Whipping Boy

The Whipping Boy
Sid Fleischman
Greenwillow, 1986  90 pgs.
Grades 3-5
Adventure/Historical Fiction

Prince Brat causes all sorts of mischief and mayhem in his castle home.  Whenever he misbehaves his father, the king, calls for "the whipping boy" to take his punishment.  Jemmy has been promoted out of the sewers and into this position.  As much as he enjoys the comforts of castle life, living with Prince Brat for company and the constant threat of an unearned whipping makes life miserable for him.  One night, out of sheer boredom, Prince Brat decides to run away and demands that Jemmy accompany him to carry the hamper. Not long after this adventure begins, the two runaways are captured by a pair of notorious outlaws: Hold-Your-Nose-Billy and Cutwater.  A case of mistaken identity leads to the outlaw's confusion of which boy is the prince and Prince Brat gets a whipping for the first time in his life.  After a narrow escape the boys meet a near-sighted potato man and a young girl with a dancing bear heading to the fair.  After another run-in with the outlaws and a narrow escape with the help of the bear, they travel with their new friends to the fair and enjoy being regular boys.  Unfortunately all is not over with the kidnappers, who manage to catch the boys again.  After a harrowing escapade in the sewers, where they must fight for their lives, the boys escape to freedom.  Its time to head back to the castle, but will Jemmy be accused of Prince Brat's kidnapping?  Will Prince Brat have the courage and loyalty to stand up for his new friend? What will become of the friends and enemies met along the way?  All is revealed by the end of this fast-moving and enjoyable story.

The Whipping Boy is one of my lower-elementary book group favorites.  I'm using it this month for maybe the fifth time in twenty years and it never fails to delight me.  The Whipping Boy in my opinion is what a good chapter book for children should be.  The writing is excellent, the setting distinct, the characters are interesting, the plot moves quickly, and lessons are subtly learned. The book itself is short with equally short chapters, wide margins, large print and superb illustrations by Peter Sis.  This book won the Newbery Award in 1987, which is unusual for a beginning chapter book.  It is a stand-alone book with no sequels or fomulaic writing, also unusual for books aimed at this age group.  This is clearly an adventure story set in the past (making it an acceptable choice for historical fiction book reports) but it also contains much witty humor.  A perfect choice for boys, though girls will like it too.  The runaways are old enough that the book is also a good choice for older reluctant or limited readers.  The Whipping Boy is a wonderful read-aloud in both length and language.  Themes include the value of friendship, the consequences of bratty behavior, questioning of the class system, and the importance of education.  The author's note at the end informs the reader that Whipping Boys really did exist in the olden days, giving legitimacy to the book and further food for thought.

Jellicoe Road

Jellicoe Road
Melina Marchetta
HarperTeen, 2008  432 pgs
Grades 9-Up
Realistic Fiction/Mystery

Seventeen-year-old Taylor has resided at an Australian boarding school since her mother abandoned her at a 7-Eleven six years before.  She has been promoted to the head of her house as well as that of the General of what is know as the "Territory Wars".  The Territory Wars have been going on for years between Taylor's school, the townies, and cadets from a military school's yearly encampment.  The current general of the Cadets is the boy that Taylor ran away with three years before and hasn't seen since.  Her former best friend appears to have a previous relationship with the head of the townies, further complicating relations.  While trying to manage her house and the war, Taylor also is dealing with the sudden disappearance of Hannah, her house's adult supervisor and the person she stays with during school breaks.  Taylor is determined to locate Hannah, while also battling the desire to find her long-lost mother.  While Taylor's story unfolds, a parallel story is also revealed; that of five teenage friends a generation before and the history of the inception of the Territory Wars.  What happened to the teenagers?  Where is Taylor's mother and Hannah?  Who is Taylor's father?  Is the Brigadier General who is always hanging about really the serial killer stalking their Australian countryside?  These and other questions will be answered by book's end when both stories come together and the parallel plots are resolved in a satisfactorily way.

I meant to read Jellicoe Road the year it won the Printz (2009), but never got around to it.  It seemed too long, I hated the cover and the description sounded confusing and boring.  Was I ever glad I finally picked it up. Its an amazing book!  The problem is: I don't know that its for teenagers.  The writing is descriptive and eloquent.  The plot is intense and multi-layered.  There are so many little threads to this book.  Somehow Marchetta manages to weave all those threads together and sew them up into a neat little package by the end of the 432 pages.  Even though the book is a little long for me, I didn't care.  I was never bored and had a hard time putting it down.  The trend in well written adult fiction these days is to have more than one story happening simultaneously, managing to come together by the end (ex. And the Mountains Echoed).  Jellicoe Road follows this trend and deservedly won the award for the best piece of teen fiction of the year.  As much as its a brilliant book, it is more of an adult book featuring teen characters.  I do not think most teenagers would have the patience to slog through the first one-hundred pages or so, which are confusing.  Its hard to know who is who and it took me a while to figure out that two stories from different times were happening simultaneously.  Taylor is extremely unlikable for the first half of the book, until we get to know her a bit better and the rural Australian setting may put off American teenagers.  The book is a tear-jerker, which teens love, but its a long way to get to the payoff.  The high school students I serve at my library, although bright and thoughtful, are over-worked and over-scheduled.  They are a bit impatient in their pleasure reading and will give up on a book that doesn't grab them in the first twenty pages.  This book can be appreciated by boys as well as girls, if you can convince them to get past the cover.  Criticisms aside, Jellicoe Road is well worth the time, if you have some to spare.

