Book Review - The Last Apprentice: Revenge of the Witch - Joseph Delaney

Title: The Last Apprentice: Revenge of the Witch
Author: Joseph Delaney
Genre: Fantasy/Horror/Medieval
Age Range: 10+

TV Guide Snippet: Tom Ward is the seventh son of a seventh son apprenticed out to the Spook where Tom learns the wiles and ways to defeat ghosts, ghasts, boggarts, and witches.

Plot Summary: Tom Ward is the seventh son of a seventh son. As his father has used up most of his favors on the five brothers that proceeded him, Tom is made the apprentice of the County Spook. The Spook has been ridding the County of ghosts and ghasts for a long time. Within this time, there have been twenty-nine other apprentices who have met various fates from fleeing to dead as a door nail. Tom is the last apprentice the old Spook can train.

Tom's training begins with lectures and books on boggarts, but he is quickly diverted to witches when a girl in pointy shoes helps in against a local gang of boys. He extends her a favor. She cashes it in quickly by asking him to give some cakes to a witch at midnight that lives in a pit under the Spook's power. The next morning, the Spook is called away to the east. When Tom checks on the pit, he notices the iron bars to the pit are bent. What was in that cake? How were these thick solid bars bent? Who did this? Did the witch get out?

Anything Critical: While I put this book in the age range of 10+, there are some pretty graphic descriptions. What I mean by graphic descriptions has nothing to do with violence or gore. In one passage, Delaney describes the movement of one of the witches that stuck with me as a writhe, slither, and float upon the ground. Somehow, the image and motion manifested and grew inside my subconscious. It totally gave me a nightmare. Not one of those shake it off kind of nightmares, but one of those nightmares that give you the serious heebees and cause you to talk to yourself, "Okay, it's 3 AM, what can I do between now and 9 AM when I start work, because there's no way in hell I'm going back to sleep. Thanks book."

It does offer some good life lessons. Tom makes a lot of mistakes that he will pay for later on down the road. Most of them are because he does not give the ol' Spook full disclosure. If Tom had given him the whole story, he would have had an easier time with life. Much like teens his age, he suffers the conciquences for not seeking wiser council.

Satisfaction Level: 95%

Curriculum Ties: English, History

Challenge Issues: Magic, Paranormal, Witches

Program Ideas: I tried doing a book discussion but failed completely. I think one could have kids make silver chains, like out of gray paper x-mas style, or have like a witch themed party goin' on with some of those wicked cakes... Well, minus the real ingredients (shiver). It could also serve as a movie launch with all of the things from movie like the poster or sword or other mythical creatures. You know, kickoff party type stuff.

Currently Reading: Service - Marcus Luttrell (I can read adult books too!)

Book Review - The Titan's Course - Rick Riordan

Title: The Titan's Curse

Author: Rick Riordan

Genre: Mythological Fantasy

Age Range: 10+

TV Guide Snippet: Good Ol' Percy Jackson is back at it on the next (stolen) quest to find a missing goddess, defeat Cronus' AGAIN, and save Olympus.     

Plot Summary: Percy, Annabeth, and the recovered Thalia are on a mission to help Grover snatch two more half-bloods, Bianca and Nico di Angelo. But as usual, things go sideways as a Frenchy manticore (a half lion, scorpion, humanoid monster) who names himself Dr. Thorn tries to kill or steal them away to Cronus' side. If not for the huntress goddess Artemis and her arrow launching band of prepubescent boy hating girls, they would have been pushed straight off the cliff. But alas, Percy and his friends are able to fight another day. Except Annabeth, she fell off the side of the cliff daggers deep clinging to the manticore. Artemis orders the hunters to Camp Half-Blood so that she can go off and find a beast that could destroy Olympus. 

Now with the hunters in Camp Half-Blood, there is a new prophecy that has been prophesied and propho-said that requires a break in the on going feud between hunters and half-bloods to go save Artemis from whatever has captured her. But, it is decided that the heroes going don't include Percy. In his very Percy way, he goes anyway and ends up being the fifth team member that they need on their journey out to foil the Titan's Curse and save Olympus from the mysterious beast that will cause its ULTIMATE DESTRUCTION! 

