The Selection by Kiera Cass

Rating: Clean

Audience: Ninth grade and above. There is no sex in the book, but America (the protagonist and narrator) makes it clear that the only reason she and her secret boyfriend haven't gone that far is because it is illegal and if she became pregnant they would both be thrown in prison.

Plot: America Singer is in one of the lower castes in Illea (what used to be North America), and her greatest dilemma is trying to decide how to break it to her parents that she has been secretly dating a boy from a lower caste for the last two years.  But when both her family and her boyfriend encourage her to apply for "the Selection"--a televised contest where women from all over the nation are selected to compete for the hand of the Crown Prince--her world is turned upside down.

What makes it great?

Despite the fact that this plot has been pieced together from existing novels and reality TV, I really really enjoyed this book.

The obvious reason for this is that I just love the prince. Maybe if Prince Maxon was on "the Bachelor," I'd actually watch the show! Now, as with every good love triangle, you're allowed to pick your favorite, but Maxon is the obvious winner here! He's adorably awkward and you just can't help but love him.  

It's a light book, a "beach book," the kind you can read in a day and feel all giddy for a few days afterward. It is actually part of a trilogy, and I am really excited to read "The Elite" and "The One" as soon as I can get copies. 

Entwined by Heather Dixon

Rating: Cleanest

Audience: Fifth grade and up. Anyone who enjoys fairy tale adaptations will enjoy this book but I think it is geared toward middle school-aged girls, because it is actually kind of scary.

Plot: After their mother's death, Princess Azalea and her eleven younger sisters are forced into a year of mourning and solitude. They are not allowed to dance or leave their ancient castle home. Their father (whom they address as Sir and refer to as The King) insists that they keep to the rules, but Azalea decides that her sisters need to dance as a way of dealing with their grief. The princesses discover a secret passageway which leads to the silver pavilion of "the Keeper," who is both a dashing and sinister host.  However, as the year of mourning comes to an end, Azalea realizes that she has become entwined in the Keeper's secret world, and that the only way to escape with her family is to let him out as well. Now throw in some romance for the three eldest sisters, a war, an ancient blood-oath, dancing, politics, an enchanted silver tea set, and a father-daughter relationship in need a little work, and you've got a great read!

What makes it great?

My favorite part of the book was probably the relationship between The King and his daughters.  If you took out all the magic and the romance and the politics you'd still have a sweet story about a dad struggling to meet the needs of twelve crazy girls who just want their mother.  Of course, it's a lot more fun to read WITH all the magic and romance and politics, but Azalea's family is the heart of this story.

Also, I just started following Heather Dixon's blog and she is hilarious! She draws comics about her life that are WAY funnier than anything in the newspaper. Check it out for more info on her upcoming books.

Dragon Rider by Cornelia Funke

  

Rating: Cleanest

Audience: Elementary school kids as young as third or even second grade would enjoy listening to this book, and anyone older can enjoy reading it themselves.  It is pretty long, but exciting and not too scary. Best part? Completely clean!

Audio book recommendation: Yes! When I hear the name "Bredan Fraser" I automatically think of George of the Jungle overdosing on coffee powder, but he is actually one of the best readers I've ever heard.

Plot:  The world's last remaining dragons have been living in a hidden valley for centuries, but when they learn that a group of humans is building a dam that will eventually flood their home, they choose to give up in despair rather than risk venturing out into the world.  One dragon, however, sets out on a quest to find the legendary "Rim of Heaven" where there is rumored to be another colony of dragons and where the humans cannot possibly follow.  With the help of a spunky brownie (magical creature, not delicious dessert) and a very unique human boy, the brave dragon might have a chance.  However, a dangerous creature known as "the Golden One" loves nothing more than hunting dragons and has patiently waited for them to come out of hiding...

What makes it great?

