The Tinker King

Trent, Tiffany.  The Tinker King.  2014.  Simon & Schuster, New York, NY.

Hardcover, $17.99.  ISBN: 978-1-4424-5759-1.

Book Talk:

New London is a land of waste and ruin following the war.  Scienta is on the edge of a wilderness, where a battle between the forces of dark and light is waging, and will engulf everyone who lies in it's path. 

Since the last war, Syrus has been working as a Tinker, attempting to continue to run the machines that power the city in which he lives.  Empress Olivia struggles as the leader of the new regime, attempting to balance the new world order of equality between humans and elementals.

However, rebellion has reared it's ugly head, and Olivia and Syrus have been thrust into the middle of battle once again. 

While on a trip across town, Olivia has been attacked by a Xiren, and her life hangs in the balance, awaiting the intervention of a Master Tinker.  In the same battle in which Olivia was captured, Syrus was taken hostage by the Xiren.

Imagine Syrus' horror when he discovers that the Xiren have captured his family and turned them into monster hybrids, a cross between humans and the horrible Xiren/ spider people.  They need the expertise of a Master Tinker to help them achieve their goals of taking over and wresting rule away from the Empress.

Nothing, no, nothing, will keep the Xiren from achieving their goal.  And they are above nothing in the pursuit of their goals. 

Without a Master Tinker, the city is falling apart, and Olivia's life hangs in the balance.

Will Syrus choose death over cooperation with the Xiren?

Can Olivia's life be saved?


Author's Web Site:
http://www.tiffanytrent.com/

Guys Write for Guys Read

Scieszka, Jon.  Guys Write for Guys Read.  2005, Viking, New York, NY.

Softcover, $11.99, ISBN: 978-0-670-0144-5.

Book Talk: (Kind Of!)
Guys Read is an initiative begun by Jon Scieszka to encourage boys to read.  Getting boys to read any kind of book, at all, has become a challenge.  It is a disconcerting challenge, as we know that our boys need to read in order to succeed, and yet, for some reason, we seem to be failing to connect them with meaningful books that encourage them to read more.  Guys read was designed to help combat this problem and attempt to find a solution.

This book, Guys Write for Guys Read, was written by many, many male authors who all contributed a short story.  I enjoyed the stories.  Written for brevity, many of the authors exposed some embarrassing incident from their own childhood.  These stories left me at turns, laughing, crying, and touched beyond words that these men would open up so honestly with their audience and let the reader inside their own childhood in such a personal way.

The authors included in this collection read like a who's who of Boy Books:  Anthony Horowitz, Walter Dean Myers, Garth Nicks, Dan Gutman, Neil Gaiman, Gary Paulsen, Brian Jaques, Jerry Spinelli,   the list goes on and on, with a total of 92 authors contributing a piece to this compilation.

In addition to this book, Guys Read is a website.  If you are looking for information on Boy Books, from how to help, to a current list of new releases that just might appeal to the little guy in your life, please visit his website.  Mr. Scieszka has done a fantastic job of putting together a website that will guide a parent of a reluctant reader through the mine field of children's literature and connect them directly to the wonderful books that our little guys love to read.

Web Sites:

You can find the Guys Read website here:  http://www.guysread.com/

You can find the link to Jon Scieszka's author website here:
 http://www.jsworldwide.com/yeah_he_wrote_em.html

A Very Long Silence...

I have switched jobs.  I am now working in an academic library.  A medical library, no less.

Previously, my job had me reading a lot of YA literature, and I would share what I considered to be the best of the best on here.  I enjoyed the reading and the writing, and the thought that maybe I had connected some people with new books immensely.

Getting used to working in an academic library has been an adjustment.  Becoming familiar with a very different collection has been an even greater challenge.  The best way to become familiar with any library collection is to read through some of the titles, so you know what is where, and can help people find related titles.

This has involved me reading a lot of books.  It's been an intriguing challenge.  I've learned a lot about some new subjects.   After reading through the recommended titles in the nutrition section, I've changed my eating habits and lost 12 pounds so far!  Hey!  What a nice side effect of a new job!

I am finally comfortable enough with the new collection to go back to the books I love - the Young Adult collection.  Unfortunately, since I no longer work in that particular library, the books I pull off of the shelf are the ones that are sitting on the new release shelf in my public library.  It can be hit or miss with those books, and again, if I'm going to recommend a book on my blog, I have to have read it, and I have to feel that it has merit, worth, and value.  So, we are back once again to a very slow pace of posting books.

