Book Review: The Green Ember

My place beside you
My blood for yours
Till the Green Ember rises
or the end of the world

Where are the all books about heroic acts and brave deeds? Why have we stopped feeding our children stories of brave knights and daring princesses? Few tales have been produced since the days of Tolkien, Lewis, & MacDonald that reveal the endurance of the human (or rabbit) spirit, tales that demonstrate the strength that always arises from a fallen people and a broken nation.

In S.D. Smith’s The Green Ember, I am shown a world that is broken and in need of mending. A world where many are fighting for a freedom which only their parents once knew. The book opens with brother and sister, Heather and Picket, playing a sweet game in the meadow, but events quickly unfold, and Heather and Picket are entangled in a fight for a world - a warren - that they barely knew existed. Their bravery is tested and their loyalties questioned.

Author S.D. Smith takes Watership Down and The Lord of the Rings, two enthralling tales of bravery and triumph, and weaves them into a single masterpiece that is an entity all its own. Smith has given us a tale that will make us cry, cheer, and fist pump when events turn and battles are won. The Green Ember is such a refreshing story where the outcome is not straightforward. The story constantly tugs between good and evil and who will triumph. Your heart will soar one moment and shatter the next. Though there are times when darkness seems to envelop the world, no matter how much light is snuffed out, there is always a faint ember glowing in the depths.

For those who have not yet ventured into the marvelous world of S.D. Smith, you are missing a tale, a community, and a practice that isn’t appreciated anymore in this world . . . chivalry, bravery, acts of mercy and of love.

Read, marvel, and most importantly . . . hope.

Book Review: Adrian Simcox Does NOT Have a Horse

Marcy Campbell's first picture book is fun, touching, and energetic.

Adrian Simcox Does NOT Have a Horse is the picture-book-debut of dreams. Campbell's writing is artful, vivid, and poignant, and Corinna Luyken's illustrations capture the swirling tenderness of the story.  

Here is a description from the publisher:

Adrian Simcox tells anyone who will listen that he has a horse--the best and most beautiful horse anywhere.

But Chloe does NOT believe him. Adrian Simcox lives in a tiny house. Where would he keep a horse? He has holes in his shoes. How would he pay for a horse?

The more Adrian talks about his horse, the angrier Chloe gets. But when she calls him out at school and even complains about him to her mom, Chloe doesn't get the vindication she craves. She gets something far more important.
 

Right away, the title and premise were enough to intrigue me. But the most interesting (and my favorite) thing about Adrian Simcox is that it's a picture book told in the first person. And that person is NOT Adrian Simcox. 

Chloe, who is skeptical of Adrian's horse stories, is our narrator. Chloe herself is another highlight of this book. She is impatient with Adrian, and impulsive. She is a little harsher than she means to be when she feels the truth is at stake. This sort of imperfect protagonist, like Campbell's first-person narration, is unusually complex for a picture book, and even more impressive is that it works. Chloe's story teaches kids that it's okay to make mistakes, as long as you work to better understand those around you. 

This book would be great for reading aloud, not only because of the beautiful cadence, but because its humor manages to be both matter-of-fact and whimsical. Campbell's dialogue feels natural and rhythmic, and every character's lines practically pop off the page. The story contains a variety of emotions that would make for a lively and entertaining story time. 

Corinna Luyken's illustrations are stunning and organic with pops of color. Her wild lines and earthy tones provide an energetic and free-feeling setting for the story. She perfectly captures the world as it looks to us when we are children, imagining, learning, reacting, and trying to understand.  

So basically, I love this book, and I think you will, too. We have a small supply of signed copies available at The Story Shop, so come by and grab them before they're gone! 

As always, happy reading. 

Book Review: Willa of the Wood

The author of the Serafina series returns! Robert Beatty's Willa of the Wood is fierce, fantastical, and captivating.

How beautiful is this cover? 

Here is the publisher's summary:

Move without a sound. Steal without a trace.

To Willa, a young night-spirit, humans are the murderers of trees. She's been taught to despise them and steal from them. She's her clan's best thief, creeping into the log cabins of the day-folk under cover of darkness and taking what they won't miss. It's dangerous work, but Willa will do anything to win the approval of the padaran, the charismatic leader of the Faeran people.

When Willa's curiosity leaves her hurt and stranded in the day-folk world, she calls upon the old powers of her beloved grandmother, and the unbreakable bonds of her forest allies, to survive. Only then does she begin to discover the shocking truth: that not all of her human enemies are the same, and that the foundations of her own Faeran society are crumbling. What do you do when you realize that the society you were born and raised in is rife with evil? Do you raise your voice? Do you stand up against it?

As forces of unfathomable destruction attack her forest home, Willa must decide who she truly is--facing deadly force with warm compassion, sinister corruption with trusted alliance, and finding a home for her longing heart.

Sound awesome? It is. Willa gets more enthralling and mysterious the deeper the reader ventures into the story.

The book is lengthy, but middle readers will remain glued to Willa's story. Her adventure is full of high energy bursts with breaks just short enough for readers to gather themselves before Beatty throws us into even more vine-like twists and turns. 

The cast of characters is diverse, ranging from quaint to flashy to threatening to kind. Willa herself is a brilliant mixture of feistiness and compassion, fiercely gentle towards all living things she encounters. (Not to mention how super-awesome her magic is.)

