam to change into a better, less irritating person. The other characters don’t really stand out as much, even Lucy and Jack, but honestly, when I was reading the book I didn’t really care.

The writing was good, for what the book was, and though some of the pop culture references are now horribly dated (poor Heath Ledger, for instance, makes a cameo as one character’s dream man) it still holds up pretty well. I’d recommend it to anyone looking for a fluffy, quick read.

Apparently there’s a sequel; I’m not sure how it’d work, but I might check it out. The thing is, All-American Girl doesn’t really seem like it needs a sequel. Which book sequels do you think are unnecessary?

Other reviews: Bookworm Burrow | semper me invenio | Reading Is Sexy

Review: Evil Genius by Catherine Jinks (2005)

Posted by Anastasia on November 17, 2008 1 Response »

Nov 172008

Evil Genius by Catherine Jinks
Publication (US): Harcourt Paperbacks (2008), Paperback, 560 pages / ISBN 0152061851
Genre: YA, Thriller, Suspense
Rating: 4.5/5
Find @ Amazon, swap sites

I picked this up at Barnes and Noble on Saturday, mainly because it had such a high page count for a low-ish price. Also, shiny cover. I am easily swayed by shiny covers.

Summary borrowed from Amazon:

“At age seven, child prodigy Cadel Piggott lands in a shrink’s office for illegal computer hacking, where psychologist Thaddeus Roth delivers startling counsel: “Next time, don’t get caught.” Thaddeus is an agent of Cadel’s real father, a brilliant crook who, from behind bars, manages to place Cadel at the secretive Axis Institute for World Domination. By 13, Cadel is earnestly studying “Infiltration, Misinformation, and Embezzlement,” but as he increasingly relies on an outside friendship, he privately plots to extricate himself from the paterfamilias.”

Happily enough, Evil Genius turned out to be rather a decent read. It starts off quite slow, when Cadel’s around age seven. Luckily it speeds through four or so years until he gets to high school, then again when he gets to the Axis Institute. It really picks up around page 300, which leads to a fantastic action-packed ending that meant I couldn’t put the book down. I had to know what happened next now. Thank god for that, though; I think if it had been any slower I would have been bored (I very nearly was in the first 100 pages, anyway. Not completely bored, though, just hanging on the edge of it).