I will say this - I did find two gems over this past weekend at the library.  I've almost finished the first one.  I have laughed, cried, and groaned throughout this book.  I can't wait to share it.  The second book looks intriguing.  I read a few pages out of the middle of the book, and I was sucked into that world, and didn't want to leave it.  I'm planning on starting it tomorrow afternoon, along with a cup of tea.

One other big advantage of my new job is that I have a commute, so I can listen to books in the car as I drive.  I'm thinking I should be able to post at least one book a week.  I have a goal of posting on Fridays. 

Atlantis Rising

Barron, T.A..  Atlantis Rising.  2013.  Philomel Books, New York, NY.

Hardcover, $17.99.  ISBN: 978-0-399-25757-5.

Book Talk:

A young orphaned boy named Promi makes his way in the magical land of Ellegandia by  stealing what he can find in the market place.  Pies, cakes, and tarts are his favorite treats.  However, the day he gets caught for stealing the belt of the high priest from around the priests' waist, his life begins to change.  When he is caught later for stealing the coveted smackberry pie that belongs to the high monk, his life changes forever.

Suddenly thrust into the dungeon, Promi suddenly becomes aware of the mysterious, magical world that lies all around him.  When he befriends a monk, and saves an old woman from a beating in the dungeon, his life changes forever when she gives him the gift of listening magic.

Marked with strange birthmark over his heart that resembles a flying bird, Promi hears of a prophecy that foretells of the coming of a person marked with this birthmark who will forever change the history of Ellgandia and bring about the end of all magic.

Moved by a compassion for a young beggar named Atlanta in the city, Promi finds himself pulled into a battle for the very heart of Ellgandia.  The magical forest that surrounds the city is dying, and Atlanta is trying desperately to stop the blight that is destroying her forest.

Suddenly thrown into the battle for the very heart of Ellgandia, Promi and Atlanta discover that the high priest holds the key to the heart of the mystery of the blight over the forest.

In this race against time, can Promi and Atlanta save the forest, as well as the entire land, before time runs out?

Author's Web Site: http://tabarron.com/

The River Between Us

Peck, Gregory.  The River Between Us.  2003.  Dial Books, New York, NY.

Hardcover, $16.99.  ISBN: 0-8037-2735-6.

Book Talk:

Step back into Grand Tower, Illinois.  The time is 1861, in the days just before the beginning of the Civil War.  The boys in town are practicing for the war.  Marching, drilling, and target shooting, they are preparing to go off and fight.  Some will fight for the north, and some for the south.

Tilly and her family live on a farm.  Their father is off somewhere, supposedly earning money to help the family, but he hasn't been seen in years.  Tilly's brother, Noah, has been off practicing with the boys, getting ready for the start of the war.

The river runs up next to their city.  That big river, the Mississippi.  Trade, people, and news come from the paddleboats that run up and down the river.  The arrival of a boat is big news, and people from town and the surrounding farms will descend upon the dock to hear the news and greet the people.

This particular day, a steamboat whistle blows that changes the life of Tilly and her family forever.

Off of the boat step two of the most beautiful, wonderful, intriguing women that the town has ever seen.  Fleeing the uncertainty of New Orleans before the war, they are searching for a safe place to live.  Tilly's mother offers the women a room in her home.  With that one simple act, change has forever come to Grand Tower. 

Delphine and Calinda bring a certain grace and elegance to the family that has been missing.  They receive packages of goodies from home on a regular basis.  They make and sell "Genuine Pralines" to the passengers of the boats in order to help raise money to support the family.

But, who are Delphine and Calinda?  Where do they come from?  Why are they here?  What is their purpose in staying in town?  Are they simply fleeing the potential violence in New Orleans, or do they have a more sinister agenda?

Join Tilly in this fascinating walk through time to find out more!

Author's Web Site: 
I could not find the "official" website for Richard Peck.  However, I did find the link to his facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/richardpeckauthor

Book Awards for this Book:
Winner, Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction
National Book Award Finalist
ALA Noteable Book
ALA Best Book for Young Readers
Booklist Best Books of the Year
Kirkus Best Books of the Year
Publisher's Weekly Best Books of the Year

Ghost Hawk

Cooper, Susan.  Ghost Hawk.  2013.  Margaret K. McElderberry Books.  New York, New York.