Her companions include Luthien, the female head of the wolves, who aids Willa through a life-threatening chase, and Nathaniel, a homesteader man, who takes Willa under his wing.

Willa is also set during an interesting historical moment - the construction of the Great Smoky Mountain railroad in the early 1900s. Willa's clan is at odds with several other groups: the homesteaders, the Cherokee, and the railroad workers. 

Beatty is right on point when it comes to getting middle readers interested not only in the magic of reading, but also in American and regional history. (You can get me interested in anything historical if you add in forest spirits.)

Willa will make page-turners of middle readers and parents, alike. 

Greenglass House

Summary from the publisher:

It's wintertime at Greenglass House. The creaky smuggler's inn is always quiet during this season, and 12-year-old Milo, the innkeepers' adopted son, plans to spend his holidays relaxing. But on the first icy night of vacation, out of nowhere, the guest bell rings. Then it rings again. And again. Soon Milo's home is bursting with odd, secretive guests, each one bearing a strange story that is somehow connected to the rambling old house. As objects go missing and tempers flare, Milo and Meddy, the cook's daughter, must decipher clues and untangle the web of deepening mysteries to discover the truth about Greenglass House—and themselves.           

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Review:

This book has everything: mystery, interesting characters, suspense, fantastic world building, and several twists and turns. I loved every minute of it. I resonated with introverted Milo and his love of holiday traditions, as well as his frustration when those hopes for traditions are dashed one after the other by each new and strange guest. The house itself is just as strange and Milford does a wonderful job of making the oddities of the house as intriguing as the characters themselves. Milo and Meddy are my new favorite partners in crime; I love their character dynamic and what each brings out in the other. The author creates a world in which the characters must uncover the truth at the price of discovering who they are and the part they have to play in their own story.

This is a great adventure to snuggle up with in the (hopefully) cooling weather. Keep an eye out for the sequel, Ghosts of Greenglass House, which releases next Tuesday, October 3.

Silly (Sounding) Plots That Are (Actually) Amazing

We've all done it. We've read the synopsis on the back or inside cover of a book and quickly put it back (maybe even with a raised eyebrow) because what we read sounded unappealing or just plain silly (and not the make you laugh kind of silly). In this series, we'll talk about titles you may have passed on but are more than worth a second look.

Early Young Adult: The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer

One word kept me from reading this series for months: cyborgs. 
Kudos if you enjoy reading about them, but I read the synopsis of the first book in this series of retellings, Cinder, and rolled my eyes. Heavily.

I'm so glad I gave in; I devoured this series. Not only does Meyer write about cyborgs in the best and most interesting way possible, but she does it in a way that makes us look at the real world in a different light, as good fiction should.

She also retells some of our favorite fairy tales in a fascinating future world (which is another reason I didn't pick up the series as long as I did, I find that it's hard to build future worlds that aren't crazy dystopian and I read enough of that, thank you). Each book in the series adds another perspective while building the same story line, which is difficult to do well, but Meyer excels with this format. This series has everything going for it: strong leading and supporting characters (both male and female), both romance and friendship, courage and power, technology, diplomacy and mind control.

A caveat: This is Young Adult, so there is a little content that isn't appropriate for a younger crowd. If that's something that worries you, you can avoid the bulk/worst of it by skipping Fairest (Lunar Chronicles 3.5). This book gives Queen Lavana's backstory, which makes you intermittently pity her and loathe her, but you won't miss out on too much of the plot.

The Chronicles of Prydain

Summary from the publisher:
The Chronicles of Prydain, based on Welsh mythology, have become the standard of excellence in fantasy literature for children. Since The Book of Three was first published in 1964, young readers have been enthralled by the adventures of Taran the Assistant Pig-Keeper and his quest to become a hero. Taran is joined by an engaging cast of characters that includes Eilonwy, the strong-willed and sharp-tongued princess; Fflewddur Fflam, the hyperbole-prone bard; the ever-faithful Gurgi; and the curmudgeonly Doli—all of whom become involved in an epic struggle between good and evil that shapes the fate of the legendary land of Prydain.

The Black Cauldron was a Newbery Honor Book, and The High King won the Newbery Medal for “the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children.”

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Review:
How can you improve on "the standard of excellence in fantasy literature for children"? This series has everything you could want: comedy, courage, wisdom, foolishness, power, tragedy, and friendship. There are five books in the series, and each builds upon the adventures in the last.

• The Book of Three introduces the threat of the Horned King, a servant of Arwn, to the peace of the Prydain, and we meet Taran and the companions for the first time.
• The Black Cauldron seeks to destroy the power of Arwn to create the deathless warriors, the Cauldron Born.
• The Castle of Llyr takes us to the isle of Mona and the bumbling Prince Rhun.
• Taran Wanderer follows Taran's journey to self-discovery.
• The High King brings us to the battle for all Prydain.

The only caveat is for pronunciation. As it is based on Welsh mythology, there are Welsh names. And Welsh may be even more notorious than French in the realms of spelling versus saying. Fortunately, there is a pronunciation guide in the back of each book. I also recommend the audio books as you read along, narrated by James Langton. His Welsh accent is lovely and helps to keep younger readers or more difficult to engage readers engrossed in this incredible series.