It's a great story with a lot of fun characters and humor, but its Fraser's narration that really sells this one for me.  Each character has a unique voice that fits their personality and even their species! My favorites are probably Gravelbeard (the mountain troll) and Lola Greytail (the rat pilot) but every voice is great.  If you are looking for an entertaining book for a long road-trip, this is the one I recommend.

Castle Waiting by Linda Medley

Rating: Cleaner

Audience:  Though it was shelved in the JF section of the library, I would say eighth grade and up. Lady Jane's husband (not present in the book) is physically abusive and she is pregnant with another man's child.  I also just think that a lot of the wit would be lost on younger children.

Premise: After Sleeping Beauty woke up and got married and lived happily ever after, her castle and kingdom sort of just went to rot.  Her three ladies in waiting still live in the castle as old women and invite anyone who is looking for a refuge from the world to come live there as well.

Plot: The book is made up of a bunch of anecdotes (I believe each story was originally published separately in comic book form) from the different characters that live in the castle.  There is a pregnant noblewoman on the run, a bird-faced castle steward, a handsome talking horse, and my favorite: a bearded nun with a host of great stories from her circus days.

What makes it great?

Medieval fantasy setting, wit and humor on every page, and great illustrations.  I recommend this collection to anyone who 1. likes graphic novels 2. wants to like graphic novels 3. enjoys humorous fairy tale adaptations 4. LOVES THE STRANGE AND BIZARRE.

There is also a second volume (Castle Waiting Vol. 2) which is also very entertaining, though I prefer the first volume.

The Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan

Book #3 of the Heroes of Olympus series
Read #1 The Lost Hero
and #2 The Son of Neptune

Rating: Cleaner

Audience: Fourth grade and up. As always, it depends on the child.  There is a good dose of violence, and the complexity of the myths can be hard to follow.

Plot: Percy, Annabeth, Piper, Leo, Jason, Hazel, and Frank leave Camp Jupiter in a hurry after a happy reunion, an awkward banquet, and the accidental start of a civil war between the Greeks and Romans. (Only Rick Riordan can stick all of that in the first few chapters!) Their flying ship is damaged, and they know they have to figure out the rest of the prophecy before the two camps destroy each other.  The plot is super complex and I don't want to accidentally give any spoilers so I'm going to leave it at that for now...

Favorite parts:

1. Any moment between Annabeth and Percy, but especially their hilarious reunion scene

2. The chapter where they visit my home turf at the Great Salt Lake.

Warning: This book has a killer cliff-hanger ending, so be prepared to go out and buy book four as soon as you finish book three.  I'm so excited!!!

Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

Rating: Cleaner

Audience: Eighth grade and up. Some of the earliest versions of Little Red Riding Hood focused on the sensual, carnal nature of the Wolf and the danger of traveling alone with strange men, so it's no surprise that the romance in "Scarlet" is a bit more passionate than in "Cinder."  This book is also a bit more violent. However, there is no sex or nudity, so I still give it a double thumbs up!

Plot: Book two in Marissa Meyer's "Lunar Chronicles" is just as exciting as the first! The Story centers on Scarlet Benoit (a.k.a. Little Red Riding Hood), who is on a quest to find her abducted grandmother with a mysterious street-fighter called "Wolf."  Scarlet's story is it is intertwined with Cinder's where we left her last: breaking out of prison and starting a life on the run. Eventually, our two heroines meet in the middle of the war they have unknowingly been a part of, and they have to work together to survive.

What makes it great?

Scarlet is fiery, brave, opinionated, and just as admirable a heroine as Cinder. I really like Wolf too.  If you want a better understanding of Wolf's character/history, go read The Queen's Army, after you read Scarlet.  It is only a few chapters long and the e-book is free on Amazon. "Little Red Riding Hood" has never been one of my favorite stories, but I really liked the way Meyer worked the fairy tale allusions into the story.

My favorite part of this book, however, is that several of the chapters are told from Kai's perspective as he is trying to find Cinder.  I liked Kai in the first book, of course, but he really won me over in this one.

I am getting really excited for the third book, Cress,to be released this coming February and for book four, Winter, to come out in 2015.