The Amber Cat

The Amber Cat
Hilary McKay
Simon and Schuster, 1995  134 pgs
Grades 3-6
Mystery

Only child, Robin, contracts chicken pox and must stay in bed to recover.  His best friend, Dan, also takes sick and joins Robin to wait out the sickness since his parents both work and no one is home to take care of him.  Eccentric next door neighbor, Sun Dance, also comes down with the dreaded disease, joins the other two invalids, and the Chicken Pox Club is born.  While convalescing, Robin's mother amuses the boys by telling tales from a summer of her childhood, when she and two family friends staying at her seaside home met a mysterious girl on the beach called Harriet.  The four became friends and had many adventures including hiding out in a secret cave, riding horses along the beach, digging for treasure, and an ill-fated raft ride.  By the end of the book both stories come together as Harriet's true identity is revealed, as is that of Robin's deceased father.

I read this book when it first came out, not knowing it was a sequel to Dog Friday.  It didn't matter that I missed the first book.  I fell in love with the rural British seaside community, their residents, and this brilliantly written, yet simple, story.  Needing a mystery for my Bookworm Club I rediscovered The Amber Cat and find that I like it as much as I did when the book came out almost twenty years ago.  McKay offers gentle humor throughout her books, which can be found in this title, even with more serious themes, such as chicken pox and ghosts.  The Amber Cat has the peaceful setting of the beach in the winter and is best read in front of a fire with a cup of tea.  The two stories are woven seamlessly and I was never confused between time periods or characters (which there are an abundance of).  It is a ghost story, but not scary, a mystery with really no clues and a heartwarming family story with the nuclear family consisting of only a single mother and son.  The plot is simple, yet exciting and the book is hard to put down.  It all comes together in a satisfying conclusion all too soon.  The type is comfortable, the margins are big and the book reads fast.  The only thing that might discourage readers is that the book feels old fashioned and is very British.  The Amber Cat is the antithesis of The Lightning Thief and may not appeal to the Xbox generation.  One reader didn't like it because kids "don't get chicken pox anymore, so it must be from the olden days".  Dreamy kids will fall into this world and not want to leave.  You have to know your reader.

Revolution

Revolution
Deborah Wiles
Scholastic, 2014  479 pgs
Grades 6-Up
Historical Fiction

The second installment in her "The Sixties Trilogy", Wiles once again offers a hybrid novel/photo-essay, this time turning from the Cuban Missile Crisis to Freedom Summer in Mississippi in 1964.  On the cusp of thirteen, Sunny's summer is filled with swimming in the pool, hanging out with friends, and the Beatles.  All of this changes when "the invaders" set up camp in her small town in Greenwood, Mississippi.  Civil Rights leaders and volunteer college students have arrived en-mass to educate the African American population and register them to vote, despite the existence of Jim Crow laws, trumped up reasons why African Americans cannot register, and resistance from local police and town's people.  Sunny and her step brother encounter a young African American boy of their own age, Raymond, and his story is interwoven with Sunny's.  We see Raymond grow from an apathetic teenager to a soldier in freedom's army, peacefully attempting admittance to "white's only" venues, eventually getting brutally beaten and then refused treatment at the local hospital.  Sunny matures from a little girl to a young lady, learning to see other people's points of view, as well as growing to except a new step family.  Sunny begins to question the way of life that she has always known and finds her inner strength to stand up for what is right.  The book winds down with the summer.  School begins again and Greenwood has settled down a bit.  Change has started and there is no going back.