Anything Critical: Reading a Percy Jackson book is like slipping on your favorite pair of shoes. They are proportioned just right, comfortable, and make you feel good. There was some growth in this book I wasn't expecting. Much how the the third Harry Potter book takes an emotional turn, I think that this third Percy Jackson book makes headway in a different direction. Early on, Percy swears to do his best to protect a member of the quest, but he fails. Later on, Percy is held responsible. A promise is a promise, and he is held to his word. I think this is the first time that Percy is faced with the idea that if he fails some people may die. And when people die, grudges are held. That principle explains god and half-blood life in a nutshell. You succeed, someone hates you. You fail someone, their kin is out for revenge. 

Satisfaction Level: 95%

Curriculum Ties: Mythology

Challenge Issues: Death, Magic, Religion

Program Ideas: Having the Percy Jackson movies is a 50/50. Some kids like the books better and harbor resentment. What might be cooler is a shield making program. Thalia has this rad Medusa head shield called Aegis. Kids could make their own shields, with or without the Medusa head, while talking about the quests they'd like to go on.

Currently Reading:

Christmas Cats

 

Rex looking dapper.

 Zeus is looking dapper as well.

 

Rex has little vampire teeth. 

 

Rex on the hunt for Christmas dinner.

Book Review - Eleanor and Park - Rainbow Rowell

Title: Eleanor & Park

Author: Rainbow Rowell

Genre: Contemporary Fiction/Romance

Age Range: 13+

TV Guide Snippet: Two kids from different sides of the tracks fall in love and deal with their family drama.

Plot Summary: There are two sides to every love story. Rowell plays on this by having two narrators. Eleanor is the kid who doesn’t fit in. She is new and dresses weird. In this 1980s town, it’s like painting a target on your back that reads, “Pick on me.” Park is a Korean-American boy who is just trying to live life under the radar. When Eleanor gets on the bus and has no idea where to sit, Park reluctantly clears a space for her. Over the next few weeks, he notices that she has an interest in the comics he reads. Being the low boil person he is, he passively leaves some on her seat. This small act kindles a very sweet romance that rescues her from a horrible home life.

Anything Critical: The teen romance aspect of the book is pretty accurate. I re-felt a lot of the feels from my early romances along with the characters. (ALL THE FEELS!!!) The sense of wonder and discovery between two young people as they create intimacy together is heartwarming. It really kept me powering through the book. I wasn’t just reading it, I was eating it and savoring all the delicious memories it unlocked until, yes until, the final climax. The final climax was like hitting a brick wall. Something good and intimate happened so something REALLY bad has to be coming. The resolution played out as painfully as climbing up that brick wall with just your fingernails. Although the ending could be seen as totally predictable and unnecessary, I would definitely recommend the book to youngsters who want to fall in love and read it again myself.

Satisfaction Level: 85%

Curriculum Ties: English

Challenge Issues: Language, some sexy-time moments, guy-liner (boy wearing eyeliner)

Program Ideas: Comic-Polusa! – Have a day to introduce kids to all kinds of comics and graphic novels. Not just the big ones like Captain America, Ironman, Batman, Superman, and the like but American Born Chinese, Sisters, Boxers/Saints. 

Breaking Up Is Hard to Do

 

The first few chapters of a book are like going on a couple first dates. It should be exciting as the reader gets to know the world that the character lives in. We start to connect and care about the characters. We get to experience the problem the characters must resolve driving the characters forward. But sometimes, we read something and feel no connection at all. *Poof* no chemistry at all. We don't like the characters, and the world is uninteresting. I have found that most people will fall into two categories when reading: people who move on and people who cling on.

Move On's

1) I hate this book, and I'm not wasting anymore time. Hey book, it's not you it's me. We're breaking up.