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Rating: Cleaner/Cleanest

Audience: Seventh/eighth grade and up.  Younger readers could definitely enjoy this book, but the target age is more middle school.  Cinder's romance with the prince is very clean and I don't remember seeing any sexual innuendos. (Book 2, Scarlet, is a little more mature.) Like all dystopian novels, there are some alarming societal problems: plague, violent discrimination, etc. Just something to be aware of.

Audio book recommendation: Maybe. I stopped listening to the audio book after thirty seconds because I didn't like the readers voice.  However, when I was living in China and didn't have any English reading materials, I went back to listening to it on my iPod.  I got so sucked into the story that I didn't care about the narrators voice anymore and even came to like it, but I still would recommend reading instead of listening to this one.

The Plot: As you can probably tell from the cover and title, it's a fairy tale adaptation (my favorite), but it's set in the future after World War IV in the city of New Beijing.  The heroine, Cinder, is a cyborg.  Her metal hand and leg automatically make her a lesser citizen, but she holds her own by being sassy, sarcastic, and the best mechanic in the city.  The world is experiencing a horrible plague, to which the emperor himself falls ill, and the emperor's son, Prince Kai, is trying desperately to save his people while avoiding a diplomatic marriage with the manipulative Lunar Queen.  In the middle of it all is a teenage cyborg mechanic who is more important to the fate of the world than she could have ever guessed.

What makes it great?

This book is just fresh! We get a lot of dystopian America books, but dystopian China is new. The characters are great as well. Cinder is tough and spunky.  Kai is loveable. Iko, Cinder's android best friend, is adorable . . .

This is a great book for taking on vacation, reading at home or on the go--the plot is full of interesting twists but isn't so deep that you have to strain your brain to understand.  It is just a fun, exciting read and I think it will be a great series.

Mysteries in Our National Parks

 

Rating: Cleanest

Audience: As young as second grade if your kids are gutsy. If not, maybe fourth grade.  A few of the books (especially Valley of Death and Over the Edge) are pretty scary.  I still have an irrational fear of flash floods from Over the Edge ha ha. But the good news is that there is no sexual content or foul language (as far as I remember).

Plot:   Jack and Ashley Landon travel to various national parks with their veterinarian mother and wildlife photographer father. Each book features a new national park and Jack and Ashley learn about the park while solving some mystery the adults can't seem to figure out. The Landons are also a foster family and each book features a new temporary foster child whose rough past adds to the drama of the plot.

What makes them great?

These books are both entertaining and educational.  When we read them as kids, my siblings and I learned all sorts of things about the national parks, wildlife conservation, and political controversy, all while hanging on the edge of our seats ( . . . or the side of the bunk bed in this case) to see how the mystery would be solved.  I also liked how each new foster child brought in the perspectives of a different lifestyle or culture into the Landon family.  It's a pretty good idea.  These books are a great series to read aloud to kids, especially in preparation for trips to various national parks.

Where to find them?

We got them through a National Geographic subscription, which I imagine wouldn't work anymore.  However, I have seen them at libraries and in national park bookstores and I am sure they are on Amazon somewhere.

Here is a list of all the titles and where they take place:

#1 Woolf Stalker (Yellowstone National Park)
#2 Rage of Fire (Hawaii Volcanoes National Park)
#3 Cliff Hanger (Mesa Verde National Park)
#4 Deadly Waters  (Everglades National Park)
#5 The Hunted (Glacier National Park)
#6 Ghost Horses (Zion National Park)
#7 Over the Edge (Grand Canyon National Park)
#8 Valley of Death (Death Valley)
#9 Escape from Fear (Virgin Islands National Park)
#10 Out of the Deep (Acadia National Park)
#11 Running Scared (Carlsbad Caverns National Park)
# 12 Buried Alive (Denali National Park)
#13 Night of the Black Bear (Great Smoky Mountains National Park)

Savvy by Ingrid Law

  

Rating: Cleanest

Audience: Third grade is the beginning of the target audience, but I don't remember any red flags that would make this inappropriate for younger children (especially if read aloud).