Revolution is a stunning book in both content and design.  Our two parallel stories (on different shades of paper to determine who is narrating) are interspersed with emotional and original photos from the time and place, original documentation and first person accounts (again in different type-set in order to not be confused with the fiction), and relevant poetry and song lyrics from the time period.  The result is as close to a "slice of life" you can get to being there.  I did not buy this book (or its predecessor) for my library because it looks like a shelf sitter: it is too long and seemed boring.  What do kids care about the Cuban Missile Crisis and Freedom Summer?  Being from New Jersey I felt that what was happening in 1960's Mississippi is not our story,  I was so wrong.  Revolution is consuming and very readable.  It is impossible to put down once you begin and makes the reader want to know more.  It is mind-blowing that American citizen's had no rights based on skin color as recently as fifty years ago.  Wiles clearly did her research.  Original documentation is all through the book and an extensive bibliography is included.  This book is Newbery worthy.  Unfortunately, the Newbery medal cannot take into account any illustrations or photographs.  The photos really give the book a visual punch, placing the reader into the time and place.  The story is strong enough on its own to be a contender and I hope that the committee is able to see past the visuals.  The characters all experience growth throughout the summer and are faced with important choices.  We see all sides of the conflict and Wiles doesn't offer easy answers.  At the end of the book a major character is sent to the growing conflict in Vietnam and it concludes with photos and song lyrics from the war, so I think that is where the trilogy will be heading next.  I can't wait!

Seven Wonders: The Colossus Rises

Seven Wonders: The Colossus Rises
Peter Lerangis
HarperCollins, 2013  348 pgs
Grades 5-8
Fantasy/Adventure

Thirteen-year-old Jack has a strange attack at school, which lands him in the hospital.  The staff at the hospital seems strange and suspicious and Jack wishes that his traveling Dad were nearer to home.  Next, Jack finds himself being held prisoner on an uncharted island with three other kids of the same age.  Their captor, Professor Bhegad, explains that they are rare descendants of an ancient prince and have special powers--as well as a curse.  The curse is the medical condition that almost killed Jack.  It is life threatening and can only be treated under Professors Bhegad's care.  Their powers are linked to the legendary city of Atlantis and the ancient wonders of the world, only one of which (the Egyptian pyramids) still exist.  At each ancient wonder lies a Loculi, an extremely powerful and magical object.  All seven Loculi must be retrieved in order to stop the destruction of the world as we know it.  After a failed attempt to escape, the four teens get on board with the professor's plan.  They travel to Greece to locate the first Loculi found near the location of the long-gone Colossus of Rhodes, a giant statue constructed by the ancient Greeks of their sun God, Helios. All kinds of obstacles slow the teenagers down on their quest, such as legendary beasts wrecking havoc, secret mazes, tricky ciphers, and evil enemies also after the Loculi.  Our heroes eventually prevail and obtain their sought after prize, only to have a last-minute plot twist foil their plans and lead us straight to the next installment of the series, Lost in Babylon.

The Seven Wonders series has become enormously popular at my library, which has prompted me to read it.  The series is clearly cashing in on the success of the Percy Jackson books, but offers a decent alternative to those kids who have finished the Riordan books and want more of the same.  Jack is not a particularly likable or well developed character, nor are his friends, but character development is not the main motivation of the book.  The Colossus Rises is extremely plot driven and the action never stops.  I think the one character, Marco, is taken for dead at least three times.  The back-story concerning the ancient wonders and the Loculi will appeal to smart kids who enjoy details, but I found it all a bit confusing.  I found my mind starting to wander during different bits, especially when the professor explains some piece of ancient lore.  Kids (or over-read librarians) who can't quite keep the details of the plot straight will still be able to enjoy the book with its non-stop dashing about and clever dialog.  Veteran author, Lerangis has written installments in the 39 Clues series and is a master at writing adventurous fiction for young people.  The series will appeal to boys more than girls, although Lerangis threw in a female character to make the book more inclusive.  With three titles in the series already out and a four slated for a March, 2015 release, kids will have plenty to keep them busy with this series.

I Hunt Killers

I Hunt Killers
Barry Lyga
Little Brown, 2012  359 pgs
Grades 9-Up
Suspense

Welcome to the confusing world of Jasper (Jazz) Dent, son of the most famous and notorious serial killer of our fictional times, Billy Dent.  Billy has been locked away in prison since Jazz was thirteen, but the lessons and abuse he suffered under his father are still lurking in a hazy, omnipresent way.  Now Jazz lives with his Grandmother, has a nice girlfriend, Connie, and a best friend, Howie, who suffers from hemophilia.  A new serial killer is on the loose in Jazz's small town.  He recognizes the patterns and brings his findings to the attention of the sheriff who put Billy behind bars, G. William, who has since become a personal friend.  At first G. William rejects Jazz's help and discounts his theories.  As the victims begin to pile up it becomes clear that Jazz was right and the new killer is mirroring the career of Billy.  Who better to track down a Billy impersonator than his own son?  Jazz lends his services to the investigation, including visiting Billy in the state penitentiary for the first time to try to get information from him.  Throughout the investigation we see the workings of Jazz's mind: the confusion of his past and his struggle processing the emotions of his present.  Meanwhile, a social worker is concerned about his living situation, noticing that Gramma's condition is deteriorating and is threatening Jazz with a foster home.  Throughout all his personal problems and angst, Jazz continues to hunt down the murderer.  After many close calls, dead ends, and the near loss of Howie, Jazz tracks down the new serial killer and brings him to justice, only to have a new development smack him in the face; a twist that will lead readers straight to the second book in the series.