Book Talk:

Little Hawk is about to become a man.  He has been taken into the woods, with nothing but his knife, his axe (tomahawk), and his bow.  In the deep of winter, he will be left to fend for himself for three months. 

His tasks are simple: to find his spirit guide (His Manitou), to find shelter, and to find food.  Unfortunately, he can not eat until he finds his Manitou.  With the help of his axe, his knife, his bow, and the breadth of knowledge handed down to him by the elders of his tribe, he faces the ultimate survival test.  If he returns to his village alive, he will be considered a man.

The test is a tough one.  Many never return.  It is a test of strength, will, determination, and knowledge of the lore taught by the elders.

Just before he is led blindfolded out of the camp, Little Hawk's father gives him the greatest of gifts.  A knife.  A steel bladed knife for which he has traded many animal skins to a white man.  This steel bladed knife is superior to the stone knife that Little Hawk had.  But, will it be enough to give him the edge to survive his wilderness ordeal?

The introduction of the white man into the world of the Native Americans has changed Little Hawk's world forever.  Not only will he have to survive the wilderness, he will have to navigate the changes that the white man has brought to his world. 

These white men are who we know as the Pilgrims.  They invaded the territory of the people who already lived on the land, and the results of this culture clash were often deadly for both sides.

Can Little Hawk survive this ultimate challenge to himself, his culture, and his way of life?

Author's Web Site:

www.TheLostLand.com

Reviewer's Note:

I became hooked on this book in the very first paragraph.  If I were to book talk this book to a group of students, I would read the first chapter.  In particular, I loved the description of how Little Hawk's father took the tomahawk which had been handed down from father to son.  And, on the day of Little Hawk's birth, he took it to an island and wove it between the branches of two young saplings so that the tree would grow around the tomahawk head, and become one large, strong handle.  The axe would be cut out of the tree in ten summers... just before Little Hawk was to go on his manhood test.

The author does an excellent job of tying together the lives of the Pilgrims and the lives of the Native Americans in a haunting manner, that is, unfortunately, all too true.  The Europeans who came en masse to settle this new world were not always kind to those First People who already lived here.  Susan Cooper does not sugar coat the relationship between the races. 

Filled with unexpected plot twists, and a captivating story line, this book is a treasure... a look back in time to our world, as it once was.

Shadow on the Sun

Gill, David Macinnis.  Shadow on the Sun.  2013.  Greenwillow Books, New York, NY.

Hardcover, $17.99.  ISBN: 987-0-06-207335-8.

Book Talk:

Durango is a renegade soldier.  His home planet has been destroyed by the evil forces of Lyme.  Lyme is a ruthless dictator who has vowed to take over the planet Mars and see his son ensconced as the new Prince of Mars.  He will stop at nothing, will harm anyone who gets in the way of his dream - including his son, Durango.

Durango escapes from Lyme's stronghold at Hell's Cross with the one thing that Lyme needs to defeat all enemies and win the war forever.  The problem is, this thing is located inside of a suitcase, and nobody knows what is inside of the suitcase.

With all of the forces of Lyme allied against him, Durango begins a wild goose chase across Mars to find the one person who can help him open the case and find out what is inside: Vienne.

While chasing across the planet, looking for Vienne, Lyme's forces fan out in a desperate attempt to find Durango.  Meanwhile, Vienne is an unknowing puppet in a race to trap Durango before he can access the contents of the case.

Filled with plots within plots within plots, Durango and Vienne search for each other while those around them would gladly sell them out to the highest bidder in this desperate race against time.

Author's Web Site:
http://davidmacinnisgill.com/

Reviewer's Note:
This book is the third book in the Black Hole Sun trilogy.  I had not read the first two books, and when I found this one, the prequels were checked out of the library.  (Always an excellent sign!) 
This book is a stand alone book.  Not having read the first two books, there was some back story that I felt I missed out on.  However, I was quickly able to pick up on the crucial parts of the tale through the course of the book.

Personally, I feel the push to go back and read the first two books.  There was much that was hinted at in this book about the earlier books that I really want to find out more about.  The sub-story of Mimi and Dolly has me wanting to find out more. I know that the earlier stories cover more of the Mimi-Dolly genesis, and I really want to discover the reasons behind their origins.  This book covered much of that, but I am positive that there is more within the earlier stories.