Plot: I'm just going to quote the book jacket for the summary here because why try to rewrite what someone's already worked to perfection?

"Mibs Beaumont is about to Become a teenager. As if that prospect weren't scary enough, thirteen is when a Beaumont's savvy strikes--and with one brother who causes hurricanes and another who creates electricity, it promises to be outrageous...and positively thrilling.  But just before her big day, Poppa is in a terrible accident.  Suddenly, Mibs's dreams of X-ray vision disappear like a flash of her brother's lightning:  All she wants now is a savvy that will save Poppa.  In fact, Mibs is so sure she'll get that powerful savvy that she sneaks a ride to the hospital on a rickety bus, with her siblings and the preacher's kids in tow.  But when the bus starts heading in the wrong direction only one thing is certain: After this extraordinary adventure, not a soul on board will ever be the same.  Reading the fantastical tale of the Beaumont family will leave you as changed as if you'd just discovered your own savvy--and who's to say you won't, once you've learned how to look?" 

What makes it great?

I was hooked from the very first page by both the voice of the narrator, Mibs, and by the premise of an ordinary family with extraordinary powers which they must try to both control and accept as important parts of themselves.

This is not a superhero story.  In fact, take out the powers and the heart of the book would still be intact.   It is like a mix between the supernatural of the Charlie Bone books (a lot of the family powers are very similar to those of the Children of the Red King--read about them here: Charlie Bone--Children of the Red King) and the bittersweet, coming-of-age books of Sharon Creech (if you like this book, I highly recommend The Wanderer).

I love what the jacket says about finding your savvy. Everyone really does have a bit of "know-how" that is unique to each of us, and I love that Mibs is able to use her unusual savvy to discover the hidden savvys in others.  

(Apparently, there is a companion book called "Scumble" about Mibs' cousin, so I'll have to check it out.  Happy Reading!)

Alex Rider Series by Anthony Horowitz

Rating: Clean

Audience:  I wouldn't go any younger than sixth grade.  There is a lot of violence and just a smidgen of bad language (it is British after all), as well as the rare sexual reference (for example, one boy says to another that he wonders if the headmaster and his assistant are "sleeping together"). Though intended for a middle school audience, I think anyone twelve and up could enjoy this series.  I certainly do.

Audio book recommendation: YES!!! These books have gotten me through so many road trips and so much yard work. The narrator, Simon Prebble, does all the accents and just gives the whole performance really well.  You know it's a good audio-book when the long drive is too short.

Plot: Alex Rider is an English schoolboy living with his banker uncle and his young hip housekeeper, Jack Starbright (is that not the greatest name?).  When Alex's uncle is killed, Alex decides to investigate and discovers that his uncle was not a mere banker, but a spy!  MI6 recruits Alex to finish his uncle's current mission, and Alex become MI6's secret weapon.


What makes them great?

These books have everything you could want from a spy series--suspense, secret doors, extreme stunts--as well as that dry British humor I just can't get enough of.   Let's be real though. It's all about the special spy gadgets, and Alex gets all sorts of sweet gadgets!

The novels all follow a certain pattern and I work through the series with other books in between so I don't get sick of reading the same story arc.  However, this kind of series (Artemis Fowl, etc.) is the best way to hook a kid on reading for life.  Kids love repetition, so if your son or daughter is a reluctant reader, this might be the perfect series to catch their attention and keep it through ALL NINE BOOKS!

(And just when I thought it couldn't get any better, I discovered that Horowitz is also the creator of my all time favorite TV series, "Foyle's War".  No wonder the books are so great!)