I totally did this over the weekend. I was listening to the audio of Maggie Stiefvater's Shiver. I felt that there were little to no explanation about the world in the first few chapters. I also felt that the characters used personal possessives too much. Everything was too "my this" and "my that." While I know that some people think highly of themselves, I can't believe that someone would be cool with being eaten by wolves, 'cause you know whatever. THEN! Get all dewy eyed over the one wolf who decided that maiming and making you bleed all over the place was enough.  The characters seemed too caught up glorifying and romanticizing the wolf or victim. Huge turn off. I will admit that I love stories of sacrifice. Reading a story about a human wolf treat and the wolf who didn't eat her is a waste of time. I decided to cut bait, dump listening to that book, and fire up the next Percy Jackson that I had waiting in the wings. It was the right choice for me, and I thoroughly enjoyed The Sea of Monsters. Common! Party ponies!

Cling On's

2) I committed to reading this book and no matter what I am going to finish it. I will love you forever book!

I have done this in the past. Often, it was for school. I know, I know. As a librarian, I am supposed to read all sorts of books of different types to make sure that I have a well rounded perspective when I get the myriad of reader's advisory questions from kids and their parents. [insert superhero librarian power pose] But, I am not the type of person who just decides that I am going to read all of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. I have an English degree, and I think that I have only ever read five of those tales including the prologue. Why waste my time with something that I will take no joy in? But, some people like to finish what they started. It's just the way they are. It's their choice to be urged to gouge out their eyes with boredom at the book they are hate reading. Just don't let them convince you to be lobster dragged into the same pot as them. 

Peer Pressure
[chant] Peer pressure! Peer pressure! Peer pressure!

In the dating world, one of my friends did the online thing. Frequently, they didn't feel a spark with someone. Bam! Done. When eye rolling friends and family asked, "What was wrong with that one?" they started to get all judge-y. Encouraging them to stick it out with a person that was just meh. I even fell into that trap a few times. I wasn't the one on the date, nor was I the one asking the questions. Why should I be so invested that it didn't work out? Never mind that happiness and well being of my friend part. No spark meant do not pass Go, do not collect $200. I started to encourage and champion their ideal to only stick around if they felt that spark.

Now, I encourage all of you that are reading for fun to never feel bad when you've given up on a book. If you and a book don't have that spark together, it's not your fault. You're not a bad person for deciding to move on with your life, no matter what your lobstery friends and family members say. It just wasn't the right book for you. I am constantly surrounded by books at work. Daily, I walk in a sea of books that I will never read. It's okay. Not reading all of those books is okay. Someone else will come by to read them. Every book has its reader, and every reader has their book. If a book doesn't speak to you, put it down and move on. There are more books in the infinite sea of literacy.

Happy New Year... Uhh my head

Happy New Year from us here at Black Cat Librarian. As you can see from Rex, it's too early in the morning. He spent a good amount of NYE under the couch. Here in Texas, people can light fireworks to add a bright pop and fizzle to ring in the new year. Our neighbors decided to launch skyward from 10 to 2 with a nice display right at midnight. Suffice to say, Rex hates loud noises.

Both he and I are a bit hung over this morning. Luckily, I didn't spend he nght afraid of the loud booms under the couch. Years of Disney fireworks has stiffened my resolve. No, I have a book hangover. I was up late into the night reading Lockwood & Co.'s first adventure The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud. At lunch, I got to where I knew the climax would begin. Hooked, I was absolutely hooked. When I got home, I just kept reading and reading after dinner and into the evening until my wife started kissing me. I didn't know it was midnight until she said, "Happy New Year!" The barrage of fireworks began. Rex rustled uncomfortable from under the couch.  Shortly after the blaze of fireworks died down, I returned to the book until I realized it was 2AM.

The wee first hours of 2015 were spent nose deep in a book. I think this is a good omen.

Have a happy and safe 2015 filled with the stories you love!

Meanwhile, Rex and I are going to take a nap.