First in the Jasper Dent series, I Hunt Killers is an edgy thriller not for the faint of heart.  It is graphically violent and descriptive in content and I would have loved it when I was in high school.  The violence all makes sense to the story and Jazz, despite his inner battles, is a good guy.  This book is the perfect transition for teen readers who are not quite ready for adult thrillers.  When I was a teenager I read Stephen King and Anne Rice because well written, suspenseful books for older teenagers were not available.  Now its a different world and Barry Lyga has found his niche in it.  The mystery aspect of the book was tight.  Plenty of suspects were introduced and the killer, although gettable, was not too obvious.  Jazz is a well developed character, which is unusual for this genre.  We see him struggling to maintain healthy relationships, all while battling violent emotions and urges stemming from his upbringing.  At first I thought that maybe Jazz was an unreliable narrator (which would have been cool) or that maybe his sheriff friend was responsible for the killings (also would have been cool), but early on those theories were dismissed as Lyga chose a more traditional route.  It felt weird where Lyga picked up Jazz's story, we never see G. William's investigation and arrest of Billy.  I felt like I was reading the second in the series and kept making sure that it is indeed the first.  Lyga has since written a prequel focusing on these past events, so I guess I was not the only one wanting more background.  My only real complaint with the book is that Jazz has had such a traumatic childhood, yet none of the concerned adults in his life insist he gets some therapy (the sheriff mentions that he sees a therapist because of the Billy Dent arrest, why wouldn't he encourage Jazz to do the same?).  This could be my "mother brain" kicking in as I was reading the book, but I just wanted to grab that boy and drag him to a therapist!  The mystery is satisfactorily solved by the end and the killer revealed.  Lyga throws in a cool surprise twist at the end of the book that will have readers racing for installment number two: Blood of My Blood, released last month.

The 8th Continent

The 8th Continent
Matt London
Penguin, 2014  217 pgs
Grades 3-6
Science Fiction/Adventure

Wealthy siblings, Rick and Evie, travel around the world with their eccentric environmentalist/inventor father and crow-like robot tutor when not attending their exclusive Swiss private school.  This is the earth of the future, where many species of animals have become extinct and the planet is covered with garbage and entire species are vanishing.  A wild-life vigilante, Dad is constantly butting heads with the world government, Winterpole. eventually getting himself arrested and sent to the high-security "Prison at the Pole".  Rick and Evie take it upon themselves to track down Dad's former college, Doctor Evan Grant, in order to recreate a mechanism that can transport the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (a real thing!) into a livable 8th continent.  Enter the evil Nemesis, Vesuvia, who wants control of the invention to convert the 8th continent to a "new Miami" with shopping malls and bling.  Evie and Rick travel the globe in their flying tree/ship, track down Dr. Grant, and get hold of the invention.  Unfortunately, before they can make the machine work, Vesuvia arrives with a multitude of armed soldiers. Will the machine succeed in creating the 8th continent?  Will Rick and Evie overcome Vesuvia in dictating the continent's future?  Will Dad ever be released from prison?  These and other important questions will be answered as you quickly turn the pages to the book's thrilling conclusion!

First in a projected series, The 8th Continent feels in structure and format like The 39 Clues series or Spirit Animals, although it will be written exclusively by London, as opposed to various authors as in the two scholastic series.  The writing is formulaic, yet written as to create excitement and to keep kids pushing on to the end.  The action never stops and the technology is cool.  Reluctant readers, especially, will be drawn to this book.  Having both a male and female character will increase the range of the book to appeal to both sexes.  The main characters are charactertures and the villainous girl is something straight out of a comic book.  There is also a lot of violence, but it is also cartoon-like and will not scare even sensitive readers.  Readers won't care that this is not great fiction.  They will eat it up and beg for the next installment (scheduled for release February, 2015).  On the cover of the book it reads "Build It.  Run It.  Rule It." underneath the title and the publicity advertises an internet component.  I assumed that kids would be able to go on-line and create their own continent, maybe using some sort of code hidden within the book.  This was not the case.  When directed to the book's website there is a simple game that is suppose to lead you to a sneak-peek of the next installment of the series, once you complete it. After wasting twenty minutes mastering the game, no sneak-peek was revealed.  The book was officially released two weeks ago and I don't think the website has been updated as promised, which made the internet component disappointing. The 8th Continent is underlayed with educational content in the form of quizzes that the heroes are subjected to by their robot tutor and environmental messages.  It is a cautionary tale for our future, as earth is being taken over by garbage.  What a fantasy to create an 8th continent and have a "do-over".  If only we could...