Here is a list of the books in order:

#1 Stormbreaker
#2 Point Blank (my favorite!)
#3 Skeleton Key
#4 Eagle Strike
#5 Scorpia
#6 Ark Angel
#7 Snakehead
#8 Crocodile Tears
#9 Scorpia Rising
#10 Russian Roulette

The Host by Stephenie Meyer

Rating: Clean

Audience:  High school. While not as graphic as Breaking Dawn (there are no sex scenes), the theme of physical passion is pretty prevalent.  One of the main conflicts is that Wanderer (the alien soul) and Melanie (her host body) are in love with the same man because they share the same body and their shared memories and physical yearnings are too strong to ignore.  I didn't like that the relationships in the book were so based on physical attraction (there is a lot of "he kissed me and my whole body was on fire" kind of stuff), but by the end I was satisfied that everyone loved who they loved for the right reasons.  There is also a lot of violence, as one might expect from a world-take-over-rebel-resistance-love-triangles-up-the-wazoo kind of book, so just be aware of that before you read.

The Plot:  Tiny creatures called "Souls" have taken over the planet earth (as well as many other planets) by inserting themselves into human bodies who became their unwilling "hosts."  Wanderer, a soul who has lived in many hosts on various planets is tasked with living in the body of a rebel woman named Melanie to sift through her memories and find the hiding place of Melanie's younger brother Jamie and Jared, the man she loves. However, Melanie is stronger than most hosts and her consciousness stays in the back of Wanderer's head, fighting Wanderer and desperately trying to protect her family. But of course, she can't hold out forever, and soon Wanderer and Melanie are grudgingly working together to protect their families and find their places in the world.

What makes it great?

First of all, it's a page turner. Second, the psychology is cool--the whole idea of two minds in one body is really interesting.  Third, there are some great over-arching themes and a lot of depth.  I have to admit, from reading the jacket cover I was expecting "I'm an alien, and he's a human who is in love with my body but not with me, and life stinks" to be the main crisis.  While that is one of the problems, Wanderer is also trying to keep herself alive, gain the trust of humans while not betraying her own race,  learn to love and be loved with a whole new range of emotions, and reconcile her perception of the universe with that of her host.  I can't promise that you will love this book, and it still doesn't make my list of all time favorites, but if you are refusing to give it a try because you aren't a big fan of Twilight then clear your mind of current opinions and give it an objective read because I can honestly say that it is worth reading.

Read Across America

Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday DR. SEUSS!!!!!!!! Happy Birthday to You!

Today, March 2, is Read Across America Day to celebrate the Birthday of Dr. Seuss.  It's a day dedicated to reading to children.  How awesome is that?

So, here is my list of top ten Dr. Seuss Books:

Wacky Wednesday

There's a Wocket in my Pocket

Hooper Humperdinck? Not Him!

The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins

What Was I Scared Of?

How the Grinch Stole Christmas

The Sleep Book

Horton Hatches the Egg

One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish

The Sneeches

And a few examples of the Seuss-Mania that just keeps popping up:

Opening Scene from "The Lorax" (My Favorite Song)

Probably the funniest Jim Carrey scene in "The Grinch"

And Just one of the many great songs in "Seussical the Musical"

So, celebrate the day with reading aloud to your favorite kid--or reading some Dr. Seuss to yourself, because heck! We are all kids at heart!

The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan

Book #2 of the Heroes of Olympus series

 

Read book #1 The Lost Hero
and book #3 The Mark of Athena

Rating: Cleaner

Audience: Fourth grade and up. As always, it depends on the child.  There is a good dose of violence, and the complexity of the myths can be hard to follow.

Plot: The book opens with Percy being chased across the country by monsters, which we learn he has been doing for months after waking up with no memory (sound familiar?) and receiving training from Lupa the wolf.  With a little help from Juno (a.k.a. the Roman version of Hera), he makes it to camp Jupiter and gives his new camp-mates a lasting first impression. Classic Percy! He befriends the camp's misfits, Frank Zhang and Hazel Levesque, and the three are sent on a quest to Alaska to free Thanatos, the god of death.

What makes it great?

