Review of The Hunger Games (Hardcover)

Wow.I was barely able to put this book down for a second after the first few pages got me completely hooked.Suzanne Collins narrative here has an immediacy to it that, when combined with the very dramatic life-or-death plot, is incredibly compelling.It's entertaining, and incredibly disturbing all at once.If this was merely a good read, I would have given it 4 stars, but they say great art leaves you changed after you experience it...and this book definitely did that.Suzanne Collins has, with one amazing work, propelled herself onto my top shelf.

Parents, caveat emptor!The storyline is brutal.Even though the writing is geared for young adults, the main characters are teenagers, there's very little physical romance, and the actual violence would probably count as PG-13 nowadays...it's probably one of the most terrifying books I've read in a very long time!Right up there with George R.R. Martin, if not more so.Remember what we learned from Jaws: you don't actually need to SEE the shark in order for it to be terrifying.Sometimes not seeing the shark is even worse.

The story is basically about a teenager who is forced to compete in a 24-man-enter-1-man-leaves event.I don't want to spoil it by saying any more, but if you liked The Running Man, you'll definitely like this.And if you're young enough that you don't remember The Running Man, nor did you get the Thunderdome reference, then I'm just way too old.But take an old fogey's advice and read this book.

Amazon, when can I preorder book 2???



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Review of Puddlejumpers (Hardcover)

"Puddlejumpers" is a thrilling mystery and a magnificent tale, and I didn't want it to end.Brilliantly written and conceived, it's full of kidnappings, rescues, daredevil escapes, evil Troggs, Red Grunts and indomitable Puddlejumpers, with a fantastic new and complex young protagonist, Ernie Banks, at the center of all the action.His sidekick Joey is one of the best-drawn young, female characters I've come across, full of conspiratorial spunk.Although this is a fast-paced fantasy adventure, I was surprised to discover that the novel also has great heart.A modern story with a tip o' the hat to the best family classics, this is a book you'll want to keep for the family library and pass down to future generations.Everybody is reading it at my house.A gem of a book.Harry who?

Product Description
Ernie Banks, named for the legendary Chicago Cub shortstop, is a troubled, 13-year-old juvenile delinquent. Abandoned on the doorstep of the Lakeside Home for Boys when he was three years old, he's now considered a "lifer," a permanent ward of the state. His only proof that he once belonged to somebody is a vintage Ernie Banks baseball card, a crystal acorn he wears on a string around his neck, and a strange spiral birthmark on the bottom of his right foot.

As a last reprieve before being sent to a juvenile detention facility, Ernie is allowed to spend three weeks on a working farm. When Ernie arrives at the home of Russ Frazier, he learns that the widower's baby was kidnapped years before. The single piece of evidence was a red quilt found in a puddle in the nearby woods.Fascinated by the town's famous "Quilt Baby" kidnapping, Ernie is determined to solve the case. He teams up with Joey, a local tomboy, to investigate clues that lead them on a dangerous journey into a forbidden world of dark secrets, magic puddles, and the cavernous underground kingdom of the Puddlejumpers- eleven-inch tall water creatures with whom Ernie has a mysterious connection.

When destiny summons, Ernie must find the courage to save the Puddlejumpers from the Most Dark and lead them in battle against their mortal enemies. Only then can he find his way home.




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Review of The Corps of the Bare-Boned Plane (Hardcover)

Oh, the wit and the quirky characters remind a bit of Lemony Snicket's Baudelaires and their too myriad unfortunate events, but there is a generosity of spirit, a undertow of flawed loving humanity here that leaves one refreshed and renewed. Polly Horvath knows well how to twist and turn a plot and to keep the reader turning the pages.Her humor is droll, if at times in a scratchy, not entirely comfortable way.This is not only great fiction for young adults, but great fiction; quite possibly worthy of another National Book Award and a Newbery nomination, at very least another ALA Notable Book.Readers enjoying this, will also enjoy her other titles such as THE CANNING SEASON, THE VACATION, and EVERYTHING ON A WAFFLE.Those who like the Lemony Snickets would likely enjoy the wit and irony here as well and there are some vague similiaries in tone and style to CHASING VERMEER, but Horvath always has her own voice --- one that readers of all ages would do well to listen to.



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