Book two was awesome because we get to see Percy again!  I mean, it was fun hanging out with Jason for a while, but I missed Percy, and if you were already a Percy Jackson fan before you started reading this new series, I bet you miss him too.

Frank and Hazel really make this book.  They are great.  In the first Percy Jackson series, Rick Riordan  made Percy a defender of all the demigods forgotten and ignored by their godly parents. What I love about this second series is that Riordan himself is championing a new set of under-dogs: the children of the gods we all hate.  In the first book we met Piper, daughter of Aphrodite, and in this book Hazel is the daughter of Pluto (Hades) and Frank is the son of Mars (Ares).  It's still hard to like the gods themselves (though we do see some redeeming qualities), but their kids can be really wonderful.

The Wide Awake Princess by E.D. Baker

Rating: Cleanest

Audience: It's a light and fast read intended for elementary aged girls, but enjoyable for any age.

Plot:  When their second daughter is born, Sleeping Beauty's parents are determined not to have a repeat curse and so ask a powerful fairy for help.  The only way to protect Annie from a wicked curse, however, is to make her repellent to ALL magic, which the king and queen reluctantly agree to.  As Annie grows up, however, her family realizes that her anti-magic is so strong that it doesn't merely repel spells placed directly on her but also spells around her, and they avoid being near her lest their beauty spells wear off.  Though Annie is lonely, she is a great help to the royal guard as they keep magical spinning wheels away from Annie's sister, because not only can she stop bad magic but she has developed the ability to hear it.

Of course, there wouldn't be much of a story if Sleeping Beauty didn't prick her finger and fall asleep, but after the deed is done Annie heads out into the world to find as many potential princely kissers for her sister as possible.  She stumbles into one fairy tale after another, collecting princes and causing problems for all who rely on magic to make them what they are.  

What makes it great?

It's very clever and funny.  My favorite part is the old witch in the gingerbread house. She's losing her memory so she sticks giant candy conversation hearts all over her house with messages like "go check the cages--if there are children in cages, feed them" (I don't remember the actual words, but you get the idea), which Annie cleverly changes to save the unfortunate children who come there. Annie is brave and spunky, the characters have awesome quirks, and I just enjoyed the whole thing.

I know there is a sequel called "Unlocking the Spell" but I haven't had a chance to read it yet. More to come on that. 

Princess Academy: Palace of Stone by Shannon Hale

Rating:  Cleaner 

Audience:  Fifth grade and up (it is just a wee bit scary).  I was really stressed out about this rebellion.  Have recently watched the new Les Miserables movie and cried over the ending of Suzanne Collins' "Mockingjay," seeing the stirrings of another revolution just made me fret over which of my favorite characters are going to have to die. Luckily, however, I underestimated Miri's skill as a diplomat. What a relief!

Plot:  (If you haven't read the first one yet, skip this because it contains spoilers) Miri and a few other Princess Academy graduates (including Frid, who is definitely my favorite) go to the capital to attend Britta's wedding and live in the royal palace for a year as ladies of the princess. Miri also has the opportunity to attend the university there, and Peder comes to capital to start an apprenticeship with a stone carver.  However, Miri finds her new city on the brink of chaos as the common people plot to overthrow the king and his exorbitant tributes.  Miri acts as a spy on behalf of Mount Eskel, but choosing a side is difficult as Miri tries to right the wrongs of the aristocracy without betraying her best friend. 

What makes it great?

"Princess Academy" has always been my favorite of Shannon Hale's books and I was really excited when I saw that she had written a sequel. I was also apprehensive. Why? Because sequels are a scary business. If a book is the first in a planned series the later books usually turn out well, but stand-alone novels that later have sequels . . . it can go either way.

However, this really was one of the best sequels I have ever read, and it managed to be very different from the first book while still including all the Mt. Eskel pride and folklore that I loved.  If you liked "Princess Academy" then I highly recommend you read "Palace of Stone," but get on a library waiting list ASAP because it took a long time--though it was certainly